My Greatest Challenge as a Bowyer

[longbowjim]

It was about 3 month ago that I received an email asking me if I had ever built a "heavy bow".  My initial response was yes, thinking that 80#@28" was considered heavy.  Marlon then told me that he was looking for something around 150#@30".  He continued to tell me that a heavy longbow was easy to find, but he had been searching for about 8 years for a shootable recurve.  I few people tried, but the bows would explode at 27 to 28".  I was pretty nervous at first, but accepted the challenge.  It took me 3 tries to hit the 146#@30" mark.  Hope you enjoy the pics of the bow progress below.

My first 2 attempts.  100@#28" and 145#@30".  The second bow was withing the weight range, but a "brain fart" made me cut the shelf for a RH instead of a LH.


Wet forning the blue suede leather onto the handle.  Elvis would have loved this grip.



Me stringing the bow.  I wasn't too worried about the tips twisting since they are nearly 1/2" thick without the overlays.  It looks like a piece of plywood from the side.

Me hanging from the rafters to check the weight one last time before shipping.

The finished bow.


Hope you all enjoyed.  JD

[Steelhead]

Can we see a picture of you pulling that one to full draw Jim LOL.Thats a cool bow.What kind of arrow will he be shooting out of it?

[rastaman]

Beautiful bow JD!
My gosh Marlon!  What are you going to hunt with that thing?
 

[longbowjim]

I can get you a picture of me pulling it to full draw, if you consider 15" full.  I think that he shoots recycled telephone poles out of it.  He uses the nose cone off a Cessna for a field point.  Marlon will have to post some pics of his arrows.  I actually came up with the bow colors after seeing some of the awesome arrows that he builds.  Not to mention that action wood is one of the strongest riser materials that you can find.  For the record, I have been working out and shooting the 100#er.  I can hold my 55# hunting bow at full draw for about 2 minutes without even shaking now. I plan to have the 100# bow camo dipped and name it "buff".  The name has a douple meaning.  First, it will be the bow that I take cape buffalo hunting. Second, the way my back and shoulders will look after a summer of pulling this thing back.  LOL.  JD

[Oliverstacy]

I had fun taking the pictures...I offered to help but didn't have my hockey helmet or my protective cup!

I got the 100@28" back to about 20 or so inches...that thing was a beast.  

Funniest thing was JD hanging from the rafters pulling the bow back to check the weight and string.

Here are some of the pictures I have from my camera...

You can just see JD hanging off to the side of this one:
 

He has one of the same photo's but it's worth seeing again    
 

 

Josh

[Chris Surtees]

That is one stout bow!

[paleFace]

Yikes!!!    sweet looking bow.

[mwmwmb]

I someone hunting Bradley Tanks?    
that is a neat colored bow. you could mount it horizontally and crank it and shoot the invading mongols. LOL

[Steve H.]

Hey Marlon, wanna arm wrestle to see who buys lunch, lol!?!  (Steve whispers after making sure he has a couple $20's in his wallet)

[MYSTIKBOW]

Man thats one stout bow.

I wonder if Marlon is planinig on giving Chief AJ's distance and penetration records a go.    

[Smallwood]

Why in the world would someone want a bow THAT heavy?

[Butts]

Thats the prettiest squirrel hunting bow I have ever seen!

[Dave Bulla]

Now he needs to start a new thread in the typical "Is this enough bow to hunt ________ with?"

I'd kinda like to see that thing being pulled by a human too.

I can't imagine what arrows he shoots as even my 60#a at 30 inch longbow pulled to 32 with 33 inch arrows uses over 100# spine.  Whatever, they'll have to be heavy to use up the power.

[TheFatboy]

F... me sideways, that's one hell of a poundage! I imagine myself killing an elephant with that thing.

[horatio1226]

[Mike Gerardi]

Well he won't have a problem with his release.

[JRY309]

Nice looking bow and nice job!What kind of string and how many strands.

[Shakes.602]

A PASS-THROUGH with the ELEPHANT!!

[Oliverstacy]

Originally posted by JRY309:
Nice looking bow and nice job!What kind of string and how many strands.

24 strand 3 bundle D-97...O.D. Green, Teal and Royal Blue, served with .024 Teal Halo.


Josh

[leatherneck]

Boy JD, I thought you lifted weights! I'm a little disappointed in you not shooting a bow before you shipped it!!!!haha If I wasn't having elbow surgery again next week I'd shoot it for you(at 10" draw maybe).

Good job on taking on this endevour. talk to ya soon!


Mike