Overhead Clamp Bowform Finished

[Dick in Seattle]

I finished up my bow form project today, took the final pictures and posted them to the web page I've been building.  I know it's a kind of traditional approach to traditional bow building, using clamps and an oven vs. air hose and heat strips, but I'm comfortable with that and I'm really pleased with how it came out.  I can hardly wait to see a bow come off of it...   Unfortunately, there are a couple of things to get done before I can do that.   I have to make a set of lams and make a riser, and I think I may have a good idea for rearranging the shop so that the oven can have a permanent home that is more readily accessible. However, before I can start on these things, I have to make good on a promise to post a mystery quilt for my quilting site folks. That will be a two day job, but I think I can safely say that I can have all of this done this week and be laying up a bow Monday or Tuesday...

Here's a repeat of the link to the whole bow form project:

 http://dickwightman.com/archery/bowyering/buidlingform/buildingform.html


I want to thank all the people whose postings gave me ideas, and I hope my project offers some ideas to some other folks.

[Curtis Haden]

Looks like a dandy, Capt!  Can't wait to see a lay-up on it.    

[Apex Predator]

That's awesome Dick!  I can hardly wait to see a 2" wide, straight long bow.

[LoneWolf]

I like that, may try one sometime myself.  We rigged up something simular for a friend of mine for his bow form, engineered the clamps though.  Worst part was converting PSI to ftlbs on his.  took me a few days to figure that out.

[Apex Predator]

I would imagine that you would have to tighten clamps for 30 minutes before you could put it in the oven?  I know it takes a while to tighten the one c-clamp I use on my risers, since it takes so long for the epoxy to ooze out.  It holds the riser from sliding while I wrap my bow in rubber!  

[Shakes.602]

Being a "Newbie", havent made a Bow Yet!! Is  "The Clamp" aka Good LookingGIZMO , for a LongBow or Recurve??      

[Steve Nuckels]

Very cool!  Nice shop!

Steve

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IN GOD WE TRUST

[Dick in Seattle]

Shakes...

This form is dead flat, so somehow, I don't see me adapting it to a recurve  :^)    The clamp system, though will do either on the right form.   I think i have a lot of longbows in my system before I move on to recurves, but, as I've noted, I'm a tinkerer/gadgeter/tool tryer.   When I do get around to an R/D or a recurve, I'll probably try the hose system.    Somewhere down the line, I'd like to tinker with a heat tape instead of an oven, too.   Meantime, in my admittedly somewhat warped mind, clamps and ovens seem more appropriate for longbows than hoses and tapes...