so,in your own opion whats easier to make solid stave bows or glass bows.and is the tillering prosses differant too.thanks john
Blanks from Howard Hill are fairly fool proof if you have something to compare to as a sample. I have been a failure at osage, so I can have no good advice on them.
Making an ELB is a farely simple project, once you got a bit of an eye for tillering.
...but be aware that they are no good for hunting :bigsmyl: :bigsmyl:
NorthShore,, can i ask why there no good for hunting,, ???
Thanks James
The no good for hunting was followed by to big smilies. Meaning it was a joke.
Comparing building a glass bow to a wooden stave bow is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are kinda round and you eat them in the end.
A glass bow requires the work to be done up front. Building a press and engineering the taper etc. Unless you buy a blank and finish it out.
The stave bow is really releasing the bow from the bounds of the wood. There is a lot more to it and I recommend reading a couple of books first. Traditional Bowyers Bible 1 & 2 are a good start.
An alternative to the stave is a Bamboo backed blank. They are pretty easy to finish also.
BTW we offer both the glass and bamboo backed blanks on our website.
Mike
One book I would add to Mike's list is, Dean Torges "Hunting the Osage Bow". A great read as well as very valuable info.
lol,, a Joke,, Shame on me,,
Get a BBO from Wingnut to finish out yourself,you won't be dissappointed....easy as pie and shoots like amd dream.
For me,the glass bow is much easier. It takes considerably more patience to scrape one from a stave.When ya take the first critter with either one,you won't want to hunt with any other brand than yours !!
I like the glass. I've busted more than half the all wood bows.
A glued up blank from 7 Lakes Longbow is hard to mess up.
QuoteOriginally posted by varmint:
Get a BBO from Wingnut to finish out yourself,you won't be dissappointed....easy as pie and shoots like amd dream.
I SECOND THAT VARMINT!
I've never made a fiberglass bow, though I have made the limbforms, heat box, riser pattern, ect.(I planned to make a take down once). However I have made several selfbows and custom made one for someone else last year. If you are looking for 'easier,' I would also recomend finishing someone elses good begining stuff. I have heard many good things about Wingnut's products and would recomend that path.
If, however, you want a challange...Well I recomend something twisted and hard and NOT orange.
-Brett
o.k. thanks for the info guys.i am interested in what kenny is saying about glass and i wouldnt mind learning that and what tools it takes.but making a bamboo back bow also sound interesting tooo.so how does this work.is there any how toos on the site.thanks john
Take the plunge and buy a Dryad blank, it'll be the best $150 you spent on archery. Mike will give you all the help you need. Bjorn recently posted some pics of his.
Agree on the blank route, It will give you the chance to get aquinted with the tillering process without putting to much pressure on yourself, a bamboo backed bow gives nothing up to a glass bow , and I heard just good reports on Wingnut bows,...I think he has a chapter on the new "Bowyers Bible", worth checking out
Get Mike's DVD along with the blank and all the information you need to finish the bow is contained in it.
I don't want to imply that the osage bow is not a good hunting weapon, I have seen some that were magnificent. The two times i tried, one had a huge gnarl of knots that left no good wood , the other, as I followed the grain i ended up with a 120 degree twist. I would like a good straight stave with bamboo backing, to compensate for my lack of ability and experience. After doing a number of glass bows from blanks and from scratch and also reducing weights for others with 100% success, I got this void that thanks to this thread needs to be filled. Should I go osage first or yew first, I like yew> sorry to jump in on this 'blacktail' but you hit a nerve.
I forgot to mention earlier that the DVD comes with the Bamboo backed blank.
Mike
Do you have any yew blanks that would come to 55lbs. at 26''?
I just ordered two more BBO glue up's from WIngnut. If I can do it andybody can. This is my 7 year old shooting the one I made for him. My first ever bow build attempt.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/SuperKodiak38/P2200050.jpg)
larry is o.k.the more people talk the more i learn.thanks tim for the info i will have to save my pennys and get one.and tim you are smart guy.and i am a really meatball when it comes to tillering.thanks john
Fiberglass using Binghams directions works pretty good.