Hey guys,
I am thinking of jumping into the world of building bows. Nothing huge, just want to build myself a bow or two(or three:) ) And I was looking on Bingham Projects website at their suggested products for the first time bowyer. I was wondering if all of those components were necessary. For example a thermostat for the heat box?
I have basic understanding of the bow building process, just haven't had the money before to jump into this. My tools are basic, we have a cordless drill, a belt sander, a table saw, and I am going to get an oscillating spindle sander. I also have access to a band saw and possibly even a drill press.
Also my first quest is going to be strait for the big fish, I want to try and build a take down recurve. Is it silly of me to think I can build one on my first go??
Thanks
My first was a t/d recurve and it turned out fine. Just go slow and make sure everything is always square and even and you'll be fine. I wouldn't go tryin to invent the wheel or anything on your first one, keep it simple and fuctional.
My first bow I only had a drill press/drum sander and a band saw. Since then iv added a 1" belt sander which I cant do with out now and a jointer. Thats all the power I need the rest is done with rasps and lots of sand paper.
I personally wouldnt use a heat box without the thermosat. It keeps the box between 150 and 180 degrees for a proper cure. To much heat is a bad thing. Smooth-on will cure without a heat box but it takes 24 hours or so and iv heard that without a heat cure the epoxy is not as heat resistance but iv never done this to know for sure.
I've never used a thermostat. Experiment around with different wattage bulbs until you find what works for your set up. During the cooler months use 4- 100w, and during the summer I step down to 4- 75W bulbs. It takes mine around an hour to get up to max temp, which will stay around 140-160 deg. I use a cheap light timer and set it for four hours.
I use a thermostat now, but for quite a few bows I didn't. I just stuck a meat thermometer through the side of the oven and watched it. If it got too hot, I changed out light bulbs for lower wattage. In no time, I knew what to expect from the bulbs. I monitored it every hour and could turn it off for a bit, or open the lid for a couple of minutes. Now I have fancy thermostats... and I still monitor it! I trust myself a lot more than any "automatic" mechanism. I recently did my first air hose/heat strip cook... with thermostat. Only took 45 minutes, but I was there and knew what the temp was for every one of those minutes! As my grandpa used to say, "Trust's a good thing, but always cut the cards."
Lots of guys don't use a heatboX and build some very nice bows that hold up over time. I use a heatbox now with no thermostat, here is how I did mine. I have 6- 100 watt bulbs on a simple dimmer switch so I can adjust the heat and it don't vary over a few degrees either way. My range is 0-215 degrees. I have since installed a small exaust fan in my box to pull out the moisture I was getting in the box. With the fan running my heat range is 0-175 degrees. Hope this helps