Picked up a new self-bow!

[Greg Krause]

Today I was at my buddy's house shooting a self bow with recurved tips he just finished. He has made many self bows before but this was one was his first of this style. It has no stack and absolutely no hand shock. It's about 6' long unstrung and just under 50#'s. I couldn't miss the vitals on his 3D deer at 15 yards from the first shot. I told him that I wanted one like this when he helps me build one this summer. He said sure but also offered me a trade. The bow and some big spalls of obsidian for an old bear recurve I picked up a few years ago for a song. I jumped at it! We still have to make a string for it, I was using one off of a different bow of his. I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. I'm gonna take a deer with a selfbow this year!

[BT]

That's awesome!. You sound pumped
This traditional stuff is as addictive as anything isn't it? ;D

[Greg Krause]

Yeah. I am pumped. The bear was 52" long and had quite a bit of pinch at my draw. I got it because it was a great deal and I thought I'd set it up for the blind before I got my 56" shrew. I have no use for it now and he wants a bow he doesn't have to worry about while hunting in the rain.

[smj]

Post a pic or two once you have it. Would like to hear more about the design of the bow, it sounds well done!

[BT]

Ditto ^^

[Greg Krause]

These pics aren't great but you get the idea.
Here is the bow


This is the handle section. It does not bend through the handle at all. You can see the limbs were built with with a trapezoid design. The belly is perfectly flat.



The limb tips were recurved with steam. I will probably wrap the tips with sinew for added strength



The belly was heated with a heat gun, which is supposed to add a few pounds.



This bow draws as smooth and has the same handshock as just about any modern glass bow out there. It is a real performer. He was experimenting with a few new designs in this bow. we will see how it holds up. It's much longer than the other bows he built but I am hoping to make a similar bow with his help but a bit shorter. On this bow I will finish shaping the handle and wrap it in buckskin

[BT]

Thats pretty cool. I have never made one of these or even attempted to make one but I have thought about it. To hear you describe the action of this bow really makes me wonder if someday I might not want to go ahead and try it.

It would be pretty cool to take a deer with something you made from scratch

Good trade!

[smj]

It does look like a bow! So, is it flat other than the recurved tips? Need a side angle please...

I have not made a bow in some time, and have some new design ideas to try out... It is a question of time for me! Between work and putting time on the bicycle (First ride is Elephant Rock, next is the Triple Bypass) and teaching dual sport motorcycle riding, I don't seem to have much free time! That said, looking at your bow does give me the "itch" to get back in the garage again. Are you going to leave it rough finish, or slap something on it to seal it up? Stain or natural? Also, what wood was used for this one, and what wood do you want to work with?

I have been thinking about going back to hickory... Easy to work with, the dust won't kill you as quickly as other more exotic woods, and it is easy to find good staves out here.

If you shorten the bow to much, you'll find the stack again. And finger pinch. The nice thing about making your own bows, you can tailor the length to fit you perfect!

Go to the library and look up the Bowyers Bible series. There are 4 of them, they cover the subject of bow making really well, great detail, and they present new findings as the series progresses. Design details that have been rediscovered as people have gone back to making their own bows. I have all 4 of them, and other works as well in my personal library. These 4 cover the topic like no other that I've seen to date.

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=bowyers+bible+set&sprefix=bowyers+bi%2Cstripbooks%2C172

[BT]

May 29, 2013 7:06:57 GMT -5 smj said:

I have been thinking about going back to hickory... Easy to work with, the dust won't kill you as quickly as other more exotic woods, and it is easy to find good staves out here.

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=bowyers+bible+set&sprefix=bowyers+bi%2Cstripbooks%2C172

Can you elaborate on the dust comment. I have recently seen this spoken of but haven't been aware of it in past years. My father was a cabinet builder and I never remember seeing him wear a mask when doing fine sanding. I am interested in this if you can expand on that comment please.

[Greg Krause]

May 29, 2013 7:37:16 GMT -5 BT said:

May 29, 2013 7:06:57 GMT -5 smj said:

I have been thinking about going back to hickory... Easy to work with, the dust won't kill you as quickly as other more exotic woods, and it is easy to find good staves out here.

www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=bowyers+bible+set&sprefix=bowyers+bi%2Cstripbooks%2C172

Can you elaborate on the dust comment. I have recently seen this spoken of but haven't been aware of it in past years. My father was a cabinet builder and I never remember seeing him wear a mask when doing fine sanding. I am interested in this if you can expand on that comment please.

A bunch of the exotic woods are really nasty to work with. I'm not sure what makes them so bad, but it'll burn your eyes and make your lungs hurt and from what I hear, cause permanent damage.