First Bow Build.. Bendy Osage Bow Buildalong

[John Scifres]

Oh yeah, never, ever pass up an opportunity to show off your babies.

[jeremy1517]

Will Do John...

Am I close enough I need to be really careful with the tips??

The last scraping has changed my draw weight a bit.
I have to pull it to 26" to hit 50#. My Goal would be 50# at 28" so I guess I'm right there as far as weight goes. I really don't mind it being a little heavier.

My current Longbow is 57# at 28 1/2 so it definitely feels lighter.

[John Scifres]

You might want to just shoot it in then.  It's close enough.  After you have put an arrow through it, you can call it a bow.  Then put 100 or so through it and get another full draw pic up.  Tiller often needs some adjustment after shooting it.  I final tiller based on how it shhots and feels.

[jeremy1517]

So what your saying....

I'm close enough you don't want me to mess with the tips anymore??  

I'm ok if it's a little lighter than 50#... I just want it strong enough to take a deer. If you think it needs scraped, I will. I want it correct.  But, It sounds like it I might do some adjustments after shooting.

So Shoot it??

[John Scifres]

Yes.  You might want to after shooting it in but you are fine for now.

[Bob at Work]

[jeremy1517]

Alright, first Five Arrows sent flying... 7 yrds
Tried different spines to see what happened.

   


Alright, so the bow won't have a shelf cut into it. I knock the arrow on the string and it's angled left (right handed shooter). All the arrows went left. Is that something I'll just get used to or is there other work later on?

Also, shoots great, nice strong. The wrist slap is terrible though. Gave me welts THROUGH my leather arm sleeve. Is brace height wrong or do I need to do something different?  Going back to bow shooting one on one....

[John Scifres]

Yes, you need to get brace to about 6-1/2".  Spine on selfbows like this one will usually be 10# or so below standard.  In other words, for a 50# bow, 40-45# spine is probably called for.  We can work on the tuning after we get the tiller.  Raise the brace height and shoot your lightest spined arrows about 100 shots and then get another full draw pic.

[mwosborn]

Have enjoyed watching this one - nice job to both John and Jeremy!

[jeremy1517]

Thanks John. I need to change my Brace Height.  I actually have some 40-45# spine arrows.

Thank you again for your help. I know it's been bow building for dummy's but I have learned a ton of info about bow building!!  

Still have a bit to go though..... Just gotta finish the bow!!

[Echatham]

 
im impressed, you came into this not knowing a whole lot (i still don't know a whole lot) and you have done a masterful tillering job. looks good, hope you realize this is just the beginning... you are going to need to set aside about $1000 a month for all the tools and wood you are going to need    

[jeremy1517]

Haha, my wife will have something to say about that!!!

I'll tell you what I want to do. My son is three. I made him a PVC bow that has a 10# draw weight for his first bow.

My goal is to build all his bows for him as he's growing up.

He helped me in the shaping, painting, etc. of making his first bow. It was a wonderful experience!! I would love to make a bow with him every year. Now that I have some of the basics and a good source for Osage staves and knowledge (thanks John), I think I can make it happen!!

[Echatham]

what you got to do is convince her that it will be much easier if you have your own little "allowance"  say "look honey, all the bills come out of this account... all the bills, groceries, child care..... all that family stuff.  then all my spending money and gas money.... just give me this other little account on the side... put my $100 or $150 or so in there a week so i can get my gas and my lunch and my coffee and whatnot.... then i don't have to ask permission every time i want to buy something." thats what i did, everbody happy!  she don't worry about how much money im spending, and she don't know i saved up 600 bucks until the flatbead truck arrives with my new bandsaw       then one day she comes down to my workshop to yell at me about cutting the grass or something.... and she's all like "where did all this come from?!"   well babe... i save my lunch money!

[jeremy1517]

HAHA, sounds like you've done this before....

I've shot about 40 arrows. My Timber hitch keeps loosening on me. I've followed the video but it doesn't seem to want to stay tight. I have to redo the hitch about every 10 arrows....

Any suggestions?  besides tie a better knot..

[scars]

Jeremy that's a job well done, congrats.
When you bring your string around to make your loop make sure that it starts the 3 wraps in reverse of the twist of the string. All 3 wraps need to be up against the side of the nock. Done correctly the loose end should point towards the center of the bow. Keep the loose end held with a tight grip with one hand and with the other hand gripping the string and work sideways back and forth until that string is centered on the belly and tight.

[John Scifres]

Show me a picture of your timber hitch.  It should never slip.  But, at this point, you should know the final length and can make or order a string.  Get it braced to 6" and tell me the length.  I'll send you a string.

I've been married for almost 23 years now.  Marriage and family is always the priority.  The first 5-6 years of my bowmaking career was done with a hatchet, drawknife, 4 way rasp and a butcher knife.  Find and cut your own wood and you can be very cost effective in making bows.  There is a lot of great osage in Kansas.  This first one was just a taste.  Now go get the full meal deal.

[jeremy1517]

Thanks guys!  John, I'll send you stuff when I get home from church.  There is bad hand vibration when shooting. Is that normal with this type of bow or is it something I can fix?

[John Scifres]

A bendy handled bow will shock more but we will get rid of some of the mass at the tips as we work it towards finishing.

[jeremy1517]

Awwww.  I was doing the timber hitch wrong..... stupid me....

[jeremy1517]

Alright, Now that I have the Timber hitch correct shooting has gone much better.... hah

I've shot around 120 arrows. I've found that it shoots best around a 6" brace height. The draw weight feels really good and the bow shoots accurate!!  What's the next step?

Here are pics after shooting 120 arrows.