40 lb Osage-Yellowheart buildalong

[bjansen]

40 lb Osage-Yellowheart buildalong

[bjansen]

Hello all, I finished a 40LB osage/maple laminated bow with a yellowheart riser today.  I took some pics along the way so I thought I would try to post a short buildalong.  

I will have to note, that I am explaining these pics in a manner to which some of my friends/family can understand...so sorry to all the master bowers for the rather simple explanations.

This turned out to be a rather light bow.  I havent had it on the scale yet but I am guessing it will measure around 40 lbs.  The yellow riser and orange osage i think look really good together.

To start, the lams conist of

2 pair 110-.02 Osage
1 pair 120-.02 Maple
1 pair .030 maple
.40 glass

[bjansen]

Trying to figure out how to post pics on here...any advice?

[kennym]

Check this out,and get us some pics!!LOL

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=045582

[bjansen]

Thanks Kenny,

They are on the way.

[bjansen]

I am going to add a few extras in here to show my friends and family who live away from me how I actually "build bows" (forms, lamination, etc).  

Here is a pic of the laminations that I currently have.  I either buy these or make them myself.  Buying them is much much easier but much more expensive.  Depending on the laminations you build/buy the riser and lamination materials for an average bow can range anywhere from $30 to $120.  

When I make the lams, they are also much thicker.  As you can imagine, It would be very difficult for me to make a consisent taper down to .020 in.  

 

[bjansen]

In that small pic above, I have a bunch of stacked laminations and in the middle there you can see a lacewood riser that I cut.  That thin strip of yellowheart on top will be used later for the tip overlays.

Here below is the form I used for this bow.  Is is about 74 inches long. and I use about 18 clamps when it is all said and done.  I have it straight ont he bottom and reflexed slightly on the top, so I can just flip it over and use either side

 

[bjansen]

Next, I clean all the lams with acetone and glue it up on the press.  I have been using bowgrip 100 with great results so far.  I dont have a pic of the yellowheart bow glued up, but here it is after it gets out of the press.  Notice it is slightly reflexed.  

 

[bjansen]

Next I stike a center line down the middle of the painters tape that I have over the clear glass and scripe the tapered limb designs that I want.  

Here you can see how I cut the limbs (on a bandsaw).

PS I am writing this so the reader (maybe a friend or family member who doesnt understand the basic principles can read and follow).. So sorry to all you master bowers.

 


Note:  Like cheap sand paper, cheap painters tape is the most expensive thing to buy.  I used some junk 99 cent stuff on the form and somehow it got engrained into the clear glass during the glue up...I had to sand it off the clear glass...took forever.....3M from now on.

[bjansen]

Next, I sand those rough cuts down to a nice tapered limb.  I use this rigid oscilating belt/spindle sander...which works very good.  This parts takes quite a while, even with 50 or 80 grit paper.  I sand usually for about 45 minute just to get the limbs smooth and the handle even with the laminations.  

 

[bjansen]

While I am sanding check out some of the quivers I just made.  The one on the right a back quiver, which I put rabbit fur on the inside to keep the arrows quiet. The one on the left a combination style, back/side quiver.  

I make the arrows too.  They are cedar shaft and turkey feathers which I cut and attach.  

 

[bjansen]

Next I cut the arrow shelf.  I kept this one about 1/8 from the centerline of the bow (vertical) and 1.25 inches up from the centerline (horizontal).  I cut this on the bandsaw then finished up rounding the shelf with a coping saw.

 

[bjansen]

Here you can see roiugh cuts of the soon to be rounded shelf and the terribel burn marks from that ruined blade on the bandsaw.

 

[bjansen]

Next I sand the handle to the desired shape.  For this bow I used what just felt comfortable in my hand.  It looks somewhat like a recurve handle on the back.  The center of the notch where my hand fits (you will see later) is the center of the bow.  

Now we check for tiller.  I use this tillering stick I made to check how the limbs are bending.  I am looking for a nice even bend all the way from the fadeout to the tips.  Also since that arrow shelf is 1.25 higher than center, the bottom limb moves more string, or does more work than the top so it must be a little stronger.  I can sand the limbs down where needed to get the desired tiller.  

This one didnt take that much work.  

You can see my entire little 20x20 garage behind...

 

[bjansen]

Now its time for tip overlays.  For this bow I used more of the yellow heart and rosewood.  

I sand them flat on a sheet of 100 grit sand paper on my table saw (cast iron top) and then put them on with Devcon 5min epoxy.  

After they cure fully (1 hour) I cut off the exces and shape them with the sander.  

 

[bjansen]

Here you can see how I cut the string grooves.  This is basically a chainsaw file.  I round the grooves over the top to hold the string in the right place.  

Kind of a poor pic but this also shows how those large blocks were sanded down to a nice rounded tip overlay. That rosewood is great stuff!

 

[bjansen]

Ok, now I finsh any rough sanding/filing and sand the bow (wood portions only) starting with 100, then 120, 150 220.....then hit the entire thing (glass and wood) with finer grits.  Dending on  the wood i use I sometimes go 320, 400, 500, 800...however I stopped on about 320 on this bow. then followed up with 0000 wool.  Sanding is the most intensive part of this process.

Here you can see the final sanded product

 

[bjansen]

Now for the finsh. I use Cambells Magnalac..(a pre-catalyzed laquer).  I love it..bu the smell with kill you.  

I thin it 40% or so for the first coat to try to get it to soak in as much as possible.  I wipe it on...and it drys very fast...so I hit it with 0000 in between coats.  Here is a good pic...and a good pic of that rosewood overlay:

 

 

[bjansen]

So that is basically it.  I have the last coat on it now. I made a string for it and it should be ready to go.  Here a couple pics of the bow below.  

Thanks for looking

Remember, time spent making bows is time that doesnt come off your life.  

 

 

[hera]

     

Good job.