I worked on a weekend project and finished it yesterday. I have a leather supplier near me. I go there regularly and buy from their scrap bin. There was a piece of thick saddle skirting leather in there that just called out to be a back quiver.
I got it home and laid out some mental plans and started cutting and thinking of how I wanted the shape. I had enough left over for the bottom cup of the quiver out of the same 1/4 inch thick leather. This stuff is t-h-i-c-k. I bought a strap and brass buckle to allow adjustment of the shoulder strap.
After sewing and figuring I came up with this.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/budsstuff015.jpg)
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/budsstuff019.jpg)
It's still a little wet from the wet forming. It holds alot of arrows. I still need to line the top with some fur I have and foam the bottom.
I can get it to sit on my back pretty good but need to work on drawing arrows smoothly. My concern I guess is that I'm not very flexible. I never have been.
Has anyone else used a back quiver with some flex concerns? How'd you overcome it?
I plan on oiling this one to even out the color but not too much that it'll transfer to my clothes. I might take this one deer hunting. It will definitely go into the woods for stumping and squirrel.
If you back qiver users can help a new user out I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
Bud
Looks like you did a nice job..... :thumbsup:
Take the arrows out and sit on it. You have to soften it up some. The first quiver I built was too stiff and that makes it a pain to use. Arrows will fall out when you bend. My second one came out perfectly, not too stiff and not too soft, and I loved it for hunting. Sadly, it was stolen.
You do plan to dye it, no?
Nice job. Very nice stitching. Leather projects are great winter time fun. Consider using leather string through the middle to act as a divider (near the top).
:thumbsup: Very nice looking, congrats!
Do you have an industrial sewing machine. Your work is really tight & nice. I'd put a fur collar around the top lip hanging down the outside & inside around 2" deep. You have right to be proud. Very nice.
Nice job,congrats.
That looks good! :thumbsup:
Very nice!
Bud,
Nice work. I have made a few that were laced together. I too have some trouble with drawing the sticks out. I am right handed, so as I reach with my right hand over my shoulder, I use my left elbow to push the bottom of the qiver back and up. This will push the nocks forward toward your right hand. I also made mine so that the arrow nocks are kind of off the point of my right shoulder. One thing about stretching to reach them, it improves your flexibility.
Again, well done!
Very Nice.I am looking for a deeper back quiver and may have to make my own.That gives me hope. :thumbsup:
looks good..damp the leather slightly and oil it and as your oiling it..use a hair dryer on low and heat it into the leather..by doing this...you will perserve it and you wont need to worry about as the oil will stay on and it will be little more flexible..you can add montana pitch blend to it and it will last forvever..you can also put it the couch and sit on it for a few days and more you use it..the more supple it can become...good luck...it looks great
Thanks for the compliments. It's going to take some getting used to for sure. I need to do some stretching exercises I guess.
I took it into the woods today just messing around. It isn't a good one to take through thick pines. I kept getting hung up on the lower dead limbs of the pines. In the open woods it was great. I'm still trying to develop a technique for getting the arrows out. Hopefully it'll come with time.
I'll post up some more photos when I get it closer to the finished product.
Thanks again.
Bud
Bud, that's a fine looking quiver to be sure! Back quivers take some getting used to but, stick with it as they are unique once you get the hand of it. :thumbsup: :clapper:
Nice job!!!
I'm impressed. Can you post the dimensions and pattern for this if you're willing? I'd like to try making one for myself
Thats really fine. Beat it up, step on it, stick it under your mattress and such and Ill bet it softens up enough for you.Regular usage with get it to darken from sweat, rain, dirt and the like. That looks like it will last forever.
I'll make some measurements when I get home. No pattern. All in the gray matter.
The quiver is 19.75" tall with a 16" circumference at the top and 12" circumference at the bottom. I cut an oval form out of a 1" thick pine board for the bottom and wet formed the leather to it and nailed the leather down for a cupped shaped bottom. The blackened spots on the bottom section are from the nails I drove through the leather and into the pine form. Once that dried I removed the nails and cut another pine form to fit inside the bottom of the quiver itself. I then placed the cup over the quiver bottom and then drove the same nails back into the same holes which punched the holes for the quiver body. The pine form inside kept the shape while I drove in the nails.
Sewing it was a booger. My hands aren't real small so getting the baseball stitch inside the quiver seam was tough. The bottom stitching was equally challenging.
The strap was just a straight cut strap from Zach White Leather Company in Ramseur, NC. The buckle is a simple solid brass. I had a spare concho from other leather projects and used it backwards on the strap bottom. A leather punch cut the holes in the top part of the strap.
Scrap leather = $8
Leather strap = $6.50
Brass buckle = $1.59
Cheap project if you ask me. I watched football while stitching, and stitching, and stitching....
If you do something similar, just remember to oval the top outward and oval the bottom inward. A straight cut across wouldn't fit properly.
Nice work. When you get into the low hanging limbs and brush, grab the bottom of the quiver with our left hand and tuck it up under your left arm till you make it through the brush. It keeps from tearing up the fletching and nocks and getting hung up. It works for me anyway.
Okie man, that's the same way I do mine when in thicker vegetation. Works just fine and then you just shift it back up when clear.
Dog gone good job. I made one about 20 years ago and still using it to this day.
Cool!! That looks great,in time you will get used to it and have a feel how to carry it on your back and grab arrows from it. Good luck send more pics when your done with it.
nice job on the quiver bud. how heavy is the leather. do you plan on using a leather dye on it. what did you use for the stitching, im really curious about the stitch material. i like your design. im lookin to do one myself but center of the back/ backpack style if ya will. anyhow it looks great. ruddy
Looks very nice. I have plans to build a shoulder/back quiver that has the opening towards the bottom on the one side so you can reach the arrows from down low. That would be a fun project to try!!
Good looking quiver,thumbs up! will try to make my own my self soon....I'll get back on that project...
real nice looking back quiver, good job. :thumbsup:
Thanks again for all the kind colmpliments. As a lefty I have had to make my own leather stuff in the past. Especially single action holsters. But transferring the leather craft to archery is nice and opens up many more leather project opportunities.
looks great, I must have short arms as I can not for the life of me find arrows this back quiver way. I use a side quiver.
I really like the looks of that quiver!
Looks good
Good job Bud! I'm always envious of you leather workers. Us lefties always have to hunt for the stuff we need. Good for you for making your own!!
Keeping the Faith!
Magnus
i like the quiver. i think the adjustable strap would be good in the clothing changes from alot of clothes in the winter to just a tee shirt in the summer. nice desighn but would still have to be deeper and able to hold more arrows to be perfect for me.
yup i had some problems with drawing an arrow out of a back Quiver so i solved it and made a stalker type Quiver plus lakota type Quivers and never looked back since. :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by $bowhunter$:
...but would still have to be deeper and able to hold more arrows to be perfect for me.
:eek:
I'm guessing it'll hold upwards of 36 or more arrows.
I have to stretch now to remove the arrows. If the quiver was taller I'd have to get a lower grip on the arrows. Right now I can grab a nock and slide it out with only minimal clearance. Taller would be difficult for me. Or I'd have to wear it lower on the back which would make the arrows harder to reach.
My arrows with grizzly heads are about 34" long.
ill be honest with ya. at 1 time i actually carried 47 arrows in my quiver. after some time of the wieght and sound issue i went down to abot 30 or so. i like to have lots of arrows when shooting around. when i go huntin i use a hip quiver now and only take 6 arrows and a judo
Nice looking one Bud. Great job.
Earl
I like it! Look really cool. Nice job.
OK guys and gals,
I went to a 3d shoot this weekend and moving through the trees and such I figured I'd use a back quiver to see how I would do wearing one for an extended period of time. I had just bought one off Wayne the Baptist from the TG classifieds that was a double strap backpack style. It worked wonderfully (Thanks Wayne) and that made me re-configure mine.
With my limited flexibility I think this will be the style for my physical makeup and to use while hunting. With time it should come second nature. I'm able to reach them with ease.
The one I got from Wayne is on the left. It almost swallows the 28" arrows that are in the quiver on the right.
Thanks for the help and compliments. I think I'm going to retire the Kwikee, at least or now.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/budsstuff031.jpg)
Good job Bud, HideHandler may have some competition :bigsmyl:
Bud: Awesome job you did on your first Quiver, we see some talent now and then. You have it, great job. Don
Great looking work. Can you show us how it looks on? Does it sit on your back in the middle and you pull the arrows out the top not to the left or right side??
QuoteOriginally posted by Cromm:
Great looking work. Can you show us how it looks on? Does it sit on your back in the middle and you pull the arrows out the top not to the left or right side??
Center right behind the head. Putting them back is relatively easy too. With little practice and repetitive shooting it should be second nature before too long.
Bad boy quiver there. Excellent choice adding the fur collar! Get it greased up & suptle & you might go back to one strap. I used 2 straps for a good while too. Great work!
Excellent work Bud.
Charles.
That looks great. What is the fur on there and did you glue it or stitch it on?
Bud,
you did a nice job!!! it is a good looking quiver!
QuoteOriginally posted by Jethro21:
That looks great. What is the fur on there and did you glue it or stitch it on?
Thanks again all for the comments.
The fur is glued on. The mink leather is so fine it would barely hold the stitching to itself. I sewed the two short ends together and made a "tube" of the leather then turned it inside out (fur inside) and then slid the "tube" into the quiver then folded it over like folding a sock top down over your ankle. (Not that I do that :D )
I still have to oil up the leather some more. It is soaking up alot of lanolin and silicone. Fiebing's Spray on saddle oil.
I may get some mink oil and rub it into the leather also.
Edited to add:
Going back to my lack of flexibility....this center type back quiver seems ideal for my limitations. I didn't have any problems reaching all the arrows that were in the quiver. I still need to add a divider or two inside the mouth to keep BH tipped arrows and FP arrows apart when I do go hunting. Another thing I liked was that the centered quiver keeps the arrows behind my head and it was easier to maneuver through the pine trees where the 3d shoot was set up. My hunting location is very similar in trees and layout as where the 3D shoot was. In fact, the club we shot at was only about 10 miles from where I hunt.
I like the freedom a back quiver gives for the bow too. I really can't see myself going to the cross style wearing of the quiver again.
This was a good learning process for me and I appreciate the tips all.
Very nice, Looks great. I decided I wanted to try a back quiver this year and just finished mine. It's going to take some getting used to, I don't bend like I used to.
Nice job! Your hand stitching is excellent. Did you stitch with synthetic sinew or nylon thread? Once it gets used and softens, it will fit your back better. You should be proud, you did a really great job.
QuoteOriginally posted by tradshooter:
Nice job! Your hand stitching is excellent. Did you stitch with synthetic sinew or nylon thread? Once it gets used and softens, it will fit your back better. You should be proud, you did a really great job.
Synthetic sinew. I applied a liberal coat of neatsfoot oil last night. The leather soaked it up promptly.
Tox, I had reach issues with the slant wearing of the quiver. The centered double strap is my answer. Could be for you too.
Gonna try the over the shoulder for a while but may make the next one centered.
QuoteOriginally posted by broketooth:
nice job on the quiver bud. how heavy is the leather. do you plan on using a leather dye on it. what did you use for the stitching, im really curious about the stitch material. i like your design. im lookin to do one myself but center of the back/ backpack style if ya will. anyhow it looks great. ruddy
Ruddy,
I just read over this thread and realized I han't answerred your questions. Sorry.
I'm not sure of the oz size of the leather as in 5/6oz or 6/7oz thick leather. It was about 1/4" thick and I mean it's thick. I think the rest of your questions might have been answered in other posts. I apologize for overlooking your questions.
If you need help with a leather supplier I can help you with getting some if you're interested. I go by that shop about once every week or two. I just went there last Tuesday. I had to try to keep my eyes off the scrap box....another piece of leather was calling my name and I really don't need any more leather at the moment.
Great Job!!