I made this from a belly split off of a locust stave that was given to me. I have always had bad luck with locust fretting so when I split this belly stave off I decided to do a test run on it to see if my luck had changed.
She is 65" t/t, 1 3/8" at it's widest about 6" from the center and a straight taper to 3/4" single side nocks. Unlike most Eastern Woodland bows I narrowed the handle(more like a Sudbury bow) on this one to 7/8" wide and 3/4" deep and she bends slightly at full draw. I used a piece of leather to pack out the back of the handle and I haven't put a wrap on the handle yet. I heat treated the belly to help stave off fretting and so far so good.
She pulls about 40#@26"(45#@28") and flings my 600gr cane arrows well.
Here she is...
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle001.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle005.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle004.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle006.jpg)
I didn't get a full draw pic because my wife is sick but hopefully soon.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle008.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle002.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle003.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/LocustEasternWoodlandstyle007.jpg)
Very nice Pat Hope the belly holds for ya :thumbsup:
Yeah, me too! also the finish on this bow is hand rubbed bear grease!
Excellent work Pat..love the nocks
oh man you should make a rule on this one to only shoot knapped heads.
Nice :clapper:
I like it Pat, I've yet to try the side nocks, they bring a very primitive look to a bow. Non of my friends drew a bear tag this year, so I didn't get to render any bear fat, bummer eh. Oh well I have my personal stash yet:)
Very cool Pat. I really like working with locust. I have had handle issues when they bend though. Your handle looks much stiffer than mine did. I also like those knocks. How much, if any weight did the bow gain after heat treating.
As always, excellent job Pat! I've never had much luck with locust either. Have made a shooter out of a BL sapling a few years ago though......Dan
NICE, congrats, well done.
Pat, I guess I never seen a belly heated to that extent. Do you think that will help the compression strength of Locust?
I have a bunch of locust just not sure I am ready to tackle it.
No luck there, Pat. That's skill! Well done. Jawge
Thanks everyone. I love simple bows like this and am pleased this one came out well being that locust is what the local Natives used.
Big Country, I considered that. Locust is one of the strongest in compression American hardwoods but is brittle. Heat treating makes wood brittle(adding compression) so we will just have to see after she has a few hundred arrows through her.
DV, I never checked the weight until she was finished. I did notice more resistance when pulling after heat treating.
Thanks Dana, bear fat makes a great finish. If you have any extra, bring it to the Classic. I know how much you like wood! d;^) I'll bring you one of TomB's staves.
George, this one is for you.
Kelly, I'm gonna make up 6 primitive arrows for this bow and donate it to the raffle table at the Tenn Classic. You got any stone points?
Pat I whish,
I am going to try making some sooner or later. The next time I visit my dad I may have to get some flint. I know there is plenty there. I live just south of Roanake VA. I may try some cane arrows after I get his bow built here. There is a lot if cane here. Don't think it is the best for arrows but I want know til I try. Well I will start a thread on that later so I don't take any light away from that sweet looking bow you made.
Happy building and God bless,
Kelly
Nice Pat. Looks great
Nice Pat. Can you just peel the bark off black locust and use that for the back of the bow or do you need to chase a ring?
pat you make it look so easy. hopefully i can start makin'em as fast you do. ruddy
Nice lookin bow Pat. I love the way heat treated bows look.
Roy, locust has a thick sapwood that should be removed like with osage.
That is a beautiful bow Pat! I've had some bear grease for some time now and have been wanting to do the same thing. A replica sort of thing. Very impressive as usual!
Thanks, Bona. Bear grease is good stuff. I hear it makes good biscuits too! d;^)
I only have a pint of Bear grease left traded it all away. Hopefully this fall I will get some more bear fat.
Very nice PatB! What no name on that baby??
Looks like the replica bows I saw at the Pequot museum in Foxwoods.Very, very nice.
Looks good Mr.B, Really like the bg finish and side nocks look cool-authentic. Don't fret about t he frets A good start is half done
Joe, I think I'll call her "Finaly" d;^)
Bear grease makes a great finish. Hand rubbing it in heats up enough to work it into the wood. A few applications at first and and occasional rub down will keep your bow nice and dry. A friend was rendering up a bunch of bear fat on his back deck. Someone bumped into the pot and it hit the deck. That was 6 years ago and rain still beads up on that spot.
Where might I find bear grease Pat? Is it sold commercially?
Very nice pat!
The bear grease I have was given to me but I believe Crazy Crow selld it. The stuff I got came from there I think.
Pat I will be getting you some bear grease come bear season from Canada.
Sweet bow by the way.
Stiks
Remember who your buddy is Kris! d;^)
Pat, my father-in-law likes to put bear fat on his work boots. He says it's better than mink oit because it helps preserve the stitches.
Stan
That one is cool! I hope to make a locust this year from some that are growing near my work!
hey pat, wonderful looking bow. im just starting a locust bow myself. this will be my third one after an ash that broke, and a linen backed hickory which came out a little light.
im nervous about the tillering. if you have a minute sometime can you (or anyone else in the know...) shoot me some pointers on how to avoid the dreaded crysaling? i know patience is key but im trying to think my plan through as much as possible before starting to tiller. would like to formulate a pattern in the tillering phase to keep myself at pace and moving slowly.
any help, much much appreciated...
im also curious about any tapering in limb thickness. did you taper them at all? if so what are they at near the handle on down the limbs?
thanks for reading
oh and one other relevant piece of information: for whatever reason the stave i was gifted is only 58". i was planning on 1.5" at the fades tapering to 3/4" at the tips. im sort of locked in to that width because of a bad combo of worm hole and a couple of very badly placed knots. can this layout still suit a shorter stave?
Very Nice Pat
Thanks Steve!
Oneraindog, That should work at that length if it bends through the handle(for 28" or less draw).
hmm handle bend. this is new to me. that is referred to as a d bow right? i assume the handle shape is very different with that. can you give me some pointers on how to lay out a bow like that or tell me where i might look? can i find a discussion about that on the forum search?
real nice,great work!!!
Nice bow, Pat. I like the simple design.
Stan
Beautiful bow Pat!
I see the side nocks are offset one on each side?
Do you consider which side to place the top nock relative to the handedness of the shooter? ie: right-handed shooter = top nock on right side of the bow?
And can they be done with a narrower tip?
Thanks and great job again!
CJ
Awesome bow Pat!
CaptainJ, I do consider limb twist or offset before I cut single side nocks. I don't know if it matters but it makes me feel good! d;^) You can do single side nocks on any bow. Having them on opposite sides generally allows he string to track across the handle on a snakey bow. The war bows that were found on the Mary Rose bow had single side nocks(tillering nocks in most cases)under the horn nocks(horn had already deteriorated). I've seen ELBs with single side nocks too and they are 1/2" or less in width.