I was referred a job from Whip's bow hospital recently - a self bow. Dennis Lane of Illinois had a lovely bow made for him by Steve Martin some time ago that he uses for primitive shoots and rendezvous. A nice osage longbow with horn nocks. Nothing wrong with it other than it has stayed young man stout while the years crept up on Dennis. His request was make it 40# @ 26" instead of the listed 55# @ 26".
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu002.jpg)
Turns out Dennis actually draws 27" and the existing weight I measured at 58# @ 26". I carefully reduced the weight and readjusted the tiller. Now it pulls 42# at his 27" and I made some magnolia arrows to match its new draw and primitive use. I replaced the existing scruffy B-50 string with a new 12 strand TS-1+ and a keeper loop.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu005.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu006.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/shaunw/Selfbowredu004.jpg)
I'm off to a rendezvous in Dennis' neighborhood and returning the set tomorrow. I love a challenge and a good wood bow.
Nicely done Shaun. It can be a challenge reducing weight on someone else bow and nailing the target weight but you scored. I'm sure Dennis will be pleased...and thrilled with the new magnolia arrows.
Great job Shaun! That is a nice looking bow. I'd have been scared to mess with it but you pulled it off!!!
You gotta let me in on some magnolia shaft info? Tell us a little more about them,,, Please!
Thanks Pat and Joe.
Magnolia is Tulip Poplar, Yellow Poplar and also called just Poplar. I purchased Don Stoke's old shaft machinery this winter and am still in the rebuilding stages with this equipment. He used to sell Magnolia shafts under the name "Superceders" in the mid 90's. His were barrel tapered and very well made. These are some of the first I've made and finished out into arrows. These are 11/32 parallel 42# spine cut 28.25 BOP with 125 points. They really fly great and the performance with the high tech string and good new arrows is nearly the same at the old heavy draw bow.
I may get to the place where I can make and sell some shafts eventually - not yet. I have the barrel taper machine working and am still fussing with the shaft doweler. Experiments with various woods in the works too. More on this in the future...
Nice work Shaun. How about some more pictures of those horn tips. They appear to be glued on flush with the end of the limb tip. Were the horn tips hollowed out and the end of the limb tip inserted up inside?
You are a man of many talents Shaun. Nice job!
and Nice arras.
Chuck
TS-1+???? :thumbsup:
OH! tulip poplar. That makes great arrows. Let me know when you go into production. I'd like to get a few shafts from you. What kind of weight are you getting out of them?
Roy, the horn tips are traditional English style with tapered hole fitted over tapered limb tips. There was already a tiny keeper string hole in the upper - a good addition for making sure the string stays put when unbraced.
Yeah Chuck, I really like the performance and feel of TS strings. I use it almost exclusively.
Pat, not sure of the weight as my battery died in my digital scale, but they are a little heavier than POC and much tougher.
Some fine work Shaun :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Nice work!
looks good, man. I wonder though : if you reduce weight on a bow that has been then "overdrawn" its whole life, does it tend to follow the string alot?
thanks
Thanks Shaun, they look great.
beautiful work, another life for bow and shooter!