70 pound hop hornbeam selfbow

[Rileykinsel]

Only 62 inches long with about a 4 inch stiff handle. About 1 inch wide in the handle and tapers to just under 1.5 at mid limb and then down to .5 at the tips. Floor tillered and then long string to about 8 inches before the heat treat.  3 inches of reflex clamped in and retains about 1.5 after tillering and shooting it in. Fire hardened with a weed burning blow torch. Starting to really perfect this method. I start slow with the torch high and heat each limb for about 30 minutes. By the time I get to the end of the 30 I’m moving very quickly only a few inches from the bow. I go until the belly is completely black. I continuously rub the limbs down with oil to prevent flare ups and I also have a feeling this really helps pull the heat deep into the limbs. Scrape off the outer layer of char and then tiller. Sanded and rubbed with several coats of rit fabric dye with some steel wool buffing between coats. Wife did some cool designs with a white paint pen. Then 2 coats of shellac and a coat of my homemade paste wax. White leather grip with the top folded over and glued for a very small lip that serves more as a locator than a shelf. Another small strip of leather glued at the top and bottom of the grip. A pretty large splinter lifted off a pin knot I hadn’t noticed before but I put a high brace on the bow to really open it up and globbed in as much titebond as I could. Wrapped and dried 24 hrs then wound very tight with artificial sinew. No glue on the wrap but I did use a lighter to shrink it   and then coated in my paste wax. My homemade wax has a good bit of carnauba wax so when it dries it makes a pretty solid shell. Bow pulls 65 at 26, 67 at 27, and 70 at 28. Pulling it even a hair past 28 seems like asking for trouble with a 62 inch bow so I’ve been using my 27 inch anchor. Will add a link to a shooting video soon.

[Rileykinsel]

https://youtube.com/shorts/6IpqwABGj2o?si=ciIbnL20tDH4fm0o

Link to the shooting video. I need to remember to start taking full draw pictures. I shoot with a pretty big cant so it’s always hard to see the tiller when I shoot

[Mad Max]

 
Can that wood hold up to 70# ?

[Rileykinsel]

Definitely. It’s my favorite wood to work with. I like it better than hickory. I’m really pushing it with the 62 inch bow but but if I followed the standard length ratio I have no doubt you could get 80+ pretty easily out of a good flatbow.

[Pat B]

HHB is a very good bow wood and you made a very nice bow with it. 

[dbeaver]

Nice work Riley it's a sweet looking bow, how would you compare hop hornbeam to something like hawthorne

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Looks good! I’ve never worked hop hornbeam yet but looks like you got a great performer out of it. Looks and sounds like it shoots well too.

Kyle

[Rileykinsel]

Ive never worked with hawthorn but id really like to

[dbeaver]

I have a hawthorne stave that is bow shaped but not bending yet, getting it a bit more dry.  Seems like very stout and elastic wood, extremely crossgrained, and nearly impossible to find straightish staves.  Ill post my finished bow.  I have my eyes on a hophornbeam log at a jobsite but the top of the tree had worms under the bark so i dont know how its going to fare. Did you chase a ring on your hophornbeam or leave it as is for the the back