2 piece self bow ... first try. finished pics pg 11

[JEFF B]

its looking nice Ruddy  

[KellyG]

Let us know what the weight is at as soon as you get, it is looking good.

[broketooth]

ok did i miss something? im thinkin that i should have had a bow scale a long time ago. one of the other things im thinkin i should have done is heated in some reflex. before im at the point im at now.i visited with bernie today and he was kind enough to let me borrow his bowscale . come to find out, we did some tests while i was at bernie's that i have definately overshot the mark on draw weight. i will have som pics later, as i have done some expirimenting with raising the brace hieght some and drawing further than 15" what are some suggestions as far as increasing draw, im willing to sacrifice some draw length in the process i do have sinew and from what i understand if properly applied for each layer it does increase the draw weight by 5# a layer what are your thoughts. ruddy

[Pat B]

Ruddy, If your limbs are bending well at 15" pull them to 16". If good there go to 17", ETC until you get to full draw. You might want to exercise it a few times as you increase the draw to help "educate" the wood to bend.
  How much short are you from your intended draw weight? You could easily loose 2" of length and that would increase the draw weight some. Also you can put it back on the reflex form and temper the belly as you add the reflex. Doing it again won't hurt anything.

[broketooth]

i did some more experimenting, i raised the brace to 5". i have not scraped or sanded this bow inbetween sessions. after raising the brace i brought the bow to 18" draw for 100 reps . then i gave the bow a rest restrung it and this is a pic after a draw session to 21" . i then gave the bow another rest restrung and this is a pic at 24" at the 24" draw i measured 37 #    im sure this bow needs some fine tuning and quite a bit of it. i was shooting for 50-55#@28"draw do i have a chance. ruddy

[ber643]

It is a sweet drawing bow, and looking just as good (if not better) than in the pictures. However it did surprise me that It seemed to be considerably lighter than either of us expected it to be. We discussed a lot of options that ruddy has, including some of the ones mentioned (pikeing, reheating, etc.). Like I told Ruddy, if worse comes to worse it looks to me like he will still wind up with a very nice bow, even if it winds up in a lady or youth weight class, and will be able to be proud of the job he's done on it. I think with the good advice of folks like Pat, etc., he still may come out OK and perhaps not too far off his desired weight in the end. Good luck in any case, Ruddy - and I enjoyed the visit and varied gab session we were able to share.

[broketooth]

i had to enlist the help of my wife so the pics arent exactly perpendicular to the camera. i appreciate her help, it wasnt exactly warm in the garage, the cold aint her cupof tea.

[ber643]

Ahh, you posted some new pics while I was typing.

LOL - Been there, done that (where would any of us be without the occasional help of our good wives).

Dang - to these ol' eyes that tiller is really looking good at the longer draws on the tree, Ruddy.

[ber643]

I always liked to think (depending on the bow) that it could be 2-3# of draw weight per inch. So Based on that  if you're getting 37# @ 24" wouldn't you still be looking at from 45-49#@28"? Or am I thinking wrong. AND it isn't really fully exercised in or settled in yet.

[KellyG]

It looks good Ruddy. This is where I get confused, I mean I try to get a feel for the wood and don't want to over draw it but how do you hit the weight you want. Hopefully we will get the answer.
Merry Christmas,
Kelly

[Pat B]

Guys, as long as a bow is bending well at a certain draw length while tillering it can be drawn farther. There is nothing in the rule book that says you can't. So when you hit 15" and it is bending well, pull it farther and see how the bow reacts.
 Ruddy, Looks like she needs to bend more in the outer 1/3 of the left limb. Right limb looks good.   Tiller this bow out so you have nice bending limbs. Don't worry about the weight for now just work on tiller. When you have her tillered out then we can decide if she can be a 60" 50#@28" bow with piking and heat tempering and adding reflex.

[ber643]

That sounds like an "answer" that we can put in our ditty bags, and take to the bank. Best part is it sounds like one that even I can remember - for when having that/this problem towards the final tillering. You're a good man, Pat, I don't care what those Bounty Hunters said    

[broketooth]

i have to admit, ive been nervous about getting the bow to bend. there are various pin knots in both limbs. i didnt want to cause a hinge in any of these spots. i also didnt want to get myself in a hurry, you know the " im really gonna take some wood off this time" syndrome.im realizing that there are certain risks that have to be taken to get to the next step in the process. im definately learning alot.its been a challenge just to remember each situation, im constintly questioning my judgement.ive also learning to see what everyone else is seeing in the bend of the limbs. im sure glad i have pat and bernie lookin over my shoulder. im gonna do some more work on it today. im sure i will have more questions to ask later, matter of fact i already do, but i will wait. so far im havin alot of fun. ruddy

[ber643]

That enjoyment is the main thing, Ruddy - it's what keeps us all "coming back home" - LOL

[ranger 3]

If you heat temper the belly be sure you leave it alone for a time and (DO NOT) touch it like someone I know did (LOL)

[Pat B]

Ruddy, when you walk up to a job site do you have to contemplate and fret about getting this new home framed in or do you take control and get-er-done?(rhetorical)  After a few bows you will be able to walk up to a stave, take a little wood off, exercise a little and the next thing you know you are outside shooting her. We are all a bit hesitant with new stuff but after we get familiar with it it's a breeze...then it bites us in the arse! d;^)

[ber643]

 Ya got that right!

[Osagetree]

Pat, what's an arse?

Looking real good Rudy!!! Keep it coming!!

[Pat B]

Joe, that's the Queen's English for butt!  d;^)

[Osagetree]