Some years ago, I saw a screw-together take-down system attributed to James Duff. It was illustrated in volume one (I think) of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible with a comment that the threads would have to stop in just the right place to line up the limbs.

I thought that was a fallacy because the roots of the limbs were round and fit in the round ferules.

The two ferules could be screwed together snugly before the limbs were glued in. Then the limbs could be glued into the ferrules in line with each other. After the glued had set, lining up the limbs would be simply a matter of screwing the threads together snugly--where they stopped, the limbs would be in line.

Well, I tried it over the last few days with a couple of billets from that Osage I cut a couple months ago. Here are photos of some of the steps.









It's a light bow. Pull is about 37#. It weighs about 28 ounces--about 10 more than a bow without the steel handle fittings. It is 66" long along the string. It's a nice shooter.

Hope you  enjoyed the sequence.

Jim Davis

If you make this setup, I think it is important to leave at least the center part of the back ring intact so it is not cut where it enters the ferrule.

That is neat. A very fine job you have done.

Nicely done Jim.....  

   

Way to go Jim. Nice looking set-up.

CTT