I've had a Shelton ordered from Northern Mist for a while now but with all the talk about string follow bows I decided to build one for myself. This one has 1/2" of SF from the riser to each tip. 3 lams of bamboo flooring and a lam of red uni weft glass sandwiched between 2 .040 of black glass. It's 65" long. Curly maple riser and tip caps. Straight Hill Style grip.
I was shooting for 48-50# and came up a good bit short as this one is 38# @ 28". For my first SF bow at least I have some data to go by now so I figure the next one should be a good bit closer. This was really just an experiment for me into the SF world. As you'll see I left the riser a bit longer than most others you'll see. I thought I'd like it but I think I'll go back to a more standard look on the next one.
The next one will have an osage riser, black glass on the back, clear on the belly with a veneer yet to be determined.
I actually enjoy the way it shoots very much. I was pleasantly surprised with the cast for 38# as I was shooting some 440 grain woodies out of it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFUnstrung.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFStrung.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFlacingandshelf.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFLacing.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFBackofriser.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/Hatrick/SFTip.jpg)
Excellent, you did a fantastic job. I have a Cumberland String follow by Apex P. Great shooting bow, good cast and almost silent. Can't wait to see your next one!! :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: God bless, Mudd :archer:
Nice looking probably very quiet bow!
I hate it, Its not dirty yet! I can help you with that though. :readit: :D
Very nice job :thumbsup: :clapper:
That's a beauty...The curly maple riser is a great choice.
I am looking forward to shooting a string follow one day.
Thanks for shar'in
That's a very nice looking bow, bet it shoots great, excellent job!
-Jay
Great Looker!!
Real nice.
Nice job!!
Very nice work! Nothing wrong with 38#... a little on the heavy side, but you can work up to it! You'll find it will handle any 3D shooting you want to do. (I use 27# and 23#. If you do it again, try 1" of string follow, you'll like it even more. I'm currently shooting 1 1/2" of sf, maybe a bit extreme, but man, is it forgiving.
very pretty bow! :thumbsup:
Nice bow. Classic form. I am shooting a bamboo/osage bow with about an inch of follow. Smooth and quiet. Keep it up
Boy howdy, if you can make 'em like that, I'm not sure why you've got one on order. That's a beauty!
Great job bud!
I appreciate the nice comments fellas.
I wish I had more time to build bows but work and too many other household chores take precedent. Besides, I have along way to go to get where Marty (Apex) is in the bow building word. Before this I've built some D/R longbows. I didn't have any example to really look at but thought that 1/2" String Follow would work thinking that the bow might take some additional "set" over time increasing the SF some. I just don't know. Maybe some of you could straighten me out here.
Will a glass backed SF bow take on any additional SF over time?
Dick, that' simply amazing. You're down to pulling 23-27# and still building bows and enjoying every shot. My hat's off to ya! Must be keeping you young at heart. :notworthy:
very cool!!
Being glass backed it will behave just like any other bow, no matter backset, straight, or SF.
The profile is locked in between the glass.
WoW...very nice!!!
Tony is right on... when I first got interested in bow building, it was because I wanted a copy of the 1950's lemonwood longbow I had in... well, the 1950's... (My how time flies...) I had/have a couple of original examples, but with age and additional acquired set, they have lost a lot of oomph. I wanted to see if building the original amount of set in via a fiberglass layup would give a bow like the original that wouldn't acquire more set and hence lose performance. Needless to say, it works! Good to see string follow catching on. Now, if I could just get folks to stop using shelves! :)
Thanks guys, I just figured it may take a bit more set fiberglass or not. Nice to know I can add some additional string follow and not worry. Fact is I was just out shooting it some. This is a really fun bow to shoot. I was surprised at how well it shot 440 grain woodies. Not bad cast at all. I've got plenty of materials to build another but it may be a while with everything else there is to do.
Dick, sorry bud, I love the string follow but I HAVE to have a shelf. :D
Beautiful bow Hatrick. I assume that you've built bows before. Did you learn from reading books or are you just one of those guys that has a knack for wood and glass? I would love to give this a shot sometime.
Wow! Very nice job!
Don
You may have missed your calling! Great job.
beautiful bow, great job!
pressure hose or rubber bands on the form?
Very nice looking bow, great job.
Great looking bow. Very nice job.
Ok, I just gotta ask. What is it about string follow that makes a longbow more "forgiving" I've shot a pile of longbows, but the only string follow ones were old Pearson or York lemonwoods, and they felt like crap. Based on my experience I prefer a mild D/R. And that is what I own. Am I missing something?
Rob, I used the fire hose method. I have 2 other longbow forms I've built. One is a mild D/R and the other a bit more radical D/R. All using the fire hose method. I've always managed to get nice tight glue joints that way so why not. Although I don't do it for a living anymore, I'm a carpenter by trade so I have all the tools on hand. I just read, ask questions, and start to work.
Anyway, the Hill style string follow bug just hit me so I thought I'd give one a try. Definitely not as quick as my others but still a lot of fun to shoot.
Thanks,
Dave
:clapper:
Awesome ... I love my string follow bows !
I like it. Nicely done. A 1/2" of "follow" is perfect if you ask me. I bet it has a sweet feel when shot. I wouldn't trade my Northern Mist Shelton for anything.
I wish I had the time, equipment & the know how to make one of those but alas I have neither at this time.
Beautiful bow there sir.