Trad Gang

Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 10:32:00 PM

Title: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 10:32:00 PM
One of the things I love about making bows is trying new stuff:    New and Unusual (http://youtu.be/37fFBMUu1Lc)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: 4est trekker on July 15, 2011, 10:36:00 PM
Very nice work.  That top limb looks like the snake swallowed a rat!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 10:40:00 PM
He did.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 10:45:00 PM
More Art than Science (http://youtu.be/mKbjPr9LnEs)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: red hill on July 15, 2011, 11:05:00 PM
Very impressive, John! Excellant job on that snake bow.
Stan
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 11:18:00 PM
This may be difficult... (http://youtu.be/Z0FsJeOsNd4)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 15, 2011, 11:18:00 PM
More tomorrow!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: adeeden on July 15, 2011, 11:47:00 PM
Wow John! Thats very impressive!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Pat B on July 16, 2011, 12:02:00 AM
Very cool, John. The imperfect movement of the Dremel tool is what makes it look so real...well the coloration helps too.
 BTW, the snake skin is beautiful. Not the same ole same ole! d;^)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 16, 2011, 12:49:00 AM
It helps that I have almost zero control of it.  Really.  Art is irregular.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Stiks-n-Strings on July 16, 2011, 02:27:00 AM
That's gonna turn out good John
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Osagetree on July 16, 2011, 04:19:00 AM
John,
Is that your original idea or did you see this some where else?
Very nice and the only one I've ever seen like it!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: jsweka on July 16, 2011, 07:08:00 AM
Pretty cool John!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 16, 2011, 08:31:00 AM
It's my idea.  I have it copyrighted so don't even think about it!   :)

Actually, I've been playing around with wood carving and burning for a while.  I did a knapped head in a handle a while ago and it got my mind churning.

I do seem to remember a guy posting here or on LW that did a much more stylistic snake or maybe it was a dragon on his handle a while ago.

I have another really cool idea but I'm gonna save that for later.....
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Osagetree on July 16, 2011, 09:12:00 AM
Your design is safe with me John. Very cool!!

I would like to make one like "The Ferret" did  years back. Snakey osage with a head on one tip and a rattle on the other. Then, he had a mouse carved in the handle like the snake had eaten it.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 16, 2011, 10:49:00 AM
I vaguely remember that one.  Make one.  Show us.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 16, 2011, 12:17:00 PM
Final Video of "Blacksnake" (http://youtu.be/zD3JTCx5Tdc)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Dan Landis on July 16, 2011, 01:13:00 PM
John, You're a true artist, love your work....Dan
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Thadbow on July 16, 2011, 02:56:00 PM
That is amazing, great job!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: ckanous on July 16, 2011, 05:13:00 PM
That is truly the coolest bow I have seen. I gotta get to work and do some of these projects soon, the outcome is well worth the time invested in my opinion! AWESOME JOB!!!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 16, 2011, 05:34:00 PM
You are way too kind folks.  Thanks.  I've been working on bows all day so I am having a blast.  I tillered a osage recurve and am correcting another one.  Wish I could find another black snake skin  :)   Thanks again.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: KellyG on July 16, 2011, 07:10:00 PM
the talent on this site is just wow. I hope to be like most of you when I grow up.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Roy from Pa on July 16, 2011, 09:07:00 PM
Very nice John.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: mwosborn on July 16, 2011, 11:29:00 PM
Very cool John - keep your videos coming - love to watch them and as a beginner I am learning a bunch!

Mitch
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: burnt on July 17, 2011, 10:54:00 AM
Wow John! that is a really cool bow and an even cooler idea.  I would like to shoot it? please?
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: burnt on July 17, 2011, 10:58:00 AM
O yeah, John where is your black rat snake honey hole?  I might want to drive back and forth down that road until i find one. wink, wink
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Adam Keiper on July 17, 2011, 11:11:00 AM
John, That looks fantastic!  Very original, too.  Nice work.    :)
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Mark Baker on July 17, 2011, 08:46:00 PM
Very Nice, John!  Great idea....and a great skin on the back of that bow too!  Just remember for future reference, that imitation is the highest form of flattery....  :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: don s on July 17, 2011, 09:06:00 PM
what a cool bow. when you said about using muskrat fur for string silencers it reminded me of when i made my daughter a bow. i did use the muskrat fur and she commented that it looked like i tied a dead mouse to her string. again, i think your bow is awesome and obviously a one of a kind. don
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Shaun on July 17, 2011, 09:33:00 PM
Very nice John. It reminds me of a couple bows, one had a hand art painted snake skin on the entire back. The other had a snake heads carved at the fades both ends. The snake head bow broke but was very cool looking. The hand done "snake skin backing" looked like it took a lot of time but was also very cool. Never saw one with the snake carve wrap for a handle.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: 2treks on July 17, 2011, 09:52:00 PM
That is cool John! very cool!
Shaun, was that one with the two heads eating an Egg that was the grip? That bow was the coolest I have seen. I think it did break tho.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 17, 2011, 11:10:00 PM
Man you all should see this thing with a few coats of poly on her.  Gorgeoous.  I'm thinking about a leather handle wrap.  Would that look ok?
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Stiks-n-Strings on July 17, 2011, 11:37:00 PM
John if your gonna cover up that sweet handle with a wrap then just send it to me, I'm tuff enough enough to shoot her without a wrap    :D
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: don s on July 18, 2011, 01:10:00 PM
i remember an article where the bowyer would carve faces of "wood spirits", i think they were called, on his bows. he would carve them on the belly side on the upper fades. i also remember a carving of a frog also on the upper belly fade. if i remember correctly, it was in PA, several years ago. does it ring a bell with anyone else? don
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Kyle Lancaster on July 18, 2011, 01:37:00 PM
Don s,
 I've seen that on John Sturtevant's bows. It's stunning!

Kyle
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 18, 2011, 04:22:00 PM
Yes, I have seen several of Sturtevant's bows with carvings in them.  He is a great woodcarver.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Osagetree on July 19, 2011, 07:27:00 PM
Just watched your vids again. Just a thought with the dremel tool; a shorter bit might provide more control?

Again,,, great job! I still wanna see that rat head strike plate, tail and muskrat silencers...
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: KellyG on July 19, 2011, 07:30:00 PM
yes I agree with Joe John a finished pic would be awesome.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: steadman on July 19, 2011, 07:54:00 PM
John, you make AMAZING bows!  :thumbsup:
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 19, 2011, 10:21:00 PM
I put several spray coats of gloss poly.  I'll finish up with some satin poly tomorrow night and then put the strike plate on.  Then I'll get a finished vid or pic up.  In the meantime, check out the first 3 shots from a little reflex tip bow I made on Saturday for a guy I cut wood on.  I might have to keep it  :)

 (http://hedgerowselfbows.webs.com/photos/General-Photos/002-1.JPG)

This one is 58-1/2" NTN, 40# at 27".  It's got a semi-locator handle and arrow rest.  I'm pondering doing some checkering on this one.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: americanhunter7 on July 20, 2011, 03:11:00 AM
Umm.. Yeah John that bow right there would do nicely...My address is.....Wow can I come and learn how to do that kind of work? Oh wait I'm not even that close to artistic or good with tools, but am tinkering with the idea of making a board bow soon. Love the Snake bow and this last one too, of course I'm a sucker for Osage anyway. And both bows are within my weight to shoot. John these are great looking and shooting bows it seems.

John
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 20, 2011, 09:36:00 AM
I'm in the shop most Saturdays.  Come on up.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Tom Leemans on July 26, 2011, 12:02:00 PM
That was cool! I didn't know you'd been posting videos. Shows how much I get on here... I gotta get back to building bows again. I've been playing with cane arras too much.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: Cuban Missile on July 26, 2011, 03:32:00 PM
Nice John! Is that bow you shot above the one from the 22 video's you have on youtube?  If it is I'm going to have to come take some lessons, and if its not I call dibs!

Nice work!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: John Scifres on July 26, 2011, 04:40:00 PM
Tom,

Stop playin' with your shafts and get back to staves.

Cuban Missile,

No, the one pictured above is a different bow.  It's already spoken for.  I made it for the guy that let me cut wood on his farm.  Actually he did a lot of the cutting work himself.  His name is Todd

 http://youtu.be/MyjQkvL9Wyc

I am slowly working up to tillering the one from the 22 videos.  Probably post an update later in thh week.
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: BMN on July 26, 2011, 10:08:00 PM
cool stuff!!
Title: Re: New and Unusual
Post by: b.glass on July 27, 2011, 01:28:00 PM
Very, VERY cool!!!

I've been wanting to carve some woodspirits on a bow for a while. Made a kids walking stick with one on it. It turned out pretty good.