Another longbow build-along...

[red]

Grip looks like it is coming along wonderfully!

[oldgun]

A bow to be proud of nice job!

[smj]

Remember me? I was building a bow...

Here is the update... I have not been wanting to post but here goes...

At around 100 arrows, this was what it was doing for me -


At about 102 arrows, this is what the bow did -


The good news is, I think I can fix this. The reason behind it, dryness. It was so wet out here earlier this spring that you didn't even get shocked when you got in and out of the car. Water was in the air. This went away big time. The bow was at the point that it just needed a final shooting and sanding, which I have been doing as I get to it. Would have put the finish on it today... Something I was going to do some time ago but kept getting rained out! Anyway, the nodes were a bit rough and the bamboo very dry - I drew it back and "CRACK" the bamboo split on me. This is drawing the bow to 27 inches, too.

Here is the goodness part of it - I can fix it. I just need to mix up some glue and drop it in the split, bind it in place, should be good to go. Maybe not as pretty - but I have an idea for that, too. I am betting that you won't even be able to tell where this happened when it gets out to you, Red.

I also have a backup plan. I am including an mystery bow with this one. It pulls 55 pounds at 27 inches and shoots noticeably faster than the osage bow... It will be 100% done tomorrow, the osage bow will have to wait a day for the glue to dry, then another day or so for me to test it out and see if it will hold up. Such are the joys of building wood & bamboo bows in Colorado.

Don't worry Red, this will work out OK. Honest.

By the way, here is what the tip looks like, although still a bit rough, needs a last sanding with 320 grit paper...


yup - that is elk antler. Same as on the mystery bow...

[red]

Wow, I feel bad for you my friend....must be heart breaking after all that much time and effort. The crack had to be a sickening sound. The bow looks beautiful, nonetheless...I am not worried. I know things will work out! What are the specs on the arrows that were shooting so well out of it! Looking forward to the next update.

[royden]

Wow ... I'll bet you didn't even want to look at the bow and find the source of the noise

Good luck with the fix - we just started getting our spring rains here the last few days (finally - it's so late I'm sure the creeks are gonna flood).

[smj]

When it went, I was at about 24 inches of draw heading to 27 - the arrows are marked at 27 inches so I don't over-draw the bow. The crack was very sharp, but I didn't really feel any difference in draw weight. I backed down right away and took a look at the back of the bow. Didn't see it right away. Where the crack happened, the part that snapped out didn't rise up, it settled back into the bamboo backing and was hardly of notice. I picked at it a bit to see which way to go for repair, cracks that go length wise in the bamboo are not an issue, a crack that goes across the bamboo is harder to deal with and the belly wood usually goes as well. (I was very happy it hadn't gone after having released the arrow... Might have taken the limb.) A simple split just needs some ultra thin super glue. The big sliver that popped up on this one will require a little different repair - I am thinking URAC glue as far under the silver as I can get it, then ultra thin super glue at the base to seep in well and stop it from going further down the limb. That's the plan anyway. I was rather pleased to see how it went, and that the limb still felt strong. We'll see how it goes, like I said above, I have another mystery bow to send along with this one to make sure your needs are covered. I do believe that this bow will shoot again though.

By the way, to answer the arrow question, the arrow I used are the Goldtip 5575 with 145 grain tips - I use them full length (31 or 31.5 inches). This is why I marked 10 arrows at 27 inches. I wanted to be certain I didn't over-draw the bow. I don't know that I would recommend buying these for your use, as you will end up with a lot of arrow sticking out past the grip... This arrows flight is very dependant on the release. Not very forgiving at all, I think it a bit stiff. To be honest, I think you could come up with a better arrow, cut shorter these arrows would be way to stiff for your use. I've not looked at the aluminum arrows yet, I could do that before shipping these off to you if you'd like.

[red]

Sounds like the repair went well. If it had to happen, at least it wasn't me when I first received it. I would have been too upset to tell ya.

Regarding arrow...I am thinking about some Beman MFX classics in .500. Cut at 27, that about the correct spin. They are close to 10 gpi. Also going to shoot some heavy weight Flames I think.

[red]

P.S. Maybe 28 inches...don't want that Flame too close to the ol' knuckles.

[smj]

May 13, 2008 11:12:18 GMT -5 red said:

P.S. Maybe 28 inches...don't want that Flame too close to the ol' knuckles.

Yeah, I think a 28 or even 29 inch arrow would be fine. Your anchor point, bow arm, and shoulders should take care of the draw length, make sure you don't over-draw when you actually have an animal in front of you! It will make you shoot high, put your fingers at risk, and your bow won't like it much either! If you can, arrow wise start a bit longer than you need, see how the arrows fly, cut them down and play with tip weight as you get to the shaft length you want to shoot. Kind of tune your way into the proper length. You will have to check with care the classic 400's, they could end up to stiff for you. The 5575 I am shooting are full length and would never be soft enough to shoot at 28 or 29 inches. Keep at least 9 grains per pound draw weight on the arrow. To go lighter might shoot a bit faster, but it will be harder on the bow, make more noise and hand shock, all of which represents energy you could have had put into your arrow. Again, we might end up looking at aluminum to get the right weight and spine combination for your length. Or maybe a nice cedar shaft??? My pal Kevin just built me a dozen cedar arrows, they flew very nice out of both bows... (Just thought I'd drop that out there...)

The crack is glued, I am please as it does not go all the way through the bamboo - maybe a bit more than half way through. All goodness, I think. It gave away at the node. So, first I glue it back down, then I will need to cap the node. What color do you like? That's not fair is it, you'd need to see the bow! I am thinking a dark red or soft brown.

The humidity is up today, it rained all night and continues today... All of 23% in our house. (My Martin HD-35 does not like it much out here either! I keep a wet sponge in the guitar all the time when I am not playing it. I live in fear of a top crack! The neck has one small crack down by the body, but a little lemon oil closed it right up again. Can't even see it now. Whew!)

[red]

Correct, stevej on the spine. The pic was a 400 spine, but I think I will be trying the .500 spine. I don't know what "cap the node" is, so I can't say about a color. Just another beginner question I know. Dark red sounds nice (something like a old Bear Polar)....although I'll have to learn what you are referring to.