build along - ultimate wooden bow

[Shaun]

I lied, here's some more Friday night photos;

Off the caul and holding about 2 1/2" backset.

 

Rasped down to close to finished profile

 

Lengthwise view, the early growth stuff you can see is not violated rings, just stuff in the low spots that the drawknife could not get. I'll clean it up with a scraper and sanding at finish time. Propeller and bends under controll.

 

[Shaun]

My son Mike just asked me about the bow and admired it. When I told him about putting it on TradGang as a build along, he said, "There's a lot more people reading and commenting on content on the net than there are making content". I think that's a compliment, course he is family.

[DCM]

Good progress.  I'd get rid of the soft wood off the back.  It can hide nasties although your's looks clean as a whistle.  I'd lay off the width too, till you get it floor tillered.  Looks like it's gonna be a hum dinger.

Did you cut that bodock there around home?

[B.O.D.]

Shaun, how did you heat it? bit by bit then clamp it? and did you use a heat-gun like a paint stripper type? ASHSTYK very nice, looks like it will be a SMOKER!!!!  

[the Ferret]

Wow isn't that going well! You are kinda determined when you get your mind on something aren't ya? LOL

Outstanding build along so far Shaun.

BTW is that a 70's BMW 750 front wheel in that one pic?

[AZStickman]

Looking very good  Shaun......There's a lot more work that goes into doing a buildalong than there is in just building a bow.... Thanks for taking the time to do it..... Great pics....    Terry

[Shaun]

Mickey, that particular Beemer is not ours (yes an R75/5), my son is a wrench at the BMW shop and he has that one as a side repair project for some fellow. I switched from Beemers to Hogs about 5 years ago and now Mike is a mechanic at the local shop and I plan to switch back. Mike has 3 - an '85 R65 (mint!) and a 2000 Dekar monster spaceship with bags and GPS and stuff, and his $200 "rat bike" a stripped down and sticker covered water cooled K bike of undetermined vintage.

Anyway, back to bows; floor tillered and ready for long string. Gonna cut some nocks and start to pull on it. Was thinking about putting on tip overlays now instead of at the end. Don't like to have one set of grooves and then fit the overlays on them. What do you guys think of that idea? Read that one can use gel superglue for overlays, any advise on what to use for glue? Or should I hold off on the tip overlays till the end and finish work?

[Shaun]

DCM, yes, bodark from about 15 miles south of my house, cut with Brad Merkel a couple weeks ago but fairly dry in the tree. I can see through the early wood residue and no blemishes under it. There is a cluster of 3 very small pin knots in one mid limb, they look solid and I forsee no problem with them. And there is some funky twisted grain the last couple inches on one tip - I think that will be OK too as I plan to keep the last 6" or so of the tips static. No other imperfections noted so far. Looks like the limbs are going to be 3 rings, might be a name in there somewhere?

Ashstyk, yes, used a paint stripper type heat gun careful slow application until wood is too hot to hold for more than a moment and its willing to bend, then clamps. Worked my way down the limbs on the caul per Mickey's web page instructions.

Terry, thanks. Its fun posting and getting feedback and a great learning tool for me. I learn a lot by watching other folks do build alongs too. I have a friend who assures me "You can't die from embarrassment". So what's the worst that can happen with the whole net watching?

[B.O.D.]

Shaun, I used gel superglue for some overlays, roughed both surfaces a bit, glued and clamped it, worked super( pun intended). still holding well. ASHSTYK  :cool:

[Dano]

Lookin good Shaun, I use TiteBond II and III you just have to give it time to dry.

[the Ferret]

Shaun I usually wait on the overlays because my tillering string with cups is a tight enough fit without the extra 1/8" material on there and I use the temporary string grooves as a guide for the grooves in my overlays but I don't think it really matters from a scientific standpoint which way you do it.

[Eric Krewson]

I often glue on overlays early on in the bow making process. I leave them clunky and over-sized through most of the tillering process. I usually add an extra groove on one end to use as a slot for a simple string bow stringer. Saves wear and tear on my arms when trying to string a bow that is still 20 or more lbs over poundage. When I get to the point I can easily string the bow I finish reducing the overlays and file off the stringing groove. While I am on the long string I only file a slot in the back of the overlay not on the sides of the limb.

[Shaun]

Went ahead and added antler overlays

 

Filed them down but left them oversize for now

 

Long string on and ready for tillering - no pressure on string

 

Pulling on rope to get some bend.

 

All aboard the tiller train! All input welcome.

I see bend mostly towards the fades, though the outer limb areas are straightening enough to loose the backset.

I don't believe there was a draw weight question on the ultimate wood bow tread. Any votes for other than the low to mid 50's?

[George Tsoukalas]

You need more bending mid limb on. Jawge

[the Ferret]

Shaun a comment I have is before you go any further it would be a good idea to round those back edges some, just knock off the sharp corners. Sharp edges are a prime place for a splinter to lift while rounded edges more or less prevent that.

Did you floor tiller this at all? You should have had the limbs bending into a nice stiff smoooth arc at floor tiller, before going to the tree.

[the Ferret]

Oh and I purposely left weight off of the questionaire regarding the ultimate bow. Weight is such a personal choice where design cna be agreeable by a large percentage of bowyers. but I know ther were guys that answered that shot between 45# and 65# so a median would most likely be 55#, but you should build it to suit you!

[Shaun]

I did do some floor tiller before heat / caul bending. Got some bend in an arc. Did a little more after caul, but maybe should have done more.

Good tip to round off the edges, will do.

Have removed a substantial amount of wood to get it bending this far. Should I take off more or go to a low brace at this point?

 

 

I like the sound of 55# draw weight. Shootable but heavy enough for anything, plus it suites me.

[Shaun]

Also, have not designated a top and bottom limb yet. One limb wants to bend in a nice arc, the other has personal issues and wants more attention. When and how to figure the top limb?

[bowman_79]

Making progress. I enjoy watching build a longs. My tillering needs a lot of practice, and this just shows me where im going wrong. Keep up the good work Shaun.  

[John Scifres]

Awesome job so far.