a bow for bernie

[ber643]

That's worth remembering, if I can ever afford another stave    :D   . They are nasty looking little buggers - but worms are good protien (so they told us in survivor training). However if that rascal was feasting on my Osage and friend Ruddy has a little reaction to Osage - I don't know -    :eek:  (Just kidding, Ruddy, get outta the bathroom -      Just one probably won't hurt you - much.) Don't gorge on them though if you find more -    :p

[broketooth]

pat, i wanted to get started on another bow right away. i saw an opportunity to build one for bernie with his stave, and my bow swap build is coming soon.ive been outa work for so long im goin crazy. this occupies my mind and my hands.i also love agood selfbow. vicki says it keeps me in the garage where i belong. ruddy

[Pat B]

...and Ruddy you look so studious with your glasses on! d;^)

  The grubs from osage are from a small wasp. The ones in the oak log are probably sawyer beetle grubs. I remember many times sitting in my treestand and hearing this rasping sound. Turns out to be sawyer beetles or their grubs eating oak and pine trees laying on the ground.

[ber643]

Interesting, Pat. Still one in there Ruddy will have to deal with most likely.

I took a drive up to Ruddy's this AM to take a book to him I promised to loan him (one of my favs, by Dean Torges). We chewed the fat (and oggled the stave/bow-to-be - LOL). Since I had my camera with me, we decided I'd take a couple (or so) pics of Ruddy at work before I returned home.

Here Ruddy and I chat about his Spoke Shave (same as mine) while he cleans out behind the blade with a large darning needle (works as good as an Exacto knife - once he got his hand on the durn thing - LOL). He had already started contouring with his draw knife this AM, as you can see on the end nearest him :

 

Back to work on that end, and Ruddy quickly took it to this point:

 

Took a pic from off that end to see if it would show the "bevels" better:

 

Ruddy took the stave out of the vice to make sure he still had good visible marks for the handle and fades, on the sides, before starting on the other end:

 

Ruddy wielding the Draw Knife in good form on that end:

 

And a final look at the progress before I left him to work in peace (LOL) Keep up the good work, buddy (I enjoyed the visit):

 

[Art B]

I like my grubs well toasted myself    . I believe you should toast that baby real good once you get 'er floor tillerd Rudy (after you make sure the M/C is down). I do that anyhow to prevent any warping later on or if I forget and leave my bow in a hot vehicle........Art

[Diamondback59]

looks like some goood crappie bait !!!! i aint eatin no damn worms haha  ruddy  it s startin to look like a nice bow keep the pic s comin    brock

[red hill]

Thanks, Ruddy.
Stan

[ber643]

Art, Does that mean you "Toast" all your wood bows, and right after floor tillering stage? Does that also insure dead critters (if any) along with other benefits? (I think/trust Ruddy would ask these same questions if he was on, if not - please forgive my "need to know" and answer anyway, my friend      :D     . When any of us learn, we all learn - hopefully -      )

[Art B]

Not necessary toast but hot enough to prevent bows warping and crooking in a hot enviroment Bernie. If you make any correction with heat in one certain spot then that same amount of heat should be applied to the rest of the limbs IMO. Once you heat a spot you stiffen that particular area. I would think you want the same consistancy thoughout the limbs. Just my way of thinking.........Art

[Art B]

Oops, missed a question. I have most if not all  of my corrections (heating/straightening) done by the time I reach even tiller at brace height Bernie

[George Tsoukalas]

Lookin good, Ruddy! Hey, Bernie! How are you? Jawge

[broketooth]

thanks for everyones support. i actually to the time to thumb through a little of dean torges book that bernie was so kind to drop off at my home this a.m. i did read a little about  the importance of a sharp draw knife. i was wondering if there is a tutorial on the subject. ruddy

[ber643]

Rudy, Some love em sharp (Dean for sure - but remember he is a Master Furniture Craftsman as well as bowyer. My Mainer step-father {another Master w/wood} always said a tool that wasn't kept sharp wasn't "worth a tinker's damn"), some swear by em dull. There are even some folks who keep two on hand, one sharp and one dull (makes sense to me if you don't get em mixed up). As in a lot of other tools, I've found it to be like food - it's a very personal preference (and ability) thing in most cases - IMO. Like in Trad Archery - "whatever works for the individual." Glad you're getting into, and enjoying, the book - overall it is a great one, IMhumbleO.

Thank you, Art - that continuity of heat (thus stiffness) makes sense to me, though I never thought about it before.

Hey, Jawge, bless your heart. I just read your posts in KellyG's thread and was going to give you a shout-out but didn't have anything else to add. Always good to receive a greeting from my ol' "Home-boy" - LOL - AND I'm fine, hope you are too. My sis (as well as TV) reports bad conditions in NH this winter. Hang in there, ol' friend.

[DanaM]

Thats lookin real nice, great job and bernie is a heck of a guy so I know it will have a good home.

[George Tsoukalas]

We're doing fine, my friend. LOL.Lots of snow. Jawge

[ber643]

Great, Jawge (not all the snow - LOL).

It dawned on me that I forgot to mention something that I had meant to about the pictures on the previous page. In the next to last picture of that series of 6 that I took, laying on the machines to the right of Ruddy, you will see the belly split from my original stave (from this thread). Ruddy turned that over to me today while I was there. Also, in his generous nature, he gave me the partially worked bow from the belly split of the stave that he built his 2 pc bow from - to finish up if I care to. Both are pretty skinny in the center and either one may need extra wood applied to build a non-bending handle but could be fun. Thanks for those, Ruddy.  

Here are pics of the two splits as they stand now, in my glory hole. (Who knows, you may see pics of either, or both, in other threads later on.) I wanted y'all to get a chance to see them now in this thread, though, as sort of by-products of this, and Ruddy's previous, Osage threads/staves. Don't guess you'll have any trouble telling which one is which

Backs:

 

Sides:

     

[KellyG]

Looking good Ruddy man you are sure working thru this one. Heck by the time you read this I suspect Bernie will be shooting his new bow. LOL

Bernie both splits look to have a lot of meat on them yet. Hope they inspire you to greatness in the work shop.
Kelly

[ber643]

LOL - perhaps not quite, Kel, but Ruddy certainly is "Making Shavings" with my bow, right on. I almost got covered up in the short time I was there yesterday - thought I was in another snowstorm  

[broketooth]

well bernies stave is now officially a bow blank. next we will build specific reflex form and recurving the tips form for this bow. pics coming soon. ruddy

[ber643]

Rudy called me today to prepare me for the form build time lapse - LOL. (Considerate of him IMO) Now the tough stuff begins. I told him he was a very ambitious bugger - I didn't realize he was going for a recurve. I'm impressed - I don't have a wood/Osage recurve. I'm stoked!