Dryad Bow blanks

[RedTx]

Anybody done this??  If so how hard was it?

Here is my problem I dont have many wood working tools.  I dont want to invest the money if I cant get it done.  I dont have a tiller, and im pretty sure i need one.

Just want to know how hard it is for your avearge joe, and what kind of tools am I going to need to the job.

If anyone has done this I sure wouldnt mind seeing the finish product.

Thanks in advance
Sammy

[Al Dean]

I just ordered a dryad finished.  Call me lazy.  Doesn't the tiller string, instructions ect. come with the blank?  I believe they do.  Could be wrong though.  As for how hard, I would say if you have patience it should be no problem.

[StanM]

Sammy,

I can tell you from personal experience that Mike Westvang is a classy guy to work with.  You will get a very nice blank from him and very good instruction.  You do NOT need a shop full of tools to finish a blank from Mike.  In fact, you will actually need very little.  You could do it with a 4-in-1 rasp, a scraper and some sandpaper.  Not more than $20 total.

If you take your time and listen to Mike's instructions, you will have an excellent bow when you are done.

Stan

[Shakes.602]

You get the Glued up, Rough Formed, Bow Blank and a DVD on How To Finish the Bow. Go to their Website and it will tell you all about it.

[IB]

Knowing Wing and his passion fer helping folks in Trad Archery. Can't imagine he would make it to difficult.

Besides sometimes we need to step across the line, take a step up from "AVERAGE JOE"  

[varmint]

I've done one.......Bamboo backed Osage with cocobola riser and tip overlays.

It was my first ever attempt,and I'm definately just an average guy.Wasn't that hard at all,and once you start you just can't wait to get it done.Hardest part for me was the tillering,and I ended up finishing underweight a bit due to trying to catch up limb to limb alot.My best piece of advice about tillering...........DEFINATELY GO VERY SLOWLY,LITTLE BY LITTLE AND CHECK VERY OFTEN.

All in all it was very fun,very addictive,and quite a learning experience.......and I have a decent bow that is a hoot to shoot.

[brent d.]

mike has those things engineered to where you should nt have to take too much wood off. Varmint is dead on with the tools needed. Just take your time, (EXERCISE the wood!) and youll have a really nice shooting bow. The new ones have even better performance than the old ones. I just finished one up that shoots fantastic, It is very fast and just about doesnt require string silencers. IMHO, they are great hunting bows.
give it a try and have fun with it.

[ozarkcherrybow1]

It is best to rig up some kind of tiller tree. I bought a pully and and I bolt(about 5 bucks tops). Screw the I bolt into a stud down low in your wall, mount the pully to it and run a rope through it. Screw a 2x4 block to the wall directly above it at about eye level. Once you get the dvd from Mike, you'll see what I'm talking about. If you are getting a bulletwood blank, It is expecially important to excersize the limbs as you tiller your bow.
 You'll also need your bathroom scale to check your draw weight. I use a wood closet rod with a string groove cut into the top of it, and mark 1 inch increments down the rod to 28". Simply lay the string in the groove and pull down on the bow till you hit your target weight and check how many inches it took to reach that weight. Always check to see where your target weight is at a given draw. Don't pull your bow farther than your target weight and you won't come in too light.
I have built 4 of the Dryad Blanks(my favorite being a yew) and they are as easy as folks say. Just follow the dvd's instructions,take your time and you'll be just fine. Hope I was of some help....Terry

[crashcastle]

well sammt im on my third one and all i use is a 4in 1 and a scraper if you watch the dvd you will have no problems  plus as close as you live i bet you can talk mike into a little starter course

[BillJ]

I agree with varmint and brent.  I have a bbo with cocobolo handle / tips, too, and it has turned out pretty good.  I, too, came in a little underweight. (Wanted 50-55, and came in around 45), But I took this bow into the woods today stumping, and it shoots great.  Faster than my other bows, quiet, and amazingly, seems to hit right where I'm looking.  Nice bows - look nice, shoot nice, and aren't that hard to build.  The DVD is good - follow it and you won't go wrong.  

BillJ

[pintail_drake2004]

my bro and i have been working on ours on the weekends for an hour or 2 when we can...college doesnt all us to work on them that much. But school is out on Thrusday. Mine is almost done, and my bro's aint far behind. We are lucky in the fact that our father is a cabinet maker, so we have alot of wood working practice. We got a bit fancy with all of our tools, but from what i see it is not necessary. Our bows are the hedge with coco handles and tips. Currently mine is 62.5# at 20" i have 6" more to go and hope for close to 65#.
They are fun to do, and the directions are easy to follow, and Mike is a great to deal with. He has replied to my questions in a timely manner. So if ya have any qustions, or need to just clear things up...give him a hollar.
Pintail

[wingnut]

Hey!!!  I just saw this thread.  Dang with you living in Flower Mound we can schedule you to come down on a Saturday or something and get some hands on instruction.

They are real easy to finish out and take most folks 8-10 hours.

If you have any questions give me a call.

Mike

[Guss]

Anyone got any pics of the bows they have finished? Thinking about doing one myself. Guss

[James Wrenn]

I have one laying around here but have not picked it up yet. A good blank with good glue joints.I will get to it one day when the mood strikes.  

[varmint]

If this works,here's a few pics of mine.Now remember it's the first time I've done this,so take it easy on me........

 

 

 

 

 

[wingnut]

Mike,

very nice!!  I wish my first bow looked that good.  Go to show how easy it is to finish out the blank and make a bow that you will be proud of for years to come.

Thanks for posting your pics.

Mike

BTW nice group!!

[wingnut]

Mike,

very nice!!  I wish my first bow looked that good.  Go to show how easy it is to finish out the blank and make a bow that you will be proud of for years to come.

Thanks for posting your pics.

Mike

BTW nice group!!

[brent d.]

here are a few of the bow I just finished up after the hunt in Texas.... yew/cocobolo, 66" and about 55-60# at 30".

   


   

[Tique]

Nice job guys! I'm just starting on mine and I'll be real happy if it comes out near as nice as either of yours.

After seeing these bows I'm undecided what to do on the riser. I was planning to add a leather grip with a (Ferret) floppy rest but I like the looks of Brent's rest too.

Brent,is that a custom feature you just added or is it an option included with the blank?

[James Wrenn]

They look nice.     I think I will start on mine today now that I have seen a couple to get me in the mood.    I got to run find a rasp and scraper thing-a-ma-jig first or I will have this sucker on a grinder and be done with it in an hour.