bow gods gave me a break! (vid added)

[deadpool]

first longbow i built in about 2 years, came out better than i expected, i think i might still have some hinges on the bow but i'm a bit worried about digging deeper into the wood, since it shoots soooo well and makes absolutely no noise, only sound i hear is the sound of the arrows impact. its red oak, 66" long 49lb@28"

 

 

 
first time unstringing it after 4 hours

 

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Looks a bit stiff in the fades but if it's shooting good that's all that matters.

 Good job.

 Stiks

[deadpool]

i think Ima spend more time on this bow i really like it and i want it to last a good long time, ima work on the fades and post pics up soon

[Roy from Pa]

Doesn't look bad, but needs wood off just outside the fades.

[Don Armstrong]

Watch that bottom limb right at the fade. You look like there is the start of a fairly good hinge. The top limb looks good. I would do as said, work the fades a little and call her good. Don

[deadpool]

i gave the fade a good scraping, my cameras dead right now i'll post updates in the morning, thanks guys!

[Roy from Pa]

Don, I don't see any hinge at the bottom limb fade. The fades on both limbs to me look flat.

[deadpool]

i may have shaved off a few pounds on this one but you guys tell me if the tiller looks better

 


i will have a vid up soon

[deadpool]

[razorback]

Christian,
Bow looks much better now than it did in your first shots, especially the top limb. Bottom limb still looks to have a bit of a hinge about midlimb. Look at the smooth curve on the top limb and compare it to the bottom limb.

Nice group with the two arrows, especially shooting 2315's which should be way too stiff for that bow. Though your shooting range is good hunting practice. You have to concentrate on a spot as a bad shot could easily add a chevy or ford to your trophy room.    

keep up the good work and let us know if you shoot anything with this bow.

[deadpool]

razorback thank so much for the kind words, I notice that hinge your talking about now that you mention it, hopefully if i have the time i can work on it this weekend.

 i do need to pick a better archery range huh lol

as for my form I'm working on that as we speak, old habits die hard I guess since shooting that bow was the first time i shot in about 3 months (since i left vegas)

 I built some poplar arrows, gona go try them out at an orchard around here for some squirrels if the land owners let me, I'll let you know how it goes!

[KellyG]

deadpool,
if you want a cheap target cut up some 12 or 18" squares of card board. Once you have a stack of squares 12-18" high get some zip ties. Put our weight on them and zip them togather. That was my first target ever I used when I first tried archery. It was in my basment in AK at 10yds; shot all winter and by spring I was ready for longer shoots.
Good luck
Kelly

[Jesse Peltan]

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047#000000

This is a link to the thread about how to make a tillering gizmo.  It is basically idiot proof, and will get you a perfectly circular tiller without taking off any more wood than necessary.  

I have some advice for the riser on your bow. I am not sure if you are familiar with the terms "flares" and "fades".  The flares are the transition from handle to limb in width.  The fades are the transition from handle to limb in depth(thickness).  (both the handle and the flares/fades are included in the riser) On your bow it appears that the flares happen first, and then the fades.  If you place the flare and fade of a limb into the same area, you get a smoother, shorter, fade/flare section.  This eliminates a lot of the problems people have with bows breaking at the fades.  It also extends the length of the working limb, making defects in tillering(like a hinge)less critical.  (the smoother fadeout also reduces the chance of a hinge at the end of the fade)Now on this bow, I am not sure if you want to make more changes or if you want to just finish it up.  But on your next bow I suggest you try these changes.  

If you do decide to make changes to this bow, extending the working limb will reduce the stress on it, allowing for changes to be made to bring the draw weight back up.  For example you could reflex the bow, and/or shorten it.

If you just decide to retiller the bow and not change the flare/fade layout, you might want to consider reflexing the limbs and heat tempering the belly.(to counteract draw weight lost in tillering)  This can be done with any kind of a form(straight board with shims, just a straight board to bring the bow back straight, a fancy form, etc) and a heat gun, or a long bed of coals.  When heat tempering only heat the belly of the bow, and heat until the wood changes color, not until it blackens.  Also if you do not want to extend the length of the working limb, I suggest you change your fadeouts, so that they start at the end of your grip and end in it's current position. This will help when tillering because it helps eliminate hinges near the fades.

If you decide to follow any of my suggestions please pm me, and I can provide more detailed explanations as well as pictures of what I mean.

[deadpool]

jason thanks i was looking for that thread!!