Traditional Archery Talk Trad-bows here!

plans/designs

Old 02-11-2008, 05:48 PM
  #11  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: plans/designs

Red oak will work. Any hardwood will. The thing you need to remember is that different woods need a diferent bow design to get the most out of the wood (and sometimes to work at all)

Osage is very design forgiving. You can make it wide and thin or narrow and flat. Osage doesn't care.

Hickory and oaks prefer to be wide I believe. The reason for this is the belly wood gets alot of compresion that may cause failure. Design is key with them.

There are several realy good resourses for building bows that if you do not have you should consider picking up.

First is Traditional Bowyers Bibles Vols 1,2,3 (4 is coming out this year if I remeber right)

Hunting the Osage Bow by Dean Torges is great also. Plus Dean is a great guy and is at lot of the big Traditional gatherings. (Cloverdale etc)

Like I said before Tradgang.com has a ton of info. TBB Vol 4 is being writen by some of the folks on their. Also some great people.

If you don't have access to Osage many other woods work. As well as sawn boards. TBB ( I forget which Vol) goes into selecting the right board. This is key to building one from a board. Backing is also a good idea if you are unsure of a board. I have used linen, but many other things work well too. Silk(very tough) Sinew(a great choice but a bit more work) and others.

I prefer an unbacked Osage. I have several with snake skin but that adds nothing to the back's strength.


Also if you find Osage or plan to buy it. Read up on how to select the right stave. Some trees have bows in them some don't.


BTW the way you make a bow is simple. Just remove everything that isn't a bow. LOL



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Old 02-11-2008, 06:18 PM
  #12  
 
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Default RE: plans/designs

anyone out there ever glued snake skins to a glass laminated bow? do skins go ON the glass or UNDER the glass? what glue does a person use... if snakes go on top of glass do you spray finish over skins?
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Old 02-11-2008, 08:33 PM
  #13  
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Default RE: plans/designs

Mr. Longbow,

There are two ideas here. First I have done both of these. You can rough up the fiberglass a littlewith sandpaper (to give the glue something to hang on to)and use titebond 2 or 3 and glue them down. After dry sand the edges and spray your chosen finish over them. you can also lightly sand the skins to end up with a smoother finish.

Or

If your not hung up on real skins there are several companies puting out limb skins. They are like Arrow wraps if you have used them. Basicaly a very realistic print of a skin. They are easier to put on as they are just 3M tape. They seem to hold up and can be removed.

I actually like that way better plus if you sell the bow you give the new owner the chance to remove them if you wish.


A couple pics.
First one done with real skins.



Next a bow with limb wraps from Arrow Wraps Unlimited
Before

After


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Old 02-12-2008, 09:36 AM
  #14  
Dominant Buck
 
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Default RE: plans/designs

ORIGINAL: Seif5034

now i have a new question. if i want to glue on a backing,how many pieces do i need to apply? (thehow-to i read used 3 ply of drywall tape)do i glue it before or after roughing out the basic bow shape?

what's a good glue to use?
Backing only needs one layer. You can also use linine, raw hide, or a thin strip of wood. Hickory being the best. Backing just reinforces the core to keep it from splintering. As for shaping, i shape after putting on the backing. If I use something like bamboo, I cut the shape out on the bamboo first, then glue it one, then shape the rest.


badiuk6
Red oak is easy to work with, but takes lots of set. Id go with Hickory. Much better wood than red oak. If you are bound to use oak, use white oak. Its better than red. But if you have access to oak, you can probably find hickory.


As for snake skin, ive done it. It looks great, but does nothing as a backing, thats why most people put it over glass. Use a two part epoxy. The only problem with it, you need a stringer to string the bow or you will booger up the skin. But it does look great.


I have to agree, Osage (bo d arch, hedge apple, spider apple, horse apple, or any other name) is a great bow wood. It is kinda hard to work with and many times needs to be straightened with a heat gun or caul and oven. Id suggest another wood to learn with. Reason being; its not as cheap as other woods and a little harder to work with. Ipe (brazilian walnut) is an awsome wood as well. I think its easier to work with than osage, but just as expensive. I do love osage and it is the perfered wood for self bows. I like Ipe in laminates and composite board bows. But to learn, id stick with hickory. Grain is almost perfect, Its easy to work with, better set than red oak, real easy to find, and not very expensive. If you mess up your first bow, no big deal.
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Old 02-12-2008, 02:59 PM
  #15  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: plans/designs

Good points Burnie,

I have a good supply of Osage and I guess I forgot its a little expensive to buy for people that don't have it availible. I am always on the lookout for wood. I've yet to try a hickory stave though. I haven't made a bow in a while though. (too busy with the kids)
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Old 02-12-2008, 05:26 PM
  #16  
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Default RE: plans/designs

i dont have access to osage but i do to red oak so i plan on making a red oak bow thanks for the info guys.
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Old 02-13-2008, 07:51 AM
  #17  
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Default RE: plans/designs

ORIGINAL: badiuk6

i dont have access to osage but i do to red oak so i plan on making a red oak bow thanks for the info guys.
Go for it. My very first bow was a redoak bow. I put a 3 inch reflex in it and it set to about 1 inch. That was years ago. As a general rule, try to find the reddest piece you can find with grain that runs the length of the board. Its easy to work with and a good wood to learn with. Only way to learn is to get out and do it. Good luck.

Im about to do a walnut, maple, bamboo R/D bow. That is as soon as I get the time. Im finishing two zebra wood bows for my daughters and just cant find the time to get in the shop.[:@]
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Old 02-13-2008, 04:03 PM
  #18  
 
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Default RE: plans/designs

i didnt read your last post about hickory and white oak! yes i do have them available so i will use hickory! thank you very much!
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