Here are the first groups out of my hickory board bow I recently finished. These are at 15 yards. I still need to do some tweaking with the tune, but it's a shooter I think!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMAG0186-1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMAG0187.jpg)
It's a Hill style bow 66" and 48# @ 27". Right now it's wearing a B50 string, but I may twist up a D97 and give that a try. The arrows in the pics are two POC 50-55s and two 2016s. It seems to like the 2016s a little better, but I'll get the woodies figured out before long. Both the xx75s and the POC were 565 grains, and it zips them along at a pretty surprising clip.
It does have about 2 1/4" of set, which I prefer to think of as string follow, lol! I backed it with an old silk tie. At first I planned on painting over the tie, but it came out looking kind of camo, so I went with that. It's very stable and smooth to 27", but it starts to stack after that. I don't notice the stack when shooting since 27" is about where I stop drawing anyway.
Here's a couple shots of the riser, which is walnut and maple wrapped with goat skin and stitched with artificial sinew.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMG_0852.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMG_0849.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMG_0850.jpg)
Here's one at full draw.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMG_0854.jpg)
It was fun to build and even more fun to shoot. It started as a 1x2 from Menards on sale for $4.56. I added some walnut and maple from my scrap bin and a piece of leather that came out a tad too small for another bow I have. The tie was on it's way to Goodwill but detoured to the back of my bow. I twisted up a B50 string for it, so altogether I have under $10 in the bow.
I've built some in the past, but this is my first successful board bow. My ultimate cool would be to take a critter using my homemade bow, shooting homemade arrows, carried in my homemade quiver. Then I'd celebrate with the lunch I carried afield in my homemade leather haversack. I'm afraid I'm hooked on building this trad stuff.
Very nice Russ! We're going to have to get together sometime and do a little stump shooting, since we live within twenty miles of each other. I think you did very well on your first board bow!
Bernie Bjorklund
NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin
Thanks Bernie! I told Jay we need to do that next time he gets home. Sounds like a great idea to me.
Here is a shot of the ugly tie backing.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Archery%20Stuff/Hickory%20Board%20Bow/IMAG0163.jpg)
It looks better on the bow than it did on me, lol! Don't tell my wife I said that though...she buys all my ties. I hate wearing them anyway, so mostly they hang in the closet.
Excellent job........ :thumbsup:
Very Nice, I kinda like the tie... on the bow that is. Congrats on a great job.
Tom
Hey Russ, care to share the dimensions, or somewhere to look for them? That is neat. Bends real well too. I have an old red oak board I've been saving for just such a project. Any tips on gluing/attaching that handle?
Thanks, guys. I'm pretty proud of the tiller. Not only does it look good, there is almost no hand shock. Anyone who is used to a Hill style bow would say there is no hand shock. If the tiller was off, it would thump you good, so I think I got it right. I've shot it with arrows from 9 gpp to these that are just under 12 gpp and can't really tell a difference as far as hand shock.
All in all, I'm satisfied. I also found a couple nice hickory boards at the Waterloo Menards last weekend, so I think there will be more shavings on the floor soon! They are eight footers, so I'm thinking a couple kids bows and a full sized hickory backed hickory in the future. I have four grandkids and another on the way. On Sunday, my three year-old granddaughter told me she wanted me to build her a bow, so I guess you could say I already have an order.
Looks very nice.
QuoteOriginally posted by owlbait:
Hey Russ, care to share the dimensions, or somewhere to look for them? That is neat. Bends real well too. I have an old red oak board I've been saving for just such a project. Any tips on gluing/attaching that handle?
I don't mind at all, but I will say, you will want to go wider at the fades with oak. I did this one in a pyramid style only because one limb kind of warped sideways. I used that side as it was and drew a line through the center of the bow. The other limb was straight, so the line was centered on that end and 1/4" from one side on the other end. I could have heated and bent it back, but I figured I was better off going where the board wanted to go to avoid twisting. My original plan was to stay parallel to mid-limb and then taper to 1/2" at the tips, but the warp eliminated that plan. That's why I ended up with more set than I would have liked. It doesn't seem to hurt performance though.
Anyway, it is 1 1/2" at the fades and tapers to 1/2" at the tips. It's 68" overall and actually 66.5" nock to nock. I make my own strings, so I wasn't worried about the odd length. I wanted to keep the nocks close to the end in case I had to pike the bow (shorten it to add draw weight). As it turned out, I didn't need to. I hit my goal weight exactly. The handle is 4" and the fades are 2". I like keeping the riser short to get as much of the limb working as I can, especially on an all wood bow. The grip area is 1 3/4" deep and 1" wide. The shelf is cut to 1/4" from center.
As to gluing the riser up. I just used Titebond III after roughing up the contact surfaces with a rasp. I clamped it up and left it that way for 24 hours. I think that is critical even though the glue says clamp for 30 minutes and dry in 2 hours. I don't rush that step. If you look at the picture you'll also see that I taper into the fades well beyond the glue line. I want any flex to take place outside the handle to eliminate stress on the glue line. It's kind of a fine line here as you want the limbs to bend into the fades, but not at the glue line.
With your oak, I'd want a pyramid style to be about 2" at the fades. Wider and flatter works a bit better with oak, I think. I tried a parallel limb oak board bow, but it cracked just past where the taper started.
Keep in mind, I am FAR from an expert. I just offer what I have learned from the Bowyer Bench and my own experience. Glad to help if I can though.
Good work, Russ! Like the use of the tie as a backing...classy! :) It may be your first board bow, but it certainly won't be your last...it's addicting! Thanks for sharing.
QuoteOriginally posted by mmgrode:
Good work, Russ! Like the use of the tie as a backing...classy! :) It may be your first board bow, but it certainly won't be your last. Thanks for sharing.
Umm, this is the first one that survived. :dunno:
It still won't be the last though! The board bows are cheap and relatively easy. There is a lot of osage orange growing on my sons' hunting lease though, so I'm VERY tempted. I have no idea what I'm doing with osage though, so I'm doing some studying. I don't want to cut a nice tree and not take care of it properly. Still very intriguing though.
I'd highly recommend the traditional bowyers bible series to give you a background on working with osage. No better bow wood, in my opinion.
It looks like it shoots as good as it looks Russ. Nice work, that tie backing is great!
-Jay
That's a cool bow! Good job!
Nice work Russ! Those sure are fun to build. If ya need a draw knife and farriers rasp when ya tackle that Osage I have a set you can use.
Very Nice!! :thumbsup: Thats the Best Idea for a Tie I have ever heard!! I had a Tie once, it was wrapping a Tuna Sandwich... :archer:
Good job! :thumbsup:
Shakes, sounds like you and I are on the same page with the ties!
Jason, I think I've got the tools, I just need to invest in some knowledge. I'll take any of that you have to offer!
Jay, it is a shooter. It likes a stiffer shaft than I thought it would though. I have been surprised at the performance. I guess I thought it would be a lot slower than it is.
Nice looking bow 30 coupe
Thanks Russ. I appreciate your reply.
Outstanding! Spot on...love the camo pattern in that old silk tie! Nice tiller with good stiff outer limbs. An excellent concept and a beautiful outcome.
Well done!
Kris