Trad Gang

Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: razorback on March 27, 2009, 02:09:00 PM

Title: First Bow Finished
Post by: razorback on March 27, 2009, 02:09:00 PM

Here are the finished pics of my first successful board bow. It is 67" ntn yellow birch board with a black cherry handle. She came in at 50# @ 28". The wraps by the handle were to repair a splinter that raised on the lower limb during shooting in and matched it on the top limb. I added yellow birch bark over the paper backing for looks and camoflage. Don't know if it will hold up as the stress of shooting may delaminate the back, we'll see. It is not perfect but I am very happy with it and working on the next bow.
Thank you to everyone who helped on this journey to addiction.    :notworthy:  
Braced
  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0641.jpg)

Bark backing
  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0644.jpg)

  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0649.jpg)

  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0645.jpg)

  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0646.jpg)

  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0647.jpg)


  (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0648.jpg)

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: razorback on March 27, 2009, 02:12:00 PM

Here is the full draw pic. had too many pics for the first post.

Full Draw
 (http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu207/aussiearcher/DSCF0656.jpg)

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: Pat B on March 27, 2009, 02:17:00 PM

Very well done!!! The braced and full draw look very nice. Let me know how that cherry bark works out. It makes a beautiful backing!

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: jcar315 on March 27, 2009, 02:19:00 PM

Great job. Very nice looking longbow. Are you making another longbow?

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: formerbutcher on March 27, 2009, 02:41:00 PM

Looks great ! I like the birch bark !

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: Roy Steele on March 27, 2009, 03:35:00 PM

Looks SWEET,I had a friend when I meet in.[In the woods]He had a O'sage bow backed with birch bark .That looed great all so.That was 17 years ago.My friend sold it as he aways did.But it also was sweet.He built 2 other bows backed with birch bark through the years.All were put on with TB all looked great.
  I never did it,99% of my bows have been selfbows.And eary on in my bow building venture a friend approched me about my bows and he knew I only like to build selfbows.So he ended up with all my bows that needed backed when I'D got them to that stag in there life. So he ended up with a few of my started bows.I never did it.But seeing yours I might just do it for the camo looks.

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: broketooth on March 27, 2009, 03:39:00 PM

razorback, your bow looks great i hope my first one turns out that good..... i hope

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: Apex Predator on March 27, 2009, 04:40:00 PM

Wow!  Great job!

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: ishoot4thrills on March 27, 2009, 05:54:00 PM

Now that there bow is a real niceun' for sure. Well done! Got much set in it?

Doug

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: kodiakkid on March 27, 2009, 06:20:00 PM

nice job

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: Dave Bowers on March 27, 2009, 06:31:00 PM

Nice   :thumbsup:

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: razorback on March 27, 2009, 06:34:00 PM

It ended up with about 1 1/2" of set, which I am very happy with.
Thanks for all the compliments guys.

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: 2treks on March 27, 2009, 06:41:00 PM

Nice job. can't wait to see the next one.how did you prepare the bark and what glue did you use?
  Chuck

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: Mike Mecredy on March 27, 2009, 07:02:00 PM

Very nice.

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: kennym on March 27, 2009, 07:05:00 PM

COOL!!

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: razorback on March 27, 2009, 07:13:00 PM

On a stump shooting trip with the dog I looked for a large yellow birch with smooth bark, which I found. I then scored the bark and peeled it off in one complete piece. Birch bark grows around the tree not up and down, so it was relatively easy to take one strip from around it. I made sure to take only a thin layer so as not to damage the tree. I then thinned it down by peeling of the deepest layer. I applied it with titebond and wrapped it with strips of cloth, just like you do with snake skins.
Since birch bark is made from so many layers of paper thin bark only the layer directly next to the back is attached. With the stress of shooting the bark may seperate from itself and come off. But until it does that I think it looks real cool. I had backed the bow with drywall paper tape and the exposed pieces I attacked with brown and black sharpies to contrast and still camoflage the exposed bits.

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: No-sage on March 27, 2009, 09:18:00 PM

Nice work... I was wondering how that bow ever came out.  It's gravy from here on out.

You'll have to come down and shoot it with us sometime.  Mohawk Hudson Traditional Archers.... we shoot monthly around the capital district and up towards Saratoga.  We were in Amsterdam tonight.

Keith

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: razorback on March 28, 2009, 01:22:00 PM

Keith. Thanks for the invite, I would love to join you guys for a shoot. Unfortunately Amsterdam is 2 1/2 hours from here, so getting out for a night of shooting becomes a big expedition. Hopefully I will be able to make it some time. Any weekend day shoots coming up in the area.
Tony

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: No-sage on March 28, 2009, 04:23:00 PM

Tony,

We do have weekend shoots.  During the winter we shoot indoors at bowhunters plus, that always seems to be a week night.

Keep and eye on our website:    MHTA Website (http://www.freewebs.com/mohawkhudsontrad/index.htm) .  

Check out the events and activities page for our next shoot.  I usually post about them on the trad events page of tradgang also.

I know that in June, I'm hosting us for a field shoot at     Rakowana Archers (http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/5089/index.html) .  In may we usually meet at the Stockbridge shoot in Mass., but I'm not sure they're holding it this year.

Title: Re: First Bow Finished
Post by: UnderControl16 on March 28, 2009, 04:45:00 PM

Great Job! Looks really nice.