2025 Bow Swap Progress Thread

[Noah70]

Still in the “maybe” stage here too.  Dug out a piece of 1/4 sawn Bubinga, no distinctive grain character, but so dense and heavy I’m sure it wouldn’t float. Maybe a contender for a very strong riser?
Also have a number of good options for some nice veneers, but I have a lot of wood so still moving around all the options till I get a “eureka!” moment.  Might be a while?  My most recent longbow limbs came in 10# over, so I have some work to do in the meantime.

 

[Watsonjay]

Still in the “maybe” stage here too.  Dug out a piece of 1/4 sawn Bubinga, no distinctive grain character, but so dense and heavy I’m sure it wouldn’t float. Maybe a contender for a very strong riser?
Also have a number of good options for some nice veneers, but I have a lot of wood so still moving around all the options till I get a “eureka!” moment.  Might be a while?  My most recent longbow limbs came in 10# over, so I have some work to do in the meantime.

what is the bottom wood on the second limb from the left? It is really cool, but so is the left

[Noah70]

Left to right - Quilted Maple, Jatoba over Zebrawood, Olivewood over Wenge, Paduak over Wenge.

[Watsonjay]

Left to right - Quilted Maple, Jatoba over Zebrawood, Olivewood over Wenge, Paduak over Wenge.

I’ve used zebra a couple times , but haven’t seen it with that wide of bands in it, at first I thought it was snakewood but that stuff is way too expensive. Either way beautiful combinations

[kennym]

Hmmmm…

[Watsonjay]

Hmmmm…

The rate your moving, youll be done this week!

[Kirkll]

That Elkheart magnum looks a lot like the ones I used to build in 52-54” length. Good looking design.

Why do you want more reflex in the tips?

Thinking it will help string angle at longer draws to reduce stacking as well as gain a little speed.

Good luck with that… let us know how it comes out.   

[Watsonjay]

That Elkheart magnum looks a lot like the ones I used to build in 52-54” length. Good looking design.

Why do you want more reflex in the tips?

Thinking it will help string angle at longer draws to reduce stacking as well as gain a little speed.

Good luck with that… let us know how it comes out.

Hopefully some lucky victim will be the judge of that. 

[Watsonjay]

That Elkheart magnum looks a lot like the ones I used to build in 52-54” length. Good looking design.

Why do you want more reflex in the tips?

Thinking it will help string angle at longer draws to reduce stacking as well as gain a little speed.

Good luck with that… let us know how it comes out.

Just out of curiosity why did you stop making them?

[Kirkll]

Popularity isn’t real high with shorty bows. Most archers want bows ranging from 58-64”.
Building custom one piece 52-54” bows,  if you miss draw weight by too much, you have to start again, and try and find a home for the others…. Not being real popular I ended up setting on a few for a couple years, and I took very few orders for new ones…. So I just set the form aside and quit building them.   Kirk

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I’m trying to find a snaky stave that’s hiding around here somewhere. But found this piece of curly hackberry in the collection, so I may swap plans to working this stave. It’s naturally deflexed, so I may run with this piece and refine it into a reflex deflex profile and give it a hard backing since I don’t feel confident of it holding up in tension, though hackberry is tough.

Kyle

[4 point]

Those really short bows are hard to get a good release for me. Even if they draw smoothly to a long draw length the string angle is terrible. A friend of mine shoots two fingers under with his shrew to help with finger pinch.

[Watsonjay]

Those really short bows are hard to get a good release for me. Even if they draw smoothly to a long draw length the string angle is terrible. A friend of mine shoots two fingers under with his shrew to help with finger pinch.

Ive made a couple for a buddy of mine that would never shoot less than 60” because he couldn’t shoot anything shorter accurately and he only shoots the ones Ive made now and even ordered a shrew, then realized he likes mine more. He is only a 29” draw though.

[Watsonjay]

Made sone progress. Bought an lvl beam for new form. Cut up some wood for riser. Think I may I-beam it since it will be a 60# bow. Bird’s eye maple, coffee spectraply and myrtle burl.

[Watsonjay]

With the gradient color

[4 point]

Ready to drill some holes

[John Scifres]

Ring Chasing Therapy.

[Watsonjay]

Glued up and tweaked kennys kids bow design. Beefed up the riser a little, and added a smidge more reflex at tip(not a ton)front of riser is marked on blank. I noticed a little crack in the maple so avoiding it by shifting riser.

[Jon Lipovac]

Got the riser glued up today.
Stabilized Spalted Maple with Stabilzed Walnut I-Beam and flare. Red phenolic and black G10 accent. Hope my victim likes a heavy riser…..

[Noah70]

Riser for this unit is ready for the next stages.  I had made up the block for mosaic strips at a 45 angle, thinking it would create an interesting look if the “dots” were at an angle. Turns out that at .020 thickness you have to squint really hard to see that. Duh !! 
I’m starting to assemble the lams for the limbs, but if they don’t fall into the weight parameters then this riser will be laid aside and the victim will be moving to a recurve rather than a longbow.  All good!