I started this for one buddy, and am finishing it for another. It came in to heavy for the first! Here is the original post as it started below:
I've started my next project. It will be another pronounced R/D. He gave me complete artistic freedom on this one. I wanted to do something different, but feel I may have gone too far. I had picked the bubinga and osage, and gave my wife the choice of the saddle piece. I was thinking bubinga, but my wife selected the wenge. I think it may have too much going on at once. I have figured bubinga (my original plan), or osage for the limb faces. What do you guys think?
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/090909-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/090909-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/090909-3.jpg)
I think it looks fantastic. Osage for the limb face, and Osage/Wenge limb tips would finish it off nicely!
Looks great Marty. I like to wood comb.
It's been suggested by a buddy that I use figured bubinga on the back and osage on the belly. I have those two on hand already! I was thinking about that very combination, so maybe a plan is coming together.
I appreciate the opinions so far!
The riser looks great. I like the idea of the two different lams on the back and belly- maybe in the reverse order that you are thinking about. How about laying the lams on the riser-take a couple of pictures both ways to let us see how they look.
I'll do that tonight! Good idea.
Hey Marty! this looks great! those accentstrips you make are truly fantastic!
I like figured bubinga alot, and osage would give one nice belly. Have you thought about ERC lams with both sap and heartwood in them? they would look great on both the back and belly aswell... Might be hard to find the right piece though.
Nick
It's effin gorgeous
i like it. I think the bubinga back an osage belly lam idea will really look good.
I concur!...it looks great
Marty,
I'll bet whichever way you do it,it will be great!
Osage belly sounds better to me just so you can hunt with it without blinding the critters with yella the first couple years!
I hate putting tape over good lookin woods!
Marty theres no doubt in my mind that what ever your working on it will be stunning.
By the looks of that riser,any way you go it's going to be a beauty. Great combination. Can't wait to see the finished item.
:thumbsup:
Waiting for the next installment. The riser is a sharp combination.
Les
You sure do nice work Marty. Looks great. I'll be watchin' this one. Keep us posted.
I appreciate everyone's opinion. I've decided to do the osage belly and bubinga back. The riser overlay and tips will be osage. Here is what decided it for me.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091209-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091209-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091209-3.jpg)
excelent choice marty!
I like your choice too.
Osage just looks right there!
Yep, gotta love the osage on the belly.
a beautiful piece of art! you guys are good. noel
Osage...osage...osage, looks great!!!
well marty, how did it come out? or haven't you glued it up yet?
Nick
I glued her up this morning Nick. I used the osage on the belly and the bubinga on the back. I've got some wenge for the riser overlay, and osage/wenge for the tips. I'll post some pics soon.
Here she is all glued up!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091709-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091709-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091709-3.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/091709-4.jpg)
Oustanding as usual Marty. Keep em coming.
Shawn
Looks great Marty
Purty, Purty, Purty!!! :bigsmyl:
Marty, awesome combo you got goin!! Your riser arch and fade arch are workin magic together. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Very very nice.
That's about as custom as you can get. Great work.
curious if you finished this bow yet? Would love to see the final pics!
Marty
Still lurking on this one
pete
I got a string on her and realized she is going to finish over weight. I had to do some scrambling, but have found a home for her. I'm going to have to shelve this one for a couple of weeks while I build a replacement a little lighter. I was shooting for 48@28, but she will finish around 54@28. I'll update when I get back on her.
Stuff happens!! ;)
looks good !
Here we go! I'll play catch-up today, so you guys will be current with this build.
Here are the riser and tip overlay pieces built and layed out. I am gonna use osage and wenge to match the riser. The colors will look sharp!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-12-09-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-12-09-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-12-09-3.jpg)
Here I am checking fit. I will use this arc clamped on during glue-up. I can add tape where there is light showing through. The tip overlays don't take much pressure for a good fit. I have beveled all the ends prior to gluing.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-12-09-4.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-12-09-5.jpg)
I'll glue it up tonight after work.
This is what I found this morning.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-14-09-1.jpg)
I unclamped everything and cleaned up the edges. After that I profiled the tips and re-filed the string grooves. I was narrowing the tips some and found that I sanded out my grooves! Normally I will keep a shallow groove to use as a guide when filing the final ones. After painstakingly marking new grooves, I cut them with a triangle file, followed by a tile cutting coping saw blade, and finally a chainsaw file. Slight mis-alignment issues can be corrected along the way when using a three step string groove cutting process. I go slow and do a lot of visual inspections along the way. I have to study the grooves from the belly, and then the back constantly. I have found that certain woods blend better into the glass when sanding. Osage is one of the best! They are about 90% complete here.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-14-09-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-14-09-3.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-14-09-4.jpg)
How about a messy work bench?
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-6.jpg)
I got some riser shaping done this morning. These wood combos are looking better as the bow takes more shape!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-3.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-4.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-15-09-5.jpg)
I still have to do some shaping, but the rough shape is coming around.
Time to fill the pores! The grain on this wenge is fabulous, and I just love it. It is very coarse though, and requires quite a bit of work finishing.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-18-09-1.jpg)
I start with the bow sanded through 220. I clean everything and spread the first coat of CA with my finger tip.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-18-09-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-18-09-3.jpg)
After it dries, I lay another coat down.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-18-09-4.jpg)
I have been applying three coats and then sanding. Normally I have to touch up a few pores again.
Wow, that looks NEAT!
Looks great Marty. I had to do 16 coats on the wenge one I built to get her filled all the way in. rest assured next time CA glue will be used.
Shawn
Looking good Bro. Very nice.
Marty I have to say that you do the nicest tips I have ever seen. Bar none.
Great looking bow. I just have one suggestion. I'd file in the string groves like Dano does. He files in two angles one for the string at brace and one at 90degrees to the back. It makes the tips a little lighter and more aerodynamic. This second grove also prevents wear on the string. IMO it looks a little better too.
Marty,
Nice job!
I am inspired by this build. Did you use tapered lams for this bow? If so what were the specs. I am looking to do a similar bow and would love any tech info you can pass along.
Thanks
Pappysc2001
I appreciate the commments guys.
Jesse, if you will look at the middle tip photo above, you will see how I cut a relief in the belly side of the tip. Without this relief, the string will pop in and out of the groove when drawing, and yes, prematurely wear your string loops.
Pappy, I use four .001 tapered lams in all my models. I also have a power lams that ride up the belly ramps. They extend 4" past the end of the riser fades.
Great build Marty and a beautiful bow.
Many of us learn when you share one of these.
Thanks,Ed :thumbsup:
Beautiful Bow Marty. I really like the wood combo.
Thats a great looking build! You can sculpt a tip overlay like no other. Great job!
So the power lams are straight tapered to paper thin like riser tips? Do you use the same butt thickness on top and bottom limb or will you play around with that to adjust tiller?
Wow Marty, that is a beautiful combo of woods and I love the way you sculpt the tips...can you show us a belly side shot of the tips where you sand the groove in to keep the string from popping out? thanks
I start with two .050-.060 pieces 12" long. I taper the outer 6" down to nothing. I run these under the belly lam until I they are extending up the limb 4-5" past the riser fade out. This is where you can vary how far out the bend is adjusted. I'll try and include a belly shot of tips tomorrow.
I should have some completed shots of this one up tomorrow. Here is a shot of the riser just before spraying the final "frosting" coat. Wow!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/11-22-09-1.jpg)
Wow is right- that is one nice looking wood combo. Keep up the good work.
I've been hanging around watching you artists at work for a while. I am in awe of your skills.
This combo of woods is just plain dramatic !!!!
Great job !!
Here she is guys!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-2.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-3.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-4.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-5.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-6.jpg)
Dang Marty, It's gonna be hard to top that one!!! Awesome work. I love the combination of woods. You need my address?? :bigsmyl:
A few more!
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-1.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-7.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-8.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-9.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Apex%20bows/H02309-Ben-10.jpg)
very nice
Awesome build Marty. The absence of glue lines is fascinating.
definately a thing of beauty
I hope you are going to post a FULL DRAW picture of that beauty before it gets sent off to the lucky new owner!
That is just excellent. One of these days I plan on making a recurve of my own but until then I just keep getting inspired by all your hard work.
So, Marty, now that you've been a bower for a couple of years and jumped into the business, are you glad you made the leap? We are.
I forgot to take a photo, but it is the same profile as this one.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o203/Apex-Predator/Bow%20Building/Testing3.jpg)
I have no regrets. I have all the work I need, and if it gets too much I'll just raise my prices. :) I've had no warranty work, so I'm happy about that. All my customers have been top notch. When that changes, maybe my outlook will as well.
Marty, you retired your hair doesn't need to be super sat any more!!!
Hey Russ, you get into any of those salmon sharks yet? They look pretty tough. Aren't they a member of the mackeral shark family?
haven't been fishing up here yet. after halbit next year!!!
salmon sharks are the next cousin to a great white....actually the closest cousin, and they look just like them. Wait till you have one's head on your swim step mouth wide open a few inches from your feet, still alive :D . That'll get thumper pumping ;) !
Also realize most salmon sharks on the US side are females! Hopefully they dont get targeted TO hard...they are starting to up here. Russia has all the big males. Not much is known about them....yet!
I will say this, you havent hung a fish till you've free handed one on a rod and reel! woooza!
Russ is an old hand at handling big sharks. We could tell you some stories. Where do you think my handle comes from? Russ, how many did we tag and release that were over 10' that one day? I think it was around 10.