I used to have two very short, 60", Hill take downs. They went when I had to drop weight. I found myself missing them, especially when the time came to fly to Texas for a javelina hunt and I had to ship a longbow down and back. I should say I missed having a take down longbow, since any more I find I mostly shoot my own bows. I knew that one day I would build a take down but I really held off because the work of building a sleeved version somehow didn't appeal to me. Howattman, posted a one piece to two piece longbow conversion he did using the Connexion hinge and I decided to pursue the matter further. I had had a Black Widow with this take down system and liked it. Robertson Stykbows provided me with the hinge and I was off and running.
I was struggling to find a name for this bow when one of the Hill Longbowmen suggested "Airwolf", after the attack helicopter. Since the bow is made for taking on flights and my other hunting bows have wolf oriented names, it seems like a good one.
The construction of this bow was quite a project, and definitely had its problems and ups and downs, but it came out pretty good. I did one of my web project pages (a huge one in four parts) covering the whole process of installing the hinge (not the laying up or building of the bow). As always, it includes the mistakes along the way, in case anyone might learn from them. If you are interested in trying to use one of these hinges, there is much to be learned. Here is a URL for those pages:
http://oldpharttsarchery.com/bowbuilding/connexionhinge/thehinge.html
This presentation is simply the finished bow. So... meet Airwolf:
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/tdbow67.jpg)
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/tdbow74.jpg)
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/tdbow73.jpg)
Bow specs are:
61"
45@28 (40 at my draw)
3 laminations: yew, laminated bamboo, yew
zebrawood riser
.300 wood
.80 glass
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/tdbow64.jpg)
A thin leather shim goes into the opening to fill the very narrow saw curf that resulted from cutting the bow in half. I could glue this in, but won't as I want to be able to wax the ends as a part of regular bow maintenance.
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/bowinhand.jpg)
One concern was the feel of the grip with the hinge in place. I'm very pleased. I left the riser a bit thicker than my norm, for more bearing surface, but it isn't too deep, and is very comfortable in my small hand, which curls right around the hinge.
Of course, the test is shooting it. I've only shot it once, and with the tillering string still on and no nock point, but it laid a nice group of ten arrows into the kill zone of my javelina target.his is at a bit over 15 yards,.I think there is a javelina in Texas waiting for this new bow.
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/bowcase59.jpg)
I made a carrying case of 10 oz. duck. The limbs go in the outer two tubes and a dozen arrows go in the pvc tube in the middle, or the pvc tube can be removed and a rolled up thin leather Lakota quiver and arrows can go in in it's place. There are large flaps on each end that close the tubes when the case is rolled up.
(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/bowcase71.jpg)
Pretty neat, huh?
Dick
The Old Phartt
If I could make a bow that nice I would never buy another. Looks great.
You do beautiful work.
I like the bow, but that case is the cat's meow. Great job
Very nice!
EXCELLENT WORK Dick!
That is one *bodacious* bow!
What are your arra-fixin's for that beauty?
I am lookin' forward to the story about you takin' it on a hunt and makin' some meat!
Keep up the AWESOME work!
Shoot straight, Shinken
Great job Captn!
Ken
Nice I like the way it packs neatly.
All I can say is------WOW. Your creativity is amazing and moves in many directions.
Great job Dick! I like the case too :thumbsup:
Dick you are getting much much better at this bow building thing. That is a great little bow. I love the case too. Great job.
Dick that is fine workmanship on the whole package :thumbsup: Your a true craftsman.
Awesome job buddy! You really should sell those cases!
Very nice.
Very nice! Both bow and case are awesome!
Impressive! :notworthy:
Really cool Dick.
Great looking bow!
Dick,
I love just about everything I see and read that's put out there by you. I am more than a little jealous that I don't possess your skills to produce such beauty's that actually are far more than eye candy cause they seem to work and do it well.
I hate to admit it but I've actually become something of a cyber stalker seeking out any and all postings you make. I've even found other sites where you've posted and in keeping with my addiction/affliction I find myself going back almost daily seeking to satisfy that desire to see and read more.
Fear not as I am harmless but truly grateful there are O.F.'s like you out there as it's folks like you that take up the slack for folks like me..lol
Beautiful!
Thanks for sharing.
God bless,Mudd
Wow nice bow!
I've been trying to figure out how to make a take-down case. That looks great except for the need for an industrial strength sewing machine. Maybe I can tone that down some.
Is the duck soft enough to not scratch the surface of the bow?
Marvin
That is cool. Nice thinking.
Beautiful, Dick. I've been following this project via the Longbowmen, and I'm really impressed. Nice work, as usual.
By gosh Dick you're getting the hang of this stuff! Well done! No coincidence you're shooting a javelina target.
very nice
Hey, guys, Thanks for all the nice comments.
Since there is so much reaction to the case, I have entered a new topic with some more information on it. Hopefully, I'll make a pattern available soon. I didn't think that much of it when I came up with it.
Looks good Dick!
Nice job Dick. What type of finish do you use? It looks flawless. P.S. I always read you posts they are always entertaining. Keep up the great work!
Best Regards, Glen
Great job Dick! Enjoyed your excellent job on your webpage also. Was thinking of the hinge for my two piece but thanks to your information I can see it won't work for the bow I had in mind
Nice job and a nice bow!
Nice job. Take pride in your work and take that bow on a trip.
Simply fantastic work!
BTW - you could retire selling those cases! (Well, maybe you wouldn't actually call it retirement)
Once again a great job Dick. Lots of info there, a great reference. Dang, I want to quit my job and move next door to you. That is sure to be a good time. Keep it up Dick
Excellent!! I like that case almost as much as the bow, very cool!
Hey that's sure one to be proud of Dick. Way to go!! I know it'll do the job on the javi's.
Dan
beautiful bow,could you make me one,too?
Beautius maximus.
Very nice, I really like it.
Darren