*Strunk Osage English Longbow :) [!!more pics!!] thanks sstewa/Ghost Dog!

[snag]

Very nice looking bow! John is a gifted man. Here is one of his knives.

[Bjorn]

Adam and I spent a week in Tillamook; had a great bow building class with Mr. Strunk, and ate soft shelled crab till we almost burst. You can get some inexpensive cottages at the coast. Boil your own crab and have a wonderful time building bows, eating crab, drinking a few cold ones, and waiting for Elk season!

[snag]

Sounds good Bjorn!

Chuck what spine arrow did the bow like?

[nineworlds9]

I'm shooting it for the first time tomorrow, I've been busy working.  Bow has a pretty good offset being an ELB.  Ghost Dog/sstewa said they had good luck with something 50-55 spine.  Will try what I've got lying around and see.

[Brock]

John is a great bowyer....you are going to love that bow.  I have had a couple of his and a vine maple wonder is on my rack now.  a rawhide or sinew backed osage is coming later in year though. LOL

[Fletcher]

Should be a great bow.  From the symetrical look of the limbs I suspect it was crafted from spliced sister billets.

[bayoulongbowman]

Oh my , I am so happy for you , man thats dandy...mark from Louisiana way!      

[nineworlds9]

Thanks guys!  I'm stoked to shoot it tomorrow.  I can't stress how beautiful the osage is.  I will ask Ghost Dog about the sister billet thing.  He and sstewa were very happy the bow went to someone who will cherish it and shoot it often.

[ti-guy]

Nice!

[Ghost Dog]

The bow was made from spliced billets. The unstrung profile is indicative of the shape of the tree as it grew. It is possible to steam osage and other woods into a preferred shape, but it is also possible to tiller a challenging stave or billet stave into a bow. That is what John is good at.

I put this bow in the St. Jude's auction. I had just received it and thought it might bring some meaningful money to the total and give something interesting for left handed archers to bid on. It did not bring much, sadly, but it did contribute something.

Check this John Strunk bow out.  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=042659#000000

[Ghost Dog]

Here is another one, although not as dramatic.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=083472#000000

[Mudd]

It's the hands of "the master" that determines whether you're playing a fiddle or Stratovirious violin.

Mr Strunk has the hands of a master.

God bless,Mudd

[Tree Killer]

A beauty of a bow nw9, hope it brings you many years of enjoyment! I have a Yew version of your bow.

I hauled a load of Yew billets down to John one time and got to see this snakey Osage flatbow...I might have brought it home with me if it didn't already have a customers name on it.



John made me this Pacific Yew bow in 1988 and I killed a pretty nice Blacktail buck with it in 1990.

[nineworlds9]

Thanks for the additional info and for sharing Bob!

Tree-  niiiice!

[nineworlds9]

Oh btw, she shoots like a dream!  QUIIIIIET!!!!!  Great cast!

John must be a wizard, at 15 yds I barely have to try.  I'm simply amazed.  This bow would give my Old Tom a run for its money.

[nineworlds9]

This is my 2nd selfbow and I had no idea an all wood bow could hurl an arrow like this.  My warbow doesn't count cause its trilaminate wood and gigantic..  I think this bow is spoiling the crap out of me,  I'll judge all future selfbows by it.   Just shot it again before sunset.  Simply amazing.

[dtarbell]

Amazing,osage isnt the best stuff for ELB but that one has hardly any set.bet its a nice shooter made by The Man.