Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Wade Phillips on July 15, 2009, 11:19:00 PM
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Many of the old mass produced, machine made, low end, inexpensive, common lemonwood or hickory longbows from the 30s, 40s and 50s are not really collectible bows.
However, these old longbows make ideal tomato stakes. Using a rubber mallet, the tapered limbs are easily pounded into the ground. In the fall the tapered limbs are easy to pull out of the ground. Being outside and partially in the ground only 3 or 4 months, they can last for decades. An occasional coat of any type of normal finish will extend their life. I have several tomato stakes that have been in use for years.
Many of these old tomato stakes are acquired by collectors in groups of old bows and are usually included for almost nothing with more desirable bows. They can also frequently be purchased at garage sales and flea markets for less than the price of a cup of coffee. They are generally much less expensive than any type of tomato stakes or tomato stands available at a local nursery .
Some old longbows are historically significant, rare and very valuable, so be certain that you know the scarcity and desirability of any old longbow before using it for a tomato stake.
We sure don't to see any Grumley longbows being used to hold up your tomato plants...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/TOMATO.jpg)
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They also make pretty good "bank poles". I only use the real heavyweights, because I like to catch big fish.
Wade, looks like you need to tie those tonmatoes up with some old Bear endless loops. You said you had more than you needed. If you use some of them up, you'll have a reason to make more.
Trap
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Nice Wade to damn funny.... Wade any time I get a old wood bow I will just send them to you for you to use as tomato stakes..
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:thumbsup: :)
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Wade,I need your address.Kibbe arrows are boxed & ready to ship.Hope you like them.....Hink I will have yours in Marion.Are you sitting up a display.I'll be there Sat all day...
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Ok Phillips you've gone over the edge.That crosses the line for old bow use.Trouble with using them at my place everytime someone stopped by they would steal one of my tomato stakes on their way out the door.I love it.bd
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Trap - Hadn't thought of using those old longbows as bank lines - that's a great idea. The ones with really wide limbs might work best for quickly wrapping the line around the limbs. I will have to dig out that storage tub of old bow strings to use to keep tying up those tomato plants.
Cody - Don't send me anymore tomato stakes. I already have more than enough.
Rick - Sent you a PM with my mailing address. Thanks so much.
Doc - Our back yard has a 6 foot privacy fence and both gates are locked at all times. Anyone stealing tomato stakes would have to walk through the house with their prize... You are correct. If left unsecured, with easy access out in the open, I'm sure those tomato stakes might quickly disappear...
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great idea that fence would help for sure...bd
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Hey Rick, I'll make it over there sat. afternoon, but not setting up a display. There is an estate auction at 10am 2hr. north of there. I'll have to leave at 4am to get there.I might have the motorhome because I have to stop by Vestaburg, Mi.on the way home and do a interview for a broadhead called the S&B (L&B)take pictures of the dies etc. So I may do that on Sun.
Are you setting up your tent that day?
Hink... :archer:
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Why put'em away after the tomato harvest? Nothing better than an old lemonwood boot scraper wedged on your doorstop.
Maybe not.
You did get me thinking about using compound bow pulleys to make a neat clothesline ....
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Oh yes, winter sports
How about cut down for ice fishing tip ups?
Screwed together into cross country skis, ski poles too.
By the way Wade your TG mailbox is full, couldnt thank you for the help. Better delete a few.
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No,I'm going to just shoot & have fun.Where did you say that estate sale was.
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Wade,There on the way.Hope you like them.The blue green crested arrow belonged to an employee of Wolverine,Byerl Bayliff.The Pink crested arrow was made for Byerls Wife Kathrine.
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Rick.....PM sent..Hink.. :archer:
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Picked some tomatoes today... those stakes are working great...
Tony -
Can you guess which of these had a lemonwood tomato stake and which had osage?
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/TOMATOES.jpg)
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Wade BLT'S SOUNDS GOOD ABOUT NOW. IF YOU GET ENOUGH TOMATO'S You could sell some down at the OLD MARKET for some extra bow money.LOL Talk to you later.Frank
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Wade, that's funny. But almost made me wimper. I buy them and rework the whole bow into a newer bow. Lemonwood is hard to come by now. I use all my bows I break on the Tiller tree for bean poles and 'mater stakes.
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mullet - I truly appreciate what you said in your post and thank you so much for bringing a sense of reality to what has long been accepted as a collector's perspective among old collector friends of mine.
I am not a bowyer but have great admiration for those who are. I also understand that lemonwood is hard to come by today so can empathize with you or anyone who is saddened by old lemonwood bows not being reworked as bow wood.
Have often thought of the possibility of reworking these old bows into new bows as you have done, but not being a bowyer, these have only been thoughts. Quite frankly, I did not realize that anyone was actually re-working these old lemonwood bows. There is much for all of us to learn on these threads.
When you find an old lemonwood bow that has taken a lot of set, do you attempt to take the set out? If so, what method do you use, heat gun, steam, boiling, etc? Do you ever back any of these lemonwood bows to increase the draw weight?
Do you rework old self bows made of other woods such as osage or hickory?
Have always thought it unusual that perhaps the greatest 1800s English-born-immigrated-to-America bowman/bowyer of all time, James Duff, considered lemonwood the ideal bow wood.
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Wade, I've been making bows for about 15 years. One of the first bows I reworked was an old Stemmler Lemonwood bow that the backing was missing. I bought it for $5 and then steamed the set out of it with a little deflex put in and then sinew backed it. It was a sweet shooter I gave to my son.
I have one almost Identical to it that was given to me that I'm going to steam in some static tips and bamboo back it. Bamboo is a great improvement over the old lam's.
I have a three of the old English style sporting long bows that I have refinished. One is 74"long with antler tips, shoots#45 and feels like it is pulling #20.
To me, they are good practice bows for experimenting. I don't buy a bow to hang on the wall. If it breaks, then I'll glue it together and then hang it on the wall.
If nothing else, I can get enough wood out of one to build the grandchildren or neighbor kids a bow.
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I also rework old bows.. I have three I am working on now.. I will post photo later...
Cody
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Hickory suitable for bows is very difficult to get here in AK, an Osage log cost more than a custom bow due to shipping and I have never even seen lemon wood! Your photo, with all do respect, made me want to puke! Literally an immediate visceral desire to hurl! As an artisan and new bowyer I feel a great sadness for those bows even if they were mass produced. Next time you acquire a "worthless bow" in a group of "valuable ones" send me a PM! If I can I'll pay the shipping and reimburse you for the bow. I cant stand to see an old bow that could be reworked or refinished die from lack of appreciation.
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Rick - I am sorry to hear that you are upset. What I neglected to say in my original post was that the bows I use for Tomato stakes are ones that do not consider shootable any longer.
After mullet submitted his second post, describing how he reworked these old lemonwood bows, I pulled one off the rack, strung it up, partially drew it a few times then put it on the tiller tree. After 15 minutes of fiddling with it, and at about 25 inches.... BANG... It is now a 6-piece take down.
I broke that bow last week and the following day mentioned the incident to a Trad Gang sponsor who remarked, "Those old lemonwood bows always seem to break".
I'm not a bowyer but last month began a project to remake some of Nels Grumley's old bows. With a number of Grumley bows here to use as models, it is a project that I had been thinking of for years.
You are correct, bow wood is expensive. With lots of old non-collectible bows here right under my nose, I'm going to try to rework others until I get one that doesn't break for me.
After re-reading mullet's second post, I see that I missed the fact that he is backing these old lemonwood bows. The next one I try, I will back before putting it on the tiller tree.
Hopefully your stomach is less upset and you have less desire to hurt, now that you know more of the story...
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/LEMON.jpg)
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Thanks Wade. I am just very passionate about bows and other forms of art. I think you'll find backing can help alot of marginal bows find a new life.
Sorry if I was a bit over the top.
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Wade, A lot of those bows have dried and also thewood needs retraining. I am shooting an old lemon wood longbow. Before I pulled it to a full draw, i strung it and let it sit for a few hours, then unstrung it. Then the next day I strung it and puled it at half draw a few times and unstrung it and let it rest again, after all, it's an old girl that hasn't been loved in awhile. I repeated this, increasing the draw length for a few days and leaving it strung for a longer period of time. It shot good, and I've shot a couple of 3-D shoots of 40 targets a couple of times with it.
RickP, hit those yard sales and Flea Markets.
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Mullet
Not that many finds up here but I keep my eyes open.