Advice needed from the boyers...

[JeffG]

I am making my first bow. Right now, I am in the studying/selecting phase...I just read (and am continually re-reading)"The Traditional Boyers Bible". I am considering using purpleheart, maple, or walnut for a core wood, backing it with 1/8" hickory. I know I can find pretty straight grained boards one inch thick, I will probably start out about 2" wide. I would like to make a longbow, probably with wider limbs.(1 3/4-2") 68-70 inches overall, in the range of 50-55 pounds. I will be tillering it with the target weight method, never pulling it over 55 lbs, and reducing limb wood to produce draw length. Are there any particular pitfalls to watch for ? Thanks for your help in advance.
 

[TheBowhunter]

one thing here is do not get into a hurry and never pull your bow back to full draw till you have targeted draw weight

[JeffG]

Thanks, Bowhunter, I never realized that before, but when you sit back and think about it, it makes sense.

[Hawkeye]

There is another thing you need to consider. When backing with Hickory, you have to get the Hickory at LEAST 1/8 or less. We have made several backed with hickory and pecan and they crushed the belly woods and crysalled the belly woods. We have used IPE, Walnut, Bubinga and Pecan and they all crushed after several hundred arrows. You can make a like weight bow with the materials you describe but it should be at least 66-68" long. I have been making bamboo backed osage bows for a while and the bamboo seems to be a little more tolorent during the tillering. Don't get me wrong, hickory will work but it will just have to be a little longer bow and a very nice smoot arc from the grip to about 6" from the tips. Get it to where you bend the bow a little by putting the tip on the floor and pushing on the handle (floor tiller) and then put a long string on it and use a tiller tree or board. Pull it about 4-5" and look at the arc. Mark flat spots, scrape a little, exercise (pull) the bow about 50 times to about 6" and let it down in one motion. Put on tiller tree pull, mark and scrape. Do this until both limbs are making an arc, pulling the bow another inch or so each time but don't go over approx 16-18". When the limbs are making a nice arc, check the draw weight, at 18" or so. Then start taking wood off the belly the full length of the limbs making smooth strokes and watch around knots so as to not get the roller coaster effect. When you get you weight at 18-20" keep scraping and after each time you scrape the limbs, remember to exercise the wood. Wood has memory and this will let the limbs know you have removed belly wood. GO SLOW. With backed bows it doesn't take much wood removing to drop weight. On most of my bows I will spend as much as 8 hours getting my bow to draw length/weight. I have never had a bow blow up or go bad caused I rushed it in the tillering stage. If you pull the bow to you draw too soon, you will get wood crushed that is not visable at that time and sometimes it will cause hinges along the way while you are trying to tiller you bow. On a backed bow, leave about 4-6" on the tips a little stiff if you can. This will give you a little more speed in the end and it will make for a good string angle when at full draw.
If you have any questions just let me know. This is the way I have been doing my selfbows for many years and the bamboo backed osage bows for the last year.

Mike..OK


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[TheBowhunter]

good advice Hawk and nice looking Bow I  Like it,

[JeffG]

Yes, thanks Hawk, I wound up with a very straight grained piece of hard rock maple2x1x72"". Purpleheart just seemed too heavy. The grain doesn't run off anywhere the entire length, and it's flat sawn   The finished bow will be about 70"  The hickory is the same, it's about a 1/4 inch thick, and wide enough that I can place the maple on the best place on the hickory so to take advantage of the best grain.  I will be using URAC 185 for glue.
1. Do you think I can glue up the stave with the hickory over-thick, and sand or file it to about 1/8"?? I don't intend any reflex, and the beginning ot the tillering would begin with a basically straight back.
2. Another issue that came up was, how long should I glue a board in for the handle?  I was going for a Meare Heath flat limbed longbow profile, and the limbs will be stiff to the fadeouts, and about 1 3/4-2" wide most of their length.  I though if I glued in and 8 " piece, 1" thick, my shaping of the bow would remove what wasn't neded. Thanks for the advise so far it has helped.  Jeff

[Hawkeye]

Sanding could be done after glue up. It might even be easier that way with it being more rigid. I have to sand the bamboo by itself due to leaving the nodes on the back side. I use Urac 185 on all of our bows. We glue up and let set 24 hrs, no heat box.
On the handle section, I use a 12-13" section but then I sand and file about 2" of that away to fade the handle wood into the limb. 8" should be find. I know I have put a new handle on an old selfbow and I use 8" and then faded it into the limbs with no problems.
Your demensions should work well with the type of bow you desire.
I think my next bow with have only about 2" reflex and I will see how it compares to the reflex/deflex design of the same weight if I can get it to come in at 55#.
Maple should be a good wood. I have several custom longbows and one recurve that have maple lams in the limbs and they are fast and durable.
Good luck and if you have any questions we will try to help.
Mike

[JeffG]

Thanks again, now to the "hands on" portion!

[JeffG]

Hey Guys, Progress report:  the "Beast" is doing great!  I took your advise, and glued up the hickory back first.  Took it down to 1/8" and then cut out the profile.  I took a long time to tiller, not sure how it would go.  Well, it went well because I took my time. She tillered out at 60lbs at 28" and I left it at 72 inches length.  It doesn't stack very much at all, probably because of the great string angle. I sent for a flemish string, and I put on rattlesnake backing last night.  I want to shoot it soon, will 400 grain carbon arrow hurt it till I get my wood arrows?

[TheBowhunter]

one thing about long bows is that they do not tack like recurve or compound bows. not untill the very last of the draw do they reach the max draw weight they are so smooth like thike that is why I like shooting them and hunting with them. if you look in the the TRADITIONAL BOWYER BIBLE it has a scale to show this. Good luck and have fun post a photo of it when completed.

[JeffG]

Ok, I will, it was s'pose to be an all-winter project...I got the bug bad!

[TheBowhunter]

I know the feeling, now there will be one more fallowed by many others.
your hooked