Author Topic: First bow is coming along.... (Read 1915 times)

snag · « **on:** March 31, 2009, 10:06:00 AM »

I was encouraged by Oregon Okie and Steve to try my hand, with lots of guidance and experienced advice, at building a recurve. Steve is a very gracious man with an awesome woodshop! I have been blessed to have met him and am so grateful for this experience. Yesterday I prepped the riser by sanding the fadeouts to a paper fine edge and made sure all the areas to glue the limbs to were smooth and even. I then glued up the limbs and put both in Steve's press. It is curing in the hot box now. I will pull it out this week and start sanding and sawing!

snag · « **Reply #1 on:** March 31, 2009, 10:13:00 AM »

The last pic is my "bow mentor" Steve...posing for a picture while in the process of changing the belt on the belt sander. That machine makes quick work out of sanding veneers down precisely.

Oregon Okie · « **Reply #2 on:** March 31, 2009, 10:17:00 AM »

Man David, your wood combo is going to look so good. Can't wait to see the finished product. Steve will be so glad he was hammin' for that pic.

snag · « **Reply #3 on:** March 31, 2009, 12:25:00 PM »

Can't wait to pull it out of the press and see how things came out! I really am anxious to see the bolivian rosewood through that clear glass!

Mounter · « **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2009, 01:33:00 PM »

Good work, That's quite a shop he's got there. Is that a homemade sander?

snag · « **Reply #5 on:** March 31, 2009, 03:18:00 PM »

Mounter, I think Steve put that sander together himself...not positive. I do remember he said it is an odd belt size...42"...so he has to have them made.

Oregon Okie · « **Reply #6 on:** March 31, 2009, 04:49:00 PM »

I think he bought that from a guy but it was put together by the original owner. Either way its "custom" huh?

snag · « **Reply #7 on:** March 31, 2009, 06:00:00 PM »

Sounds right Russ.

elkslayer · « **Reply #8 on:** March 31, 2009, 08:28:00 PM »

Snag u have some nice shop. where did ya get the edge sander and what do they run?

B M A · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2009, 02:23:00 AM »

Coming along good there Snag. You have a great teacher there. Steve is a great guy and has built some very nice bows over the years. He has a very nice set up there.
Look forward to seeing more pics.
Brock

snag · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2009, 09:47:00 AM »

No doubt, I am very fortunate to have Steve as a teacher. I love the design of this bow. If I was looking to buy a bow I'd have him build me one.

Jeremy · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2009, 12:56:00 PM »

Too many spaces after your

Here you go

Quote

Originally posted by snag:

Jeremy · « **Reply #12 on:** April 01, 2009, 12:59:00 PM »

That shop is too clean

snag · « **Reply #13 on:** April 01, 2009, 05:46:00 PM »

It's great Jeremy. With that centralized vac system you can drag the hose to each machine and plug it in. Then when you're done with that machine unplug it and vaccuum the work area. Then take the hose to the next area and do the same. Works awfully slick!

snag · « **Reply #14 on:** April 02, 2009, 10:13:00 AM »

Well we "burned the midnight oil" last night. I pulled the bow out of the press! No air bubbles or small debris under the clear glass..whew! Took it to the surface sander and cleaned it up and trued it up getting any extra glue off the edges. Then Steve had me determine center of the limb tips, placed a screw-on clamp with a small post so we could string it up. This allowed us to see how the limbs "tracked"...unbelievable! No limb twisting. As we pulled the string up and down, just high enough so the string lifted off the limbs, upon letting it down the string came back to center! Steve was happy with it and that is a good thing. He is a perfectionist. I like that about him. Marked the edges of the clamps on the limb tips,took the string clamps off and put a templet of the shape of the limb, marked the outline on the tape. Then I took it to the sander and started taking off material. This was a little unnerving for me. I had come this far, didn't want to got over the line! It's starting to look like a bow!!! The next thing to do will be to glue on the tip veneers and the overlay veneers. Then I can start shaping the tips and sawing out the shelf! Pictures to come. Got to go to work to pay for this! Thanks Steve! You are definitely making a dream come true for me!

Jeremy · « **Reply #15 on:** April 02, 2009, 11:01:00 AM »

Cool! Looking forward to more pics. She's gonna be a looker for sure!

I really like the looks of his belt sander... I have and extra motor and another project it seems

Oregon Okie · « **Reply #16 on:** April 02, 2009, 12:38:00 PM »

I think I'm more excited to see your bow come out than I was mine. I love the process of making all those square edges just flow into your hand and make a bow out of it. I think all your dark woods are going to make a beautiful bow.

snag · « **Reply #17 on:** April 02, 2009, 03:25:00 PM »

This is the bow fresh out of the press and run through the surface sander, getting the glue off and truing it up.

snag · « **Reply #18 on:** April 02, 2009, 03:27:00 PM »

I love the look of the bolivian rosewood coming through the clear glass! No air bubbles! Yea!

Here's the work horse! This belt sander is amazing. Steve has built a jig to sand down veneers on this sander that took me some time to get used to. But after I learned how to use it it really does a fanastic job!

snag · « **Reply #19 on:** April 02, 2009, 03:32:00 PM »

Touchy work! Still developing the touch to grind down the limbs to the lines. He has a templet of the limb that I scribed on the limb's tape. Then grind down to those lines. This is done after finding center of the limbs.

...who is that greyhaired ol' fart?!!!!....

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Author Topic: First bow is coming along.... (Read 1915 times)

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