Apparently Im making another bow
Here's the previous thread
[URL]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1070140-Recurve-Longbow-project[/URL]
To recap on the previous project, my design was flawed, and it resulted in me not being able to get anywhere near as much draw length as I wanted (sort of obvious in retrospect). I've redesigned the bow's profile, I've switched to Osage Orange (arguably the best wood type for bows) and I've increased the bow's length considerably. The re-curve form has also been reduced considerably, and the recurve tip profile is far more gentle. With the new design I should be able to get the full 36 inch draw I want.
Specs:
-6 Feet tall
-Materials: Osage Orange, Black Walnut handle-back, Tagua Ivory tips, Laced Deerhide limb backing
-Utilizing both Recurve and Decurve shapes in the form.
Only picture so far and it's not much to show, more to come (dur) These are the laminate strips I've cut from the Osage board.
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/bow21.jpg/"][IMG]http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2961/bow21.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Molding the form
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/714/bow23.jpg/"][IMG]http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/9919/bow23.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/831/bow21.jpg/"][IMG]http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/2961/bow21.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
The pieces are out of alignment because the osage board is marginally warped, but the grain is staggered and alternated, and I'll be cutting the center section out and using that for the bow, so that misalignment won't really make any difference.
Looking forward to see how this turns out!
As a former Archer, this looks awesome. Any progress?
This thread somehow made me want to get back into archery. Any updates?
Has the glue dried yet?
I shoot English Longbows for my Uni team, and am considering making my own bow now, so am intrigued as to how this turns out.
Also, 36" draw is huge!
Sorry for the massive, massive gap in progress.
The first one snapped because I made a mistake, so I went back to square 1 :saddowns:
Now, to square 5. I've tested the bow (with my shitty homemade "safety" arrow) and it works quite well. I havn't got an opportunity to use my good target shooting arrows. They have sharpened steel tips so Im reluctant to fire them at the (public) park in case I underestimate the flight path and nail a car or send it through a window. Im shooting out to about 80 meters with this shitty arrow, its light and has a lot of drag, so Im guessing these aluminum arrows I have would likely go a lot farther and move a lot faster.
Anyways, here's my progress so far. Like I said, no problems yet, its a nice heavy pull like I wanted and I've been able to bend the bow into a near crescent shape, so I'm fairly sure I'm set to go with this.
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/longbow2.jpg/"][IMG]http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/1959/longbow2.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/137/longbow1.jpg/"][IMG]http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/3117/longbow1.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Sorry about the sharpness/blurriness of the photos, obviously I wasn't taking the photos this time
I'll get some draw pictures tomorrow or sometime, and will try to get a video of me shooting it when it's possible.
That's one pretty good looking bow... how long did this one take to make?
Total time spent so far is probably about 6-7 hours (not including the epoxy drying)
Its going a lot faster now that I have some conception of what I'm doing.
That's a really nice looking bow! The slight recurve towards the ends makes it look very cool.
How is it to shoot, and what poundages are you getting from it?
As a side note, I'd be very careful shooting aluminium arrows from a wooden bow. They are much lighter than the appropriate wooden arrows, so a lot of energy is going back into the bow when you release. This can and will weaken the bow over time making it more likely to break, so just take care :unsmith:
These aluminum arrows are just a tad short of the weight they should be for 80 pounds.
Though, it doesn't help that I don't know what the poundage for this bow is. I really can't even begin to estimate. The thing really goes off with a thud and thawk, definitely a very powerful bow, but not really the fastest. I imagine arrow speed may not be the forte for this bow due to the thick string and long limbs, so heavy weight arrows may be most ideal
I was going to go out and buy some Oak dowel tommorow, and then make myself some new arrows with steel heads and whatnot, so they'll probably be around the appropriate weight range.
I guess you could hang the bow up and then gradually add weights to the bowstring until it reaches full draw, then measure the weights to figure out the poundage? Or use one of those luggage-weighing tools
[IMG]http://www.luggage-scales.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/luggage-scale.jpg[/IMG]
Looks sweet though, but personally I believe there should be more taper towards the ends of the limbs - there isn't that much of a visible reduction in thickness at the moment.
Probably the angle of the camera (2d picture for something that needs depth perception) there's quite a large reduction in both thickness and width. Or, large enough as the bow bends a lot more evenly than I expected
[editline]21st June 2011[/editline]
[IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/209sl6u.gif[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i55.tinypic.com/2wci5om.gif[/IMG]
Probably shooting it wrong, but its only a test. In Pic #1 you can see the arrow go all funhouse-mirror.
I don't know about your safety concerns, but as a fellow archer (recurve bow) I wouldn't fire an arrow up high like that just to see how far it reaches. Although I can't really see from that .gif where you are shooting at.
Isn't the bow shape a little too flat? The string will slap against your hand like this, you do wear gloves but if the bow was a lilttle more bend you could get a little more pull from it, which is better for aiming.
[QUOTE=hypno-toad;30596673]Probably the angle of the camera (2d picture for something that needs depth perception) there's quite a large reduction in both thickness and width. Or, large enough as the bow bends a lot more evenly than I expected
Probably shooting it wrong, but its only a test. In Pic #1 you can see the arrow go all funhouse-mirror.[/QUOTE]
You're right it does look a lot better in the gifs.
If I could only give one piece of advice it would be that your elbow should be up in the air as opposed to down towards the ground as in the 2nd gif. The way you're shooting now you'll be using your arms to draw the bow, whereas pointing your elbow in the air transfers a lot of the load to your upper back, making the draw a lot easier. I was always told when shooting that the strength comes not from the arms but from the back.
[img]http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/images/full-draw.GIF[/img]
[QUOTE=FreeBee;30606798]I don't know about your safety concerns, but as a fellow archer (recurve bow) I wouldn't fire an arrow up high like that just to see how far it reaches. Although I can't really see from that .gif where you are shooting at.
Isn't the bow shape a little too flat? The string will slap against your hand like this, you do wear gloves but if the bow was a lilttle more bend you could get a little more pull from it, which is better for aiming.[/QUOTE]
Shooting into an empty field, firing a dull-point wooden arrow
[quote]If I could only give one piece of advice it would be that your elbow should be up in the air as opposed to down towards the ground as in the 2nd gif. The way you're shooting now you'll be using your arms to draw the bow, whereas pointing your elbow in the air transfers a lot of the load to your upper back, making the draw a lot easier. I was always told when shooting that the strength comes not from the arms but from the back.
[/quote]Thats my plan for the future, for now I don't really have the back strength to fire like that, so Im just using my shoulder and bicept to pull it back.
-snip-
-Oh nevermind, didn't read.
For future reference try and keep your arms stiff upon release as jerking around can affect accuracy. I'd also like to know the weight, looks pretty serious. I know my 50lb recurve can give quite a work out after a few hours of shooting.
We have a ton of osage trees in the field behind my house. I may try to make a simple self bow, and if that goes well, make something more complex.
[QUOTE=jeimizu;30906686]We have a ton of osage trees in the field behind my house. I may try to make a simple self bow, and if that goes well, make something more complex.[/QUOTE]
AND AT MY HOUSE WILL THIS BOW BE MADE
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