Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on April 23, 2006, 08:21:00 PM
Since I was in need of a new recurve for bowfishing, which is as good a reason as any when you’re justifying a new bow, I decided to grab my camera and try my hand at a build-a-long. I’m sure some of the more seasoned bowyers here have better ways of doing thing than what I’ve shown here, so please feel free to speak up. I’m always looking for a better way to do things.
You’ll notice that I’m not wearing eye, ear or breathing protection in any of the photos. Those things were removed for the photos only, since working a camera with all that stuff on is a royal pain in the rear. Always wear proper protection when doing woodworking. Now then…
We’ll start with the limbs. I want this bow 62” long and pulling just short of 60# at my 32” draw length. For that combination of length and weight I’ll use .040 clear fiberglass and a core consisting of two actionboo laminations, one .060 parallel and a .100 thick .002/inch taper. And since I don’t like the light color of natural actionboo, I stain my laminations with Minwax.
All limb materials are properly cleaned and laid out in the order they’ll be glued together. From bottom to top…glass, taper, wedge, parallel, glass.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0027.jpg)
Once the pieces are glued and stacked on top of each other, they’re put in the form.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0042.jpg)
The top of the form is bolted down and the fire hose is inflated to 70 psi. After 8 hours in the hotbox at 180 degrees, the limb will be properly cured.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0070.jpg)
Once the limb has cooled to room temperature, it’s removed from the press. The glue that’s squeezed out during the lamination process is very sharp. Be careless here and you’ll get cut quick and deep (been there, done that, ruined the t-shirt). Thick leather gloves are a must
The limb profile is traced from a template. A beltsander is used to reduce the limbs to proper dimensions.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0082.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0102.jpg)
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on April 23, 2006, 08:22:00 PM
Grinding accent stripes isn’t too difficult with a drill press, sanding drum and a simple jig. I also thin down my pieces for overlays with this grinding system.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_1211.jpg)
Riser pieces are rough cut on a bandsaw.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0165.jpg)
After that, they’re clamped to a template and a sanding drum with a roller guide is used to get gluing surfaces to exact specifications. If the curves are inconsistent, not only will the glue lines look horrible, but they stand a good chance of failing. A course grit sanding sleeve leaves the surfaces rough enough to glue up properly.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_1197.jpg)
Always do a dry run before glue-up. After you’ve slathered Smooth-On all over everything is a poor time to realize you’ve made a mistake (done that too). I usually clamp everything together and use a spotlight to check for gaps. If everything looks good, I’ll glue the riser block together and put it in the hotbox for 8 hours at 180 degrees to cure.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0171.jpg)
Once the riser block is cured and cooled to room temperature the excess glue is sanded off and the block is squared up. Then it’s cut to accept the limbs, and those surfaces are squared and flattened up on a jointer.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0182.jpg)
A drill press comes in handy for attaching the limbs to the riser block. This part always makes me nervous. Right here is were your limb alignment will be dead on or a total mess.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0190.jpg)
A tap is used for installing the bolt inserts.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0194.jpg)
The limbs are bolted down, rough string nocks are filed in and the bow is strung. After a few minor adjustments, the tiller seems straight.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0199.jpg)
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on April 23, 2006, 08:22:00 PM
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0200.jpg)
Now it’s time to rough shape the riser. After cutting to rough dimentions on a bandsaw, I go to a a drill press with one-, two-, and thee-inch diameter sanding drums.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0214.jpg)
Once the rough shape is where I want it, it’s time to move on to hand tools—rasps, files, scrapers, sandpaper and emery cloth.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0234.jpg)
Riser inserts are installed, the wood grain is filled with CA glue and several coats of Thunderbird are sprayed with an airbrush. After that cures, it’s just a matter of buffing everything out, bolting it together and going through the tuning process.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/JW105/CRW_0259.jpg)
When it was all said and done, I hit weight—58# @ 32”. And since no bow is truly finished until it serves its intended purpose, it’s time to take this recurve out for a little pre-spawn carp action on the Fox River. The water’s a little cool, but the sun’s bright today and the breeze is mild. If I’m slow and quiet, and my aim is true, maybe the fish will cooperate and I’ll break this bow in properly.
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y138/wesbrock/Mirrorcarp4-06.jpg)
Post by: rabbitman on April 23, 2006, 08:29:00 PM
Post by: Luke Vander Vennen on April 23, 2006, 08:30:00 PM
And that's an awesome looking bow too :thumbsup:
Post by: WildmanSC on April 23, 2006, 08:35:00 PM
That's a gorgeous bow. And you have "blooded" it properly! Congratulations!
Bill
Post by: Al Dente on April 23, 2006, 08:35:00 PM
Post by: sticshooter on April 23, 2006, 08:46:00 PM
!["[tunglaff]"]("graemlins/tunglaff.gif" "\"\"")
Outstanding my friend.<><<><
Post by: wakolbinger on April 23, 2006, 09:05:00 PM
I fish that same river.....
danny
Post by: Dano on April 23, 2006, 09:14:00 PM
Post by: Aeronut on April 23, 2006, 09:32:00 PM
Dennis
Post by: GEREP on April 23, 2006, 09:37:00 PM
:thumbsup:
KPC
Post by: digicon on April 23, 2006, 09:44:00 PM
Post by: wislnwings on April 23, 2006, 10:04:00 PM
Post by: Rich Baker on April 24, 2006, 12:03:00 AM
Post by: cjones on April 24, 2006, 02:13:00 AM
Post by: Crooked Stic on April 24, 2006, 05:30:00 AM
Post by: James Wrenn on April 24, 2006, 06:25:00 AM
Post by: John Scifres on April 24, 2006, 07:11:00 AM
Post by: Huntrdfk on April 24, 2006, 08:03:00 AM
David
Post by: Buemaker on April 24, 2006, 09:47:00 AM
Post by: Desert Rat on April 24, 2006, 10:01:00 AM
Brad
Post by: Rick Perry on April 24, 2006, 10:11:00 AM
Post by: TexMex on April 24, 2006, 10:20:00 AM
Post by: BillW on April 24, 2006, 05:37:00 PM
Regards,
Bill W.
Post by: Joe D on April 24, 2006, 06:49:00 PM
Post by: Brad Davis on April 24, 2006, 06:57:00 PM
Post by: Tique on April 24, 2006, 07:07:00 PM
Post by: Chortdraw on April 24, 2006, 07:39:00 PM
Post by: Jumper on April 24, 2006, 07:42:00 PM
Post by: BaldingEagle on April 24, 2006, 07:54:00 PM
Post by: Shakes.602 on April 24, 2006, 08:09:00 PM
Post by: HornHunter on April 24, 2006, 08:31:00 PM
you are the man!
there is no limit to your talent I am truely impressed,
you had better send me that bow or one much like it for field testing you know, I have some serious elk horn for trade bud.
Scott
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on April 24, 2006, 09:16:00 PM
----------
Al,
Those carts sure do come in handy. I had to break mine out again this past season when a small buck decided to go down in a bog a half mile from the parking lot. I need to start finding deer that run toward my truck after being shot.
--------------
bowmo,
What part of the Fox do you fish?
------------
Rick Perry,
I've seen your recurves. Coming from you, I consider that quite a compliment.
-------------
Shakes.602,
I think I've got between 10 and 15 hours into a bow. The first one was more like 40 or so.
-----------------
Scott,
Are you going to be at Berrien Springs this year? If so, I think I still owe you lunch.
Post by: RayMO on April 25, 2006, 07:46:00 AM
Post by: TheDude1836 on April 25, 2006, 11:14:00 AM
Post by: elk ninja on April 25, 2006, 02:25:00 PM
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on April 25, 2006, 07:01:00 PM
The Binghams videos are the best I've seen thus far. You can get them from various traditional archery retailers o direct at www.binghamprojects.com (http://www.binghamprojects.com)
As for the carp, I shot it from the shore.
Post by: wakolbinger on April 25, 2006, 09:22:00 PM
danny
Post by: Guru on April 25, 2006, 10:07:00 PM
Post by: Tom Leemans on April 26, 2006, 09:14:00 AM
Post by: insttech1 on April 26, 2006, 01:19:00 PM
Your pic's are very well thought out. That probably took a bit of time in itself!
Can you give us some info on your spray system? I hadn't heard of using an airbrush before....and it sounds a bit more economical than some of those $400+ sprayers...
Thanks!!
Marc
Post by: Shakes.602 on April 26, 2006, 02:15:00 PM
If you arent from Indiana, that first line comes from an Irritating Commercial for Indiana Beach, in Monticello, IN.
Its like a Permanent Carnival on a Cement Boardwalk. Go once, and you probably wont go back, ya know?
!["[dead]"]("graemlins/dead.gif" "\"\"")
Post by: Tbay on April 26, 2006, 08:58:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on April 27, 2006, 12:32:00 AM
Dandy work!!!.........man you are getting mighty serious Sir Jason!!!!!
Post by: insttech1 on April 28, 2006, 12:21:00 PM
Take Care,
Marc
Post by: Burnsie on April 28, 2006, 06:56:00 PM
As far as my writing go, I'll leave that to you. You're very talented.
Burnsie
Post by: archerybuff on May 10, 2006, 10:20:00 PM
Jason this is an awesome thread. I really like the riser wood combination. Hope it shoots as good as it looks.
How many times a year do you find an excuse to build a bow???
Thanks for sharing.
Post by: Jason R. Wesbrock on May 11, 2006, 09:46:00 PM
Quote
How many times a year do you find an excuse to build a bow???Not often enough. :D
Post by: Roughcountry on May 12, 2006, 08:57:00 AM
Thanks Jason,really pretty bow :notworthy:
Post by: elk ninja on May 12, 2006, 03:24:00 PM
Post by: BigHink66 on May 12, 2006, 04:23:00 PM
Most carp bows that I've seen were beat up looking clubs!
Post by: Brian Halbleib on May 12, 2006, 08:51:00 PM
-Brian
www.bowyersjournal.com (http://www.bowyersjournal.com)
Post by: Charlie - SA on July 22, 2006, 08:29:00 AM
Very nice bow & job.
Charlie - SA
Post by: Randy Morin on July 22, 2006, 08:59:00 AM