Dick's Flatbow... Jan. 17 installment

[Dick in Seattle]

Several of you have commented that you enjoyed these, so I'll keep putting them up... hopefully not as long as that first one...

Small but significant progress today... First off, I made my limb template, using some very nice lexan I got at the local plastics factory. It's clear but comes with white paper on it. I simply traced the pattern from the limbs of the previous bow.

Next, I applied blue masking tape to the lay up and tried to draw a center line... That's where I ran into problems. As you know, the limbs slipped and ended up somewhat skewed, Hence, I didn't have a really true flat side edge to work from. My first idea was to draw a "not really center line" from each edge, using a square and running it up the side, the plan being that then I could shoot a center by going between them. I tried that and just wasn't happy with the result. Something just didn't seem right.

In a situation like that, in our house, there is only one thing to do... yell "Ann!" She has spent 30 some years designing interiors for boats and can go into a boat and practically guess the measurements of every surface, regardless of curves, angles or hull shape. She's known in the local boating community for getting the very best fit possible on all of her work, and on a boat, there ain't nothing square! The only reason I don't yell for her more frequently is that you can't get the condensed answer. She has to explain how she got there. She feels you need this information. For each problem, she starts with the history of the ruler, the development of math and how she got to her answer. I wait, somewhat impatiently, for the answer and try to grab it as it goes by.

Seriously, what she did was take measurements of the template at several points along its length, then determine which of the two sides of the lam was best to base the template placement on, shot a center mark at two positions from the side that she determined would result in the best placement of the template in terms of the available surface area of the layup. She then took one of the handy dandy 72" flexible steel rulers she uses in her work to set lines on curved hull sides, clamped that to the layup and shot a line between the two points she had set. Believe me, it wasn't as simple as it sounds, but I do not question any issue where she is involved in math or measurement. I put the template's center line on the line she set. The template fit (really, really just barely on one edge) and I drew out the bow pattern.

I would have cut the bow out today, too... but Ann said, "Gosh, Now that you have that done, wouldn't you like to go out and hit some bookstores, and spend the afternoon together..."

I will cut out the bow tomorrow...

[talkingcabbage]

Sounds like the least you could do for her.  She also sounds like an awesome wife.  I can't even get mine to come out to the garage when I'm working on bows!

I'm waiting patiently for more pics.  This is a great buildalong Dick.  I was just thinking about trying my first laminated bow sometime this year.  All I've ever done is wood bows, so a lam one will be interesting.

Joe

[Aeronut]

Here is what I use to lay out a center line on my  bows.  I do my bow work in my dungeon and have heating ducts overhead.  I fasten my laser level onto it and set the bow on my table.  I mark the line and then just measure off of it.

 

 

Dennis