2025 Bow Swap Progress Thread

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Those are looking awesome!

I’ve got a game plan for this weekend. I’m gonna get the curly hackberry roughed out and tillered to brace before I heat treat and prep for a sinew backing. I’m hoping it’s ready to go by deadline, if so and it holds up it’ll get a birch bark cover over the sinew and see how a ferric nitrate treatment does on the hackberry.

But while it cures I’ll start up another bow of some kind. Probably a walnut something or other.

Kyle

[4 point]

Some really nice stuff happening. I have all the overlays and tips glued up. Probably won’t be any progress the next week. Weather is gonna be to nice

[Watsonjay]

Not super confident I can nail the weight in the 54” so I am also going to start a 60” RD KennyM bow as backup.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I got a good start the last couple hours. Here’s the stave I’m starting with. I’ve got it mostly thought out, needing cleaned up to the lines. But dang is it going slow compared to normal. This curly grain is a pain in the butt to carve. It’s quite chippy

Kyle

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Floor tillered and ready for shaping and heat treating. Currently debating on a rawhide backing or a layer of sinew to help it hold together. Im excited to see if it holds up so I can see how the character finishes out.

Kyle

[Watsonjay]

Floor tillered and ready for shaping and heat treating. Currently debating on a rawhide backing or a layer of sinew to help it hold together. Im excited to see if it holds up so I can see how the character finishes out.

Kyle

wow, you did a lot today!

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I don’t get many days to work on bows lately so I make as much use of the time I get. I’m hoping to get to another bows tillering after I get done heat treating, shaping is done. I also managed to get the handle for a different project all glued up to shape.

Kyle

[Watsonjay]

I don’t get many days to work on bows lately so I make as much use of the time I get. I’m hoping to get to another bows tillering after I get done heat treating, shaping is done. I also managed to get the handle for a different project all glued up to shape.

Kyle

if I saw that on the ground I’d jump back 10ft

[kennym]

Cool bow Kyle!

This is a little bland I think …

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Looks pretty dang nice to me

The hackberry is shaped with a mild heat treat. I do an hour on each limb and my toes are a bit frozen. But good enough to get tiller started.

Kyle

[Bryan Adolphe]

I like the way the spalted flows into the riser i would say its a win Kenny very nice !

[Buemaker]

Some serious snakes on that one, but will that glueline hold? Seem to be very little wood to wood contact, just thick glueline. Just curious.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

The glue line is a bit tighter than it looks on the surface. I fit the parts tight enough to not see light through with rasp and scraper, then boiled and clamped the hell out the the pieces. The thick looking glue line is from the top of the Osage having a bit of radius. It’s a pretty good contact through most plus will be in a stiff handled are. It’s turning into an interesting amalgamation of pieces to make it work. I’ll share some pictures once I get it done and cleaned up better.

Kyle

[Watsonjay]

Starting over with a KennyM 60” RD. Will be paduak and canarywood. Post pics when I get further along.

[4 point]

Got everything roughed out.

[kennym]

Lookin good guys!!  I got nothin!! Shop and farm are keeping me busy!

[Watsonjay]

New woods selected. Cocobolo paduak with canary I-beam.

[wooddamon1]

Looks like a few beauties being built.

[John Scifres]

Got the rough layout done.

[Roy from Pa]

Like the 1/4 sawn, John...