My First Holmegaard Type Bow Attempt (Compleated Pics - 09/14)

[Dano]

She'll look great in the AM, even with no make up  :D  . You may not need any more adjustments, ya never know, take it slow you'll be fine..

[BLACK WOLF]

Saaaaweeet! Now that's beginning to look real even!

Ray  

[ber643]

Thanks, Dano and Ray. I'm about hesitant to do anything else to it    . May just try some more short-draw shooting with it a bit - but got to get it drawing to 25" sooner or later (and hope for the best on the poundage I reckon   :D  )

(I did brush her off a little, early this AM, and remove some pencil lines. I also whispered sweet nothings to her   :p  you know, just to make her feel pretty, loved, and keep her moving in the right direction -   :p  )

[Dano]

By my calculations   :rolleyes:  you should be at 46# at 25" right now, I think you'll make it.

[ber643]

Yep, that's about what I figger too, Dano - but I don't seem to be able to pull it to there, either on the tree, or in hand. So my quandry is - do I take both limbs down a little more and hope it will stay at/above 40# at 25"? (or do I leave it alone, and hope I get reincarnated with muscles, next time -   :D )

This AM, after breakfast (and reading Torges' article link you gave me a few posts back) I took her out on my range for some more short-draw shooting, still looking good, and shooting good. I decided a couple of things were in order, so I served the string, put a string knock point (adjustable) on, and increased the brace height to 5". Went back out, and as I had hoped, she was a little quieter, smoother, and more consistant. I got Rose to snap a pic of the short-draw with it:

 

[JEFF B]

looks awesome uncle bernie!!!!! now i had better get back to mine.  

[Dano]

I was thinkin Bernie, I take it for granted your bow scale is accurate. So you may be gaining more than 3# per inch of draw, those tips may cause the bow to stack enough to gain 5# per inch, that would explain why your having a hard time drawing it to 25". What do you think?

[ber643]

Thanks, Jeff. I've got to find time to check yours out (my mind is running in circles these days between bows, family, and hunting season opening in a week and a half).

Dano, I suppose that the shorter amount of working limbs (only 16" per limb doing all the work) could make it tougher to pull, before it starts feeling like it was getting too tough to be good for it (or me). I hadn't thought about it, but that does sort of fit the description of stacking, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure the bow scale is OK I've had it quite a while but it is in very good shape and it seemed to read within a # of Mike's scale (same kind) on the last couple of bows (and some others I was just checking out, seemed to be about right).

Since I've shot the bow two or three times, and sweated it some (and it does seem to be drawing a tad further now), I may put it on the tree again this evening just to see if it's changed any. I don't believe i will do any more removal until I'm sure it has settled in real good, unless i see a real good reason to. It's not like I am planning on it for hunting season or anything, and I'd rather have it come out OK than rush it. Besides I'm having fun shooting it and it's good practice too (along with my It bow).

..............................

I did take it out on the tillering tree (with exercise - LOL) and with the 5" brace height I am now at, I can pull it to 22" and it is now reading 36.5

[Dano]

Sounds great Bernie, your right there's no need to rush at this point, most people get anxious to see it finished and end up with less than desired.

[Shaun]

It looks real good in the short draw picture. Nothing like seeing how it draws in the hand. I find a bow will often loose a couple of pounds in the first few hundred shots. Its a good idea to shoot it in and let it "learn" to bend. Really looks like you got the design and tiller right on.

[Glenn Newell]

She's looking good Bernie, as you say no need to rush it. A lot of people, myself included have rushed to get it finished and end up with much less draw weight than desired, it's amazing how many 40# bows are made...Glenn...

[ber643]

Thanks Dano, shaun, Glenn - guys like you have been a big help in my "trip".

Dano, on the other hand, John Scifres had the following to say re "stack" in the thread asking about advantages of the Holmegaard. I knew the things said there (from my research) but had forgotten this part.) He and others had more to say. A short, interesting thread for any who wonder.

"In general, tips are stiff to help keep string angle low to reduce stack." - John Scifres

In regards to what is also said there about the width and thickness of the tips, I intend to take my tips a little narrower yet.

Glenn, They can send all those  unwanted  40 ponders, that came in light, to this skinny little ol' gnome of a grunt -      

Seriously though, I understand what you are saying and it's a good point, that probably can't be stressed too often/much.

[Jeremy]

I agree with Mr Scifres and the discussion in TBB vol.I seemed to agree.  Wood itself doesn't stack leading up to a break.  Stack is caused by the string angle at the tips approaching 90 degrees.  Basically, when the angle gets closer to 90 you're bending the limb less and insead trying to pull them straight back - something that gets very hard, very quickly.
That's why you can have really short bows with extreme siyahs that don't stack out to 30"... the string angle at the tips never comes close to 90, so you're still bending the limbs, in some cases beyond parallel to the arrow.  

Oh, looking great so far Bernie!!  :D

[ber643]

Thank you Jeremy, both for the compliment on the bow and for your insight/take on the very important string angle re stack factor.

[Widowbender]

That's a pretty bow, Bernie      

David

[ber643]

Thank you, David, I must admit I am liking it better all the time. I took it out in the near dark (darker than I would shoot at a Deer) this evening and put aprox. 15 shots in the center circle  (aprox 8-10") of a target 10 yds away. A little hand shock but seems to be getting smoother all the time. Still short drawing - 21".

[ber643]

After a little more short draw shooting, I decided it was time to move on - slowly/carefully. I decided to cut my usual scraping pass down from 10 to 5 passes and do that to the top (left) limb to take a little more of the straightness out. It came out looking about right to these old eyes, so I took it out to shoot on my foam, in the carport (while tropical storm Hannah howled around me - LOL). She shot very well for the 10 or 12 shots (at 8yds) that I put her through. Later, after letting her "stew" at brace for about an hour, (and with the winds diminishing some) I decided to see how she'd act/look on my tiller tree.

The curves looked very even. Of course the lower (right) limb tip does not come down as far, because it starts out with a little higher "kick" than the top one anyway, but I was happy with the way it looked. Only thing is, when I pulled it to 22" the scale only registered 33.5 pounds. That worried me a little as I still hadn't been able to get to 25" draw yet. After contemplating a little I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns, go for broke - and hope it didn't ("broke", that is). I carefully eased back on the pully rope and found it would advance beyond 22" without any untoward results/noises. I kept pulling, smoothly, on the rope and realized I was making it right onto the 25" line.

"Yes!"

So much for that. With some small trepadation I went forward to check the scale - after all, I was the one who decided to do it, so it was my results to live with it - right, wrong, or indifferent.

Eureka! The scale read exactly 40# @ 25"

I did it a couple times more to check for noises and same readings. Good to go. I went in and got the wife to come and verify my observations (she's gonna be able to build bows if this keeps up - LOL). I was really pleased but, as we trucked into the house with bow in hand, I said, "Of course I still probably can't pull it to 25" in a regular draw but maybe it won't change too much getting to there."

Rose, most always the realist, asked if I had really tried since this AM's scraping.

"Well, No, but I guess I could try," I admitted - DOH!.

I got out my calibrated "measuring arra" and gave 'er a (tentative, I fear) go. Rose read the arrow at 24 inches. That was encoraging. Let me try that again. I did, several times. Yep, I can now also full draw it (and anchor) to 25" - I'm a happy camper!

I still have final sanding, a little more decreasing of tip width, shooting in (a-pleanty) at full draw but, unless something unforseen occurrs, I'm getting ready to finish her now.

I think I will call her, "Hannah Holmi", and thank you, Lord (and all the guys on the forums too - LOL)

Picture to follow when I get Hanna "dressed".

[Dano]

That's great news Bernie, I hopeing you wouldn't baby Hannah to the point of loosing too much weight. Good job Rose!!

[Doc Nock]

I had to hunt around to find this forum, Bernie, but Ta Da!

Sounds like you've been quite successful with this project like with so many others. Good on you, brother! Raining up here now like a cow whizzin on a flat rock! Lazy day for an old yankee!  

[ber643]

I'm not sure if I was babying Hannah, or she was babying me. One thing I/you could count on - Rose wasn't babying either one of us -      

(Seriously though, I was getting a little leary of ruining her - one way or another - but I think the steping back period, with half-draw shooting and  "cooking in" were good proceedures that brought it all together - for me as well as the bow.)

Glad you found it Doc (see, your new job is already giving your old confidence a re-newed boost -    ) Thanks for looking and for the comments.