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

[Tom Anderson]

What's with this gentle limb pulling and "exercising"?  Bernie, just let me stop by and stretch her on out good with my 29" draw.  :D

[ber643]

You keep your Orangutan arms away from my wood babys, Tom Anderson. You can stop by anytime but I'm putting you in handcuffs as soon as you cross the property line -   :D

[Pat B]

Cool project and bow Bernie. Looking forward to your completed Holmie. I have made a few "modified" Holmies and they are good, fast, hard shooting bows. When I first saw your post yesterday morning I thought you had gotten into your coffee to heavily until I realized you were bringing everything together for this post. Pat

[ber643]

LOL - maybe (probably) some of both, Pat. Thanks, I will eventually put it on/in PA also, if it turns out, but I knew it was going to be a long project and didn't want to have to keep saying, "Don't enter it yet - it may disintergrate at any moment,"  

[Pat B]

I have faith in you Bernie!      Pat

[Tom Anderson]

Originally posted by ber643:
...I'm putting you in handcuffs as soon as you cross the property line....

That happens to me alot   :p  

Bernie, how long of a selfbow would I have to make in order to withstand my draw? 'Bout 7 feet?

Oh yeah BTW, great work!

[ber643]

Thanks, Pat and Tom. Naw, Tom you can have a short bow and still have draw length, although you would have to be aware of finger pinch possibilities. (lack of that is one of the benefits of a Holmegaard, BTW - Due to the stiff outter limbs). However, I would think the 66" or 67" bows I like to make would work fine for you, but it wouldn't hurt to make it more comensarate with your height, if you wanted to. Longer bows are generally smoother, as you well know. Hope that helps but Pat, Dano, and any number of others could tell you more/better.

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

Back to work on 'er today. (I need to stay busy right now.) A little different setup this time, so I can do some serious decreaseing of outter limb size:

 

If you look carefully you can see the line I plan to decrease the thickness of the non-working limb tips too, for now:

 

Almost there, using the Farriers file, then I'll scrape it a little cleaner:

 

Got the one end done and you can compare it with the other one in this next pic. Now I will do that end the same way. After that I will decrease the width of both tips a commensarate amount also, and then continue with decreasing thickness of inner limbs for tillering. This of course is a side/edge view:

 

[sticshooter]

GEESH!! IT'S NOT DONE YET??lol yOUR ONE OF THE BEST BERNIE<>><

[ber643]

That's what I keep asking it, Frank - "Aren't you done yet?" I did get thje thickness down on the other end after supper. Next time I work on it I'll take the width down on the tips.

[ber643]

Still isn't done - but -

I've done some tapering and shaping all around and have the shape pretty close to what I want in the end now, I believe. I also did a little tillering by virtue of tapering the width and thickness of the inner/working limbs, so I figured I'd take another look on the tillering tree, with the long string.

Here it is at rest, and you can see the little natural curvature in the tip of the right limb:

 

Here it is drawn (after exercising) to 15" (read about 42-43#). I like the way it is looking, especially right out of the handle fades, and all the way (so far) on the left limb. To me, the right limb looks pretty good (for this early) also - but you can see it isn't bending as much out near the end of the working limb as the left one is, it's still a little thicker at that end, and has a couple of uneven places in the thickness. I was going to get right back on it but had important/unexpected family matters to tend to ( a lot of that right lately unhappily). I hope to get back on it tomorrow, if all goes well. Maybe even a little before I turn in -  

 

[Dano]

Lookin good bud, your on the right track looks to me.

[ber643]

Thank you,. Dano, that's very encouraging.

[Pluck Yew]

Bernie, Thank You for posting this..That bow is fascinating..I read some history on it and I would love to try one..(don't have the kahonas(sp)to try one yet) But can't wait to see it finished!!..  

Shawn...

[ber643]

LOL - I know what you mean, Shawn, I felt the same way going in - especially when I found out my teacher, Mike, had never messed with one, so I was sort of going to be on my own (except for the forums). However, he put it simply enough to encorage me to at least start. He said, "Heck, Bernie, just go for it - just make a bow!" After that the rest is recorded here - LOL

[Dano]

Heck, what's the worst that could happen (I won't say it)   But that can happen to normal design bows everyday.

[ber643]

LOL - yeah, don't even think it, let alone say it. (But it can and does happen, as we all know )  :eek:

[BLACK WOLF]

Lookin' AWESOME! I love the looks of those bows.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Ray  

[ber643]

Thank you, Ray.

[JEFF B]

yes uncle bernie cant wait to see it all done. any ways iam  about to go and cut my bow out very soon  and will post pics.      

[BLACK WOLF]

Here's a couple of pics of a Holmgaard style bow I made.

 

 

 

Ray