Trad Gang

I need to start off first by thanking Sharp Shooter for giving me the idea to test the cocobolo veneers under scrap glass... It was way to dark so I tore into me stock of amazing cocobolo that I have been keeping aside becaue it was too cool to touch. Here is the results... I think I like the ones with the more straigh grain opposed to the ones that are on the left and swirly. What do you all think?


 (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/7e89d304.jpg)

 (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/88150cd5.jpg)

 (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/1473ee25.jpg)

I like the swirls.

I like swirled too! :)

Guess I'll be the lone wolf and go with you on the straighter grain. The contrast in the colors really kicks butt.

Troy

Too hard to choose, I like them both!! Seriously if I had to choose on a bow I was making, i'd have to flip a coin! Nice stuff!

Ralph- to help with your decision making dilemma- send the swirly ones south     :rolleyes:

Both are awesome, but I think I like the straighter grain better.

DVS and Kenny always were a little swirly IMHO. I like the straight grain the best. :)

I hate to agree with Roy but I like the contrast in the straight, beside I don't want to be called swirly   ;)

I also like the contrast on the straight but you can't go wrong either way.
-Jay

I think there's better contrast with the colors in the straight grain. should stand out better under the glass. Thanks Ralph. Tony

I'm going off the reservation with a new option. I like the contrast in the riser woods and would choose an American elm or similar toned wood under under glass that will bring out the lighter wood in the riser.

Of the two choices above I like the straighter grained.

OOhh! Wood porn! It's all gorgeous, but if I had to pick it would be swirls. Either way it's going to be one heck of a bow.
Dave.

Like 'em both but straight grain more.

I'm Shirley or Surley, but never swirly.lol

How about straight on the back, swirly on the belly.  Awesome looking veneers in any case!

I like the straight.

I just learned from a very good source that you don't want to grind your Coco lams more than a few hours before glue up.

Kenny, did you get a reason for grinding just before glue up? Also I am grinding with 40 grit sandpaper will that look on under clear glass or do I need to get a slightly smoother finish before glue up to get the best balance of clarity and adhesion?

I would say go with a takedown, then you can do swirly and straight making two sets of limbs.
Have the best of both!

Well since this my personal bow I finally chose to go with the straight grain stuff because it is from the same piece of wood the riser was made out of and I figure the colors should darken the same over time , but man that was a tough choice. With the darker limbs I picked up a new pack of the amber bamboo flooring and opposed to the whiteish stuff I have always used and when I went to go rip it on the table saw the motor pooped out on me. I just found out that to replace the motor is the same price as a new saw   :scared:   Well this puts all bow making on hold for a few days while I track down a new motor...
Thanks for all the input and I hope to have finished pictures soon.

That's a tough break Ralph...  hope you find a motor

Just a guess Ralph but Cocobolo is pretty oily, right? Does the oil work its way to the surface after it's cut and sits a bit?

Just a guess   :dunno:

Sorry I'm so slow to answer. Coaster has it exactly. The same reason you don't want to clean it with Acetone, it brings the oil to the surface.

Roman said he has, on occasion, ground the lams late afternoon and glued-up the next morning, but wouldn't wait any longer than that.

Not just Coco, also Osage, and Cedar. Cedar being the worst.

Ralph you definitely need a new table saw. You can not build bows without one..

You got to watch what you say Roy, once in a while my wife will actually read what I write here and if she reads that I am a dead man.   :pray:

Kenny, thanks for the heads up... They are ground to  .040 now, I guess I could grind them down to .025 just before glue up.

All fixed Ralph:)

Well with a little help from Roy motivating my wife to let me get that saw up and running again here is where I am at...

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/d12bccaf.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/703550df.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/e4c6dc1e.jpg)

This is my first bow where I have made the veneers   and I am very impressed so far. I also changed my wedge from a triangle to the wedge that starts out like a triangle and end up being parallel the last 5", creating a lower limb profile. Next I changed the shape of the riser a bit on this bow by decreasing the limb angle by a few degrees.I then added an 8" wedge of fiberglass starting at the tips. I am not typically one to change this much on one bow but hopefully once I get the tips glued on and start shooing it, all will be good.

Beautiful bow

Straight looks nice.

Ralph, that's looking great, can't wait to see the finished product. Tony

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/9e130e4b.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/c8a87006.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/8ad6f1f1.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/ed56a5f3.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/eb56ef0d.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/75ea9a6a.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/b0ee7f1f.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/dcfe0310.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/1f86da1b.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/eb3a5216.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/106a9b2e.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/069ea8f4.jpg)

The bow is 47# @ 28" and I was shooting on average 185 fps with 475 grain Beman MFX arrows( My super lite 360 grain gold tips were whizzing at 210 fps but them are a little lite for me) . The back of the white tape is 28" so you can see I was a little over 28" resulting in the faster speed... This is the only one I could get my wife to do for me ... I would not say this is a 200 fps bow, but I do like the video...

 (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/th_b6185357.jpg) (http://s1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/?action=view¤t=b6185357.mp4)

Love it ! Very classy.

Looks absolutely awesome but 2 things

Where the photo of the limbs with the veneer showing. That started this thread  and I want to see a good finished shot.   :smileystooges:  

Also, did you have to shoot the dog    

I will get you a money shot of the veneer as soon as I find my camera, I phones take good pictures but it just can't capture the detail ... BY THE WAY(Roy) all full draw images are copyrighted and cannot be used without expressed written consent by ME!    :readit:

I guess it's ok...       :laughing:  

And yer pink skirt is so sexy:) LMAO

  (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f165/ROY-CHRIS/ralph.jpg)

Hey Morris,

This bow looks awesome! you did a great job!

Greets
Herm

Here are some better pictures from a real camera... Sorry about the pink dress, but a mans got to do what a mans got to do...

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/1.jpg) -  (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/2.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/3.jpg) -  (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/4.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/5.jpg) -  (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/6.jpg)

(http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/7.jpg) -  (http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee465/buckskinbows/8.jpg)

That turned out great!

Nice work, the veneers are awesome.  I really like that one.
-Jay

Ooooooh, that is seriously nice...the bow, not the pink skirt

Wow Ralph! That's a beauty. You are a heck of a bowyer.  :notworthy:   One day, I'd love to own a bow that you built.
Dave.

Yes, Ralph makes excellent bows.

Ralph, IMO you made the right choice going with the straight grained veneers.  The whole package looks great!!!

Dave & Roy, I can attest to Ralph's bow building skills, since I received the beautiful bow that he made for this years swap.  It shoots better than it looks, and handles my 750 grain arrows quite well for a 57# bow, actually shoots them faster than my 60# recurve...Dan

Ralph, that's a beauty. Just wondering if you use any padding between the limbs and riser? Tony

Tony, at the moment the bows finish is an aerosol lacquer and there is a slight click sound that happens near full draw. Once I am sure the lacquer is fully cured I will put a little car wax on and the click will go away. I have learned that If I put the car wax on too soon the vapors that have not cured out of the lacquer can cause bubbles. In the past before I used car wax I would sometimes use a thin piece of cork and that also worked great.

Wow Ralph exceptional job!!!

That is a beautiful BOW!!!