I started making traditional bows about 15 or 20 years ago. Gun engraving took over my spare time and turned into a full time occupation thus delaying the current bow project for many years.
A early book described a chippawa bow that was sinew backed ash with a cedar belly. I built it. It is a recurve. When I brought the finished bow to full draw the cedar belly cracked and split into a dozen pieces. I obviously got some inaccurate information about the belly material.
It is still a beautiful ash bow with a lot of whitetail deer sinew and I want to restore the belly.
The question: What do I use to restore the belly?
Strips of horn? Thick rawhide? Sisal rope and hide glue? The draw weight of the bow is only about 25# at this time. I like 50# draw weights. It is perfectly tillered.
Thanks in advance,
Stephen Olin
A laminate of osage would be perfect. But I've used hard rock maple and mulberry with good success. Urac-185 would be the glue of choice. Especially with the oasge. But if you're pretty good at what you do then Tite-bond III will work with the whitewoods. Glad to see you're not giving up on 'er. ART B
If'n you can get the cedar off and plane the belly enough to glue on about an 1/8" thick osage slat. Starting in the non-working portion of the fade and then tappering off at the recurves; I belive it would hold well.
Many thanks, I owe ya.
The cedar and the hide glue sort of blew off when I drew the bow for the first time. It would be very easy to install osage and a modern glue.
Osage Orange does not grow in NY State, and I am not familiar with Urac-185. If you have time later can someone email me a source of these materials? My email address is handengraverolin@yahoo.com .
Oops, okay so I'm an old newbie. I quickly found everything I need at the stores at the above links.
Thanks again to the two gentlemen with quick and knowing replies.
Steve
This is an osage static recurve selfbow I built a few years ago. This bow was built and shooting 2 months off the stump and after a few hundred shots it developed a hinge and chrysals. I am sure this happened because it was not properly seasoned.
After about year or so I ground down the belly below the frets and added a thin(1/8"on thick end) tapered Argentine osage belly slat with Urac. When first built the bow pulled 47#@26" and after adding the belly slats and re-tillering she pulls 55#@26" and sends a 650gr cane or sourwood shoot arrow with authority.
It really doesn't take much wood on the belly to increase the draw weight on a bow. I think the act of gluing on the other slat and the glue line itself adds to that weight too.
These pics are from before I added the osage slats but it is the same bow...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forPA025-1.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forPA025-1.jpg)
You can see in this pic the Argentine osage that was added to the belly. Note the different color...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/TwoTips004.jpg)
and a braced pic of the repaired bow...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/TwoTips003.jpg)
Sorry, I added the same pic twice. This is the full draw pic of the original bow...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/forPA033-1.jpg)
I have a garage full of osage scraps :) Get me your address and I'll send you something that will make a belly slat. Urac is cheaper directly from Nelson Paints.
http://www.nelsonpaint.com/Urac-PT