Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: David Flanrey on February 15, 2016, 09:42:00 PM
-
I'll try not to be too long winded to start but wanted to do a special build along. Last week I lost my first hunting partner, my dad. He was 74. We had many many good times hunting and shooting bows and guns. He was a great man. He retired from farming in 2000 just about the time I started building bows.
He was my biggest fan. His favorite bows that I have ever built were the osage self bows. I guess because we don't have many osage trees in our little corner of the world. He helped me harvest wood of all kinds and got them sawn at mills or whatever it took.
His favorite thing to do was drive around all our field roads looking for snakes to back bows. We live in rice country so there were plenty around. I still have several copperheads and cotton mouth that he found for me to use.
I haven't built a self bow in a couple years. I've been on a glass bow run for a while now. I started the build this afternoon. I don't know how it will turn out but I thought I would just let the shavings fly and see what happens while thinking of him all the while.
I will try to post as many pics as I can along the way because as Roy says "it don't hapin wiff out pichers".
Picked out a really dry stave I've had for several years given to me by my bud Brian Oden.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160215_182535_1.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160215_182535_1.jpg.html)
-
I am amazed at this wood. No matter how old or dry it is still yellow on the inside.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160215_185849.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160215_185849.jpg.html)
-
I am amazed at this wood. No matter how old or dry it is still yellow on the inside.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160215_185849.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160215_185849.jpg.html)
-
Sorry for the double post. Slow computer.
Here is the stave down to the ring I want for the back. Pretty tired. Enough for today.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160215_193043.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160215_193043.jpg.html)
-
Looks like a good start to me. Nice stave.
-
That is a great looking stave. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.
-
Very nice, David..
-
Let's do it
:campfire:
:coffee:
-
Tired? You just started. Back to work!
-
I'll be watching this one!!!! Osage should have it's own color named after it!! I know it varies but so does white! Lol
-
Nice looking stave David. Looks like it could be enough in the thickness for a belly split. Either way I'm along for the ride. I like seeing how others approach a stave, hopefully I'll learn something new.
-
John, I'm getting soft. I had a blister on each hand after I skinned that stave. LOL Those glass bows will spoil ya.
Dan, this is the second bow I've made from this stave and I think I have plenty wood left for another.
Took it to the band saw to make it a little more manageable and roughly laid out the bow.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160216_144119.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160216_144119.jpg.html)
-
keen to follow your progress David.Sorry for your loss too.My 93 year old mum now has dementia so we are losing her bit by painful bit.
-
Gonna make a 54" mostly bend through the handle bow. Hopefully to shoot out of a blind this fall or maybe turkey hunting.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160216_153739.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160216_153739.jpg.html)
-
Two draw knive, two rasps and a scraper. Little elbow grease.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160216_174821.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160216_174821.jpg.html)
-
Going to take the grip area down a little more and do some heat tweaking one the end with the knot. I may heat a little more back set into it. It has some naturally.
-
Not a great pic but here is another view of it.
Still workin John! :readit:
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/20160216_174947.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/20160216_174947.jpg.html)
-
Nice. You may take a break now :)
-
love these build a longs!
:campfire:
-
David, sorry for your loss. May your Dad's memory be eternal.
Thanks for doing the buildalog. I am enjoying it.
Jawge
-
Okay, back to it. Here are some of my tools.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_164930.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_164930.jpg.html)
-
Worked my stave down to almost floor tiller. Dimensions are 54" end to end. 1 5/16" at center, 1 1/4 at 4" past center to 5/8" tips. Grip area is 1" thick.
-
I know there may be some fellows like me out there that do a lot of looking and reading on this site but didn't post for a long time. It is a lot more fun if you post. Please feel free to offer me any and all suggestions. I need all the help I can get. Also, don't be bashful to ask questions.
These selfbows are a blast. I have learned a ton from many on this site.
-
Here I have marked up the stave to keep me on track. Center, handle area, facets and so on.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_162757.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_162757.jpg.html)
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_163405.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_163405.jpg.html)
-
Here it is all slicked up and almost floor tillered. Now I will primarily use a second cut rasp and home made scraper to get to floor tiller and low brace.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_172448.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_172448.jpg.html)
-
I don't think I will heat anymore reflex into it. It has 3/4" of natural reflex and is pretty even end to end.
I have a question..... I have a knot and a little dipidy do. Would you heat this area and take some of it out?
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_172458.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160219_172458.jpg.html)
-
I have no idea. As someone that has some osage "staves" in the rafters of the barn drying out waiting to be ruined by me this summer, i'm all ears (eyes) on this one! Looking great so far though!
-
Looking nice, David...
-
NO
leave it alone
-
NO
leave it alone
-
I agree, leave it as-is.
-
:)
-
Been slacking off some. But got the sawdust going again.
I decided to try and take out the roller coaster on the limb.
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160223_135310.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160223_135310.jpg.html)
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_133950.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_133950.jpg.html)
-
Floor tillered, low brace, medium brace 5".
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_175250.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_175250.jpg.html)
-
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_172719.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_172719.jpg.html)
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx165/dflanrey/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_181022.jpg) (http://s752.photobucket.com/user/dflanrey/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160301_181022.jpg.html)
-
I am a little concerned about the knot area that I straightened. It it bending more than I expected. Looks a little hingy to me. Also the other limb seems a little stiff.
What do you all think?
-
I agree with you-- the straightened spot does look a little hingy in the last pic-- especially when you compare it to the low-brace pic. In the low-brace pic, that area looks straight; then it picks up a lot of bend when you go to medium brace. You may need to weaken the rest of that limb (and weaken the entire other limb)to distribute the stress better. Or maybe the selfbow gurus following along (I'm not one of them) have ideas for reinforcing that hingy spot.
-
I would let it rest for a week or more after heatgunning. I have killed a couple after not waiting but none if I waited. Not scientific but good enough for me.
-
Thanks John. I'll do that.
-
David did you use any oil on that spot when you heated it up? Looks a bit scorched. it should scrap out as you go but oil helps stop that. Well that is what PatB told me and I believe him. So I use it if I am not trying to toast the belly.
-
I like avocado oil when I heat treat. Can't stand avocados, but their oil works good for heat treating, its a very high heat oil.
-
Kelly, I always use some oil except for this time. HaHa wife was out of cooking spray. It did get a little brown but I don't think hurt it too much. I've been worried about that knot since I chased the back of the stave.
-
Kelly,
Using oil is what everybody keeps saying.....and I keep trying. However, I have better results when not using it. That said, I have my staves floor tillered to at least 6+ inches before inducing heat. That means I can't afford event the slightest bit of "crispy" finish on the surface of the stave.