Total newbie build-along-thingy

[Hanska]

Hello there Tradgangers. My name's Hannu and I've been reading this board for almost a year now. I tried archery a while about 10 years ago but I didin't have the time for it(in my early twenties, girls, beer.. you know.). Lately I've been bitten by the bug again and I found myself planning on making a glass longbow. So like I said I've been reading and trying to gather up things I need to start.
My main problems are space and money. I don't have either. But problems are there so we can learn to overcome them, right?

So... This is how this fiasco starts:

Living in Finland I lack many options you americans have regarding bow making stuff. I did find an Italian guy who sells kits, lams and stuff for what I consider a nice price. Oh yeah that also, everything here costs 1,5-2x that of US prices because of the high taxes.
Anywho.. Bought black glass, elm core lams, horn pieces for tips and a piece of wenge(split with an elm accent stripe) for the riser.
 

Because of my lack of space and the moneyz I had to settle for a 250W 8" bandsaw. It gets the job done but I wouldn't mind a bigger one.
 

I wanted to make it my own so no pre-made plans. The block is laminated pine intended for support beams on inner walls. It's cheap and precise in measurements and angles. I used a glass lam and nails to get natural curves on the form.
 
 

I need a lot more practice with the saw before I'm good at this.
 

And then some epoxy and a metal band. The screws are there just to hold it in place as the epoxy cures. I oiled them with silicone oil so they wouldn't stick. (The banding is way softer than I thought and didn't correct the bigger flaws in the wooden form but dented. I'll have to fix that before I can use it.)
 

Meanwhile I started with the riser. See how well lit my workshop is? Atleast when it sunny...
 

You thought my bandsaw was crappy? Check out my state-of-the-art belt sander!
   

Last but not least, as it was getting late and I didn't wan't to disturb my neighbors I cut a bike tire for rubber bands.
 

That's it for now. I'll try to get something done this weekend though I'm pretty booked.

[Dan Landis]

Hannu, welcome to the gang!!  Looks like you are off to a good start.  You probably already know this, but make sure the top of your form is square and smooth.  I'll be watching to see how it turns  out.

[monterey]

Hmmmmmm, your "shop" looks just like mine!    

Wenge is good wood IMO, but quite porous.  Hard and porous seems contradictory but that is it's character.  When you feather the fades I found it helpful to do it by hand with sandpaper glued to a flexible piece of wood about 1/16" to 1/8" thick and 7 to 9 inches long.  Sanding the fades with a power tool can go wrong very quickly.

Another thought is regarding your rubber bands.  My first couple of rubber band lay ups were done with the same kind you show above.  I found them to be very difficult to work with.  A member here (swissbow) suggested cutting long bands in a circle around the circumference of the tube.  Once cut out you can cut it to be one long band.  I found that to be one much more manageable and versatile.

I realize you have started in on your form but it might be a good idea to restart with a proven design.  Our member here kennym can provide that.

Well, welcome to the bow making affliction. And best wishes for success.

[fujimo]

kenny also has a great how to- for building the form on his website- and i think you can get the paper plans for his bows on Tg here still- just search kenny m bow plans

welcome and well done!

[Bodork]

Your 'shop' looks a lot like mine did for many years. Small bench top tools that I used in the driveway. Don't let that stop you. You can still make a nice bow. Keep up the good work!

[Hanska]

Thanks for the replies.
I'm fixing the form with some automotive filler as I have tons of experience working with the stuff. It's pretty good but has one dent big enough to cause trouble.
I thought about using the KennyM design but wanted to try to make my own. I'm the kind of guy who want's to climb the tree butt first just to see if it really is that bad of an idea(if any of you are into mbti theory my personality type is ENTP).  But i'm planning on a second form with more r/d so I might still go the Kenny way.
I'll try to post some more pictures.

[kennym]

Welcome !!

I tend to try things the hard way too, it took about 8 or 9 years before I was happy with my design. Don't know how many bows. I kept studying different bows and trying different stuff til it was where I wanted it.

Then I kept thinking about a change, which I tried awhile back (did a build on it) by adding reflex.

It did speed it up but took away from the longbow appearance, so some folks will like it and some won't!

You are working with what you have , I like that! My FIL gave me a Sears bandsaw, still have it out back. It must have been a 60s model, but I hacked a lot of stuff with it and made several bows with it and a hand made spindle sander.

Keep us posted , we like pics!

[Hanska]

Got the dent out with the filler and sanded the riser a bit by hand to fit the form better. Man is that one pack of sandpaper bad quality! I tried to sand the wenge and ended up with dark grey dust.. The wood didn't get sanded but it took out all the sand from the paper. Another lesson learned: don't go ultra cheap on sandpaper.
 

I'm thinking of trying to clean some junk from our outdoor storage so I could fit a table there to do my bowying. Maybe get an IR heater so I could work there even in winter.

[monterey]

That's wenge for you! It is loaded with silica (sp).  Kinda like sanding sandpaper with sandpaper.  

[Hanska]

I think it's mostly just the paper. I think they used hairspray to glue the sand on.  :rolleyes:

[monterey]

Better luck with the next batch.  It's surprising how varying the quality can be.

[Hanska]

Update time.
Progress has been slow as I've been working evening shifts. Got a little sanding done on the riser and checked how it fits. Not perfect. Problem is my frankensander isn't fit to be used that way and has taken some wobble. I can still use the flat surface but I'll need to buy a better one soon. Preferably before I'll start to narrow the limbs.

And pictures... I heard you like pictures.
 

 

The elm looks pretty nice. Would work with clear glass "as is".
 

[Bvas]

Looks like your off to a good start. Make sure you triple check your form for square, dents and flat spots.
Also, make sure you sand your fades to paper thin at the tips. It will help insure nice tight glue joints.

[Hanska]

The form still has some work to be done. I was way too in a hurry on the first parts of making it and now I'm paying for it. It has been good practice though and I'm sure my next form will be a lot easier to do. I already decided to make a kennym form for the next one.

[Hanska]

Ah crap!
After pondering for a while I came to the conclusion that I should've listened to monterey from the start.
There's so much fixing in the form because I was too sloppy in the beginning that with the same effort I'll get a good start on a new one. And I'm going to make one for the next bow anyway so I decided that I'll go print the 62/64" kennym plans and start from the top.
I'll have to order a new piece of wenge but I'll have to order a t-square and some other stuff anyway.
But I told you I'll have to climb that tree butt first myself... Good thing I didn't climb any further.

[Bvas]

A good precise form is worth the effort.
I spent more time on my form then I did on the first three bows combined that I built with it.

[Hanska]

That's what I figured. Better do it right from the start.
I plan on doing it in two halves of limb+3/4 riser so that they overlap on the middle. Working with halves will give me more control sawing on the small table and I can clamp the together when finishing ensuring both limbs are identical.

Oh. And a new hardware chain has landed my home town and I just spotted they have a 750w(1hp) 12" bandsaw at a price I can afford around december when the tax returns come. That's about the largest I can fit anywhere and the only other one that size I've seen being sold here was twice as expensive.

Hope I'll just get a new job soon(tomorrow my last day at this one) or my wallet's going to hinder the progress. But the new form is going to keep me busy for a while and I've already got what I need for that.

Eteenpäin!, sanoi mummo lumessa

[Hanska]

And to one of the local printing shops..
Extra ones after the first were so cheap I got 3. They were just under 10e(~9usd), first one being over half of it.
Also on my last day at work yesterday I found a piece of thin plywood I can use for a template.
 

And as an extra questions: Anything I need to take into account using only parallel lams and none tapered?

[kennym]

I've never used only tapers in it, but it will most likely make the bow hinge a bit at end of riser unless you make a longer riser with really thinned out ends.

Or make a power lam(does the same thing)

You have to have taper in limb whether it is side taper or in the stack. If not, it is like bending a small board.

Some recurves use wide limbs and get their taper on edges. Some longbows are very narrow and use up to .006" per inch taper so get theirs from the stack as they have less side taper to use.

I would at least use a power lam and tip wedges. Can't tell you what it will look like tho, but if you go all parallels, please let us know how it works!

[Hanska]

A power lam is an extra lam that's not full lenght right?
I have a 24"(I think) piece of glass left over so I could probably use that. Is there any difference on where to put it in the stack?