First Lam Bow...49" Recurve...47 1/2" nock to nock

[onemississipp]

This may work out great, on my next trip I'm going to have access to a huge woodshop. They have a 24" drum sander!! So I hope to be able to grind some lams...

Dang I need to start getting some wood together...I cut out 2 51" x 2" x 4" of osage Monday.

[ChristopherO]

Interesting design.  What do you plan to use this bow for?

[onemississipp]

I was hoping Turkey, but the season has closed...I have been really busy and not been in town much this year. I will see how it turns out and go from there.

Deer season is around the corner though.

[onemississipp]

I did sort of a dry run on the form with the hose, I think opening it up to an inch will be fine.

 

That is my test riser in there.

 

and the over hang. The form is 2 1/4" wide.

 

I'll open it up to and inch just to make sure everything stays inside the form.

[onemississipp]

I rough cut the riser out, I'm using "Sapele".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapele

Here is the rough cut riser with the test riser on top of it.
 

 

Here is the rough cut riser with my template glued to it.

 

 

[onemississipp]

Now I just need to sand to my template. I also picked up the electrical parts for a hot box tonight at the local Wal-Mart.

 

I'm going for a Aeronut style heat box.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=059937;p=1

[onemississipp]

Here is the riser sanded and fitted to the form, or actually I fitted the form to the riser.

 

 

 

[onemississipp]

I also got the braces on the form.

   

The top of the brace is bolted on and the bottom has quick disconnect pins.

   

So the form is finished, the riser almost ready, just need to do a dry run with everything in the form to double check everything.

Need to finish up the Heat box and I'll be ready.

Here is the linnk to my heat box on my page.
http://onemississipp.googlepages.com/heatbox

[onemississipp]

Right now I'm just over $200.00 with this project. I didn't have to buy any materials for the form. The heat box hit about $60.00.

That's if you don't count the broke router bits and the sander purchase. With those in there it's bout $450.00!!

[BMN]

Nice work! Keep it up. Do you plan on using just two braces on the form? I've always seen two per limb.

Bill

[onemississipp]

I have only planned on using 2, this is my first.

If I need 2 more please someone tell me now!!

Any advice is always excepted.

[StanM]

Any advice is always excepted.

Now that right there is funny   :D  

BTW, I'd go with four brackets on the form, lots of pressure for just two.  You've done an amazing job so far, would hate to see anything happen at this point.

Stan

[BenBow]

Yeah add a couple more because that hose will push the upper form up. The way your brackets are angled they don't have much strength against an upward pressure. I've had 5/16" bolts bend on mine so I switched to 1/2" bolts now 2 on the bottom and 1 on top.

[BMN]

If it were me, I would add two more braces right at the end of each fade out. Like so....

[onemississipp]

I will add the 2 (4) other braces.

Thanks guys for saving me a lot of swearing and throwing things around!

I'll check my bolt sizes also.

[onemississipp]

"Any advice is always excepted."

       I guess I was in a hurry!

That does not help much when you need some advice.

Your advice has been accepted and is always welcome.

I have excepted some advice before, not here though.

[onemississipp]

It will be awhile, I leave Sunday for a 6 week trip.

[onemississipp]

I'm back, got my heat box finished, double checked my form, and wouldn't you know it. I have a couple problems to fix. It may have been a good thing I left for awhile.

The problem I ran into is the limbs are not even so to speak.

I checked my zero line with a level and straight edge. It was neither, I had drawn it with my template and never checked it.

So once a good zero line was made, I now have a little more sanding to do.

[Bob T.]

Good job so far. Make sure when you get everything ready for glue up to do a dry run. Do everything as you would to put it in the oven with out the epoxy. Pump it up with air & move a light long the lams from the back side & look for light showing where you have to adjust the form. Check the fadeouts good. If no light showing you are good to go. Good luck.
Bob

[onemississipp]

I'll double and triple check it all, thanks for those tips Bob T.

I think I could have built 10 self bows in the time it has taken to just get a form and heatbox. And I still don't know if this thing is going to shoot.