I been waitin on a hickory bow that I heat treated to rehydrate so heres one I built in the meantime. Ive been wantin to make a black locust cherokee flatbow but dont really think I'm ready for black locust yet. Everything I've read says that the Cherokees built their bows from black locust but I figured I would make one from osage and see how it turned out. I had a split osage stave that wasnt deep enough to make a thick handled bow out of so I used it for this one. Had a little bit of character to it too. I got the dimensions out of one of Jim Hamms encyclopedias of native american bows. Its 67" and 1-1/8" wide out to till the last 8". I did make the tips a little skinnier than the originals. 49# @ 28". Thanks for looking. (http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/014.jpg) (http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/008.jpg) (http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/001-3.jpg) (http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/003-2.jpg) (http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee503/Jamey_Burkhart/004-2.jpg)
Great profile and curve. I would love to make a bow in my spare time waiting for another to rehydrate. You're not too far from Fort Smith. Small world.
Very nice bow with a very nice bend. These simple bows can be surprisingly smooth and accurate. I'm working on a locust one now.
BTW, after the Cherokee were forced to move to Oklahoma they switched their bow wood preference from locust to osage.
okie64, sure looks good, how does it shoot? Still trying to make it up there to get with you, soon I hope.
thats a really nice bow. you must have drawn me in the swap , cause i see my name on it...
-hov
Very nice..
Goose, I might have said that wrong, I didnt mean to sound arrogant, its not like I can just carve a bow like this out in a few hours, but between the economy and the weather I have had a LOT of spare time on my hands lately.
Hey Pat, How far along are you on your BL bow? Are you gonna leave your tips wide? I had mine about an inch wide at first but ended up narrowing them down to bout 1/2". I'm guessin they made their bows from locust out east because osage wasnt available there?
Nice looking bow. I've been thinking about making one for awhile, but never made up my mind to do it yet.
My bow is 66" t/t, 1 3/8" at the widest point that is 5" from the center of the handle. This is pretty narrow for locust but it is a belly split so it is what it is. The limb then tapers to 3/4" below the single side nocks. This bow has a narrowed handle sorta like the Sudbury bow. 4" long handle centered in the stave with 3" fades...it still bends in the handle.
Locust was one of my early bow woods; cheap fence posts and rails. I always had problems with locust fretting and taking lots of set(my fault I'm sure) so I stopped using it. This might be my first successful locust self bow ever...if I didn't just jinx myself! d;^)
Okie64 she is a nice looking bow
Jamey, that bow has a wonderful tiller! Classic arc of the circle like an English longbow. Very nice work.
Great looking bow!
Nice job! I still have yet to build one of those, thanks for putting yet another idea in my already cluttered head. :thumbsup:
I recognize that ATV the bow is sitting on for the pic, I got one exactly like it. We must think alike? :)
Thanks for all the compliments guys. I put about 100 arrows through it yesterday. This thing draws really smooth and I could hardly feel it go off in my hand. I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one.