First R/D glass bow... build along (Finished)

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

LOL... Ok Kenny I wont tooth anything. I couldn't remember if I did if for my hill style bow or if I needed to on this one.

Dry run tomorrow so I will see how it all fits and adjust where needed.

[Trux Turning]

Looking good plus this is a proven design.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Thanks Trux... I am always in aw in what you turn out for your glass bows!

[Roy from Pa]

Looking nice Justin.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Thanks Roy... Promise I'm not done with BBO. I think I am just loving laminated bows in general. I went to glue up a new BBO and noticed that I didn't shut my Unibond can tight enough... Well lets just say I ended up thowing out about $30 dollars worth of the stuff cuz it was solid as a rock.

Got some on order now just waiting for it to arrive here in NH.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Day 3...roughly 2 hours

Today I got all my pieces together to do a dry run of the bow in the form. My first dry run showed that the fades weren't quite perfect as you can see by the picture below...

 

Here is the trouble spot of the fades to limb....Don't mind the dark line, that is my pen mark not an actual gap. Look near the metal support...
 

Well after a little more sanding we are looking good!!! Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the fade again with a perfect fit. My lil beagle started howling and needed to do his thing, so I forgot to snap a picture.... But here is the form and bow all together in the form...

 

On thing I did notice is that my LVL form on the top had a very very very minut bow in it. Because I am a perfectionist and want to use this form many times over I went to the local metal shop and am having a metal cap made for the top and bottom which will keep the form dead straight. It will be attacted on both end with some heavy supports. I will post a picture once they are finished completing it hopefully within a day or two....

That's it for today... Comment and please add anything you see wrong or what I should do differently. Hopefully will have the bow in glue up and baking by Friday!!! Thanks guys for all the support! I can not experess my gratitude for all you who chime in with comments and tips... not a better group of guys around!!!

[Razorbak]

Looking good   Cant wait to see how every thing turns out

[Roy from Pa]

Heck just slap some glue on it, that will fill them gaps:)

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Question for you guys.... How much PSI do I put into the hose? I can't remember for the life of me. Is it somewhere between 40-60#

[bassmatt72]

I use 60 PSI.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Cool thanks bassmatt

[bigbob2]

60 -65 PSI for me.

[Mike Most]

60-65 here too, like ol Roy said, that glue will fill up the gaps, once you get to grinding the buggers off the sides of those lambs when the glue is dried and you start to do what I call the "art work" cutting out the limbs and shaping the riser. You will get a good shooter. my 2 cents

[Echatham]

looking good Justin.  would like to know/see details of how you built the form.... did you use a router?  got one more osage bow planned for immediate future (stay tuned)  and then i think i will try my first glass bow.  handled a Hill style for the first time this weekend and it spoke to me.  and i said i'd never buy another bow... soooo.... guess i got to build one.

[D]

Heck yeah Justin that looks great so far.  I like your from shape.  I agree, smooth on will fill them gaps no problem.  Look forward to seeing how she turns out.

[Dan Bonner]

Looking great so far! I am different. I use 100 lbs pressure in my hose. I have been doing it a long time and it works for me. I have a couple pretty curvey designs and it makes me feel better about how the lams and riser fit the form.

Bonner

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Echatham if you do a search on here you will find how people built their hot box and forms. This form showed here is actually Kenny M design R/D and he sells everything you need for them and is a wealth of information. There are many great guys on here but IMO Kenny is at the top. I only buy my material from him. He has a wood template and now plans on making this style of bow and I would highly suggest being new like I am to purchase both.

I can certainly help with a Hill straight bow since I have one that just needs some finishing touches. If you look in my recent post I have a thread started on the bow in the works now. I go step by step through it on there. Will be finishing that one up soon when my riser overlays arrive so I can finish shaping, sand, and seal the whole thing.

Thank you all for the kind words... I hope this thing turns out just as well as you all think. I would hate to disappoint.

[Robertfishes]

I use 60 to 65psi in my hose. I like to see no gaps between lams and riser myself... yes the smooth on will fill them but you will have ugly glue lines when you finish your bow. What helps me when shaping the riser is this..I use a 6 inch piece of 040 glass to check for valleys or high spots on riser, be careful at the end of fades where they are thin, I just check the thicker parts of riser. I mark any high or low spots with pencil.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Yeah I made sure that it is all level and smooth... My glue lines should look good with no gaps

[jsweka]

It's coming along good Justin.
Those r/d bows are trickier than the Hill style, but it looks like you figured it out.
Now glue that sucker up!