Alright I have bee on this site for a while now and thought I would write my first post. So lets dive in!
First lets square up the table saw and get some riser blanks cut. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736226993/)
Now the bow we are going to be making is going to be 1 3/4 in width so I am going to be using a 3/4 sheet of ply and two 1/2 sheets of ply for my form. Lets get this ripped down!
(//%5Burl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736010424/%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/10736010424_89458fc8f2.jpg)[/url]
IMG_0161 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736010424/) by mattmo2517 (http://www.flickr.com/people/108002031@N02/) , on Flickr[/IMG]
Nice pics on your HP- funny hoster; prices and some infos are translated.
I really like the railroadspike knive!
Thanks bud!
We been needin a glass build for awhile Matt. Good deal!!
Cant wait to see it! :thumbsup:
Can't wait, we need more, and more faster. LOL What are you going to build longbow or recurve?
Ok so I got my boards done and cut and now its time to draw out my curve. I am just copying a limb of another bow I made so this should be nice and quick.
(//%5Burl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736005984/%5D%20%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3676/10736005984_bb0eb6f034.jpg)[/url]
IMG_0162 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736005984/)
The gap on the form needs to be 3/4" so I just use a 3/4" piece of scrap to trace for my second line.
Just to clarify with everyone here. I am going to be making a 62" takedown recurve.
After we get to this point its time to cut out the pattern. Lets get some dust flying!
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/10735986204_d5c9dc0fa6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735986204/)
I make a larger first cut and then come back and make my final cut. You don't have to do it this way it just makes it easier to move a large section of board around your ban saw.
(//%5Burl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735983444/%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/10735983444_68eb1b75c3.jpg)[/url]
IMG_0169 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735983444/)
Just take your time and you will get there.
(//%5Burl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735974836/%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/10735974836_9ab0ea317e.jpg)[/url]
IMG_0170 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735974836/)
Alright we got some rough spots on this. What we need to do is get this filed down strait and square. This is a time consuming part but we need this to be right or all of our limbs will be out of whack.
There is nothing worse than pulling a limb out of an oven to find out the you have a permanent twist!
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/10735969276_026cbdd435.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735969276/)
Lets start taking this down.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/10735971554_54d7905700.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735971554/)
Just take your time and make sure that every inch is nice and level.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/10736180523_1389df5f29.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736180523/)
Well I went ahead a little faster with this and forgot to take some photos of the form build. To give you an idea of what to do next, I will just explain.
Once you are done straitening up your first piece of ply and you are happy with it you can then move on to the next step. Cut out your other two sides and glue and screw them together. Once the glue is dried you just take a router and a flush trim bit and route both side of the form so that they are flush. I use a 1/16" piece of maple, that is grind down flush and then apply it on top of the form with some number 77 adhesive.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/10735922726_cec9da2269.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735922726/)
Move on over to the top part of the form and you should be looking good like this.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10735918006_1f96247308.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735918006/)
I ended up using 1/2" MDF for the two outer parts of the form. MDF is cheaper and its also what I had In my shop. I would not use a complete MDF form as I have heard of them breaking while they are in the oven but this should work out just fine for many bows to come.
I always check to make sure the form matches the bow limb. Fits just right.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5494/10735915934_a3581d0ec0.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735915934/)
The one thing that I like to add to my forms is some fender washers on the sides so that the limbs don't move all over the form. This trick really helps in the glue up, so that the lambs are not moving around as much.
You will need to do drill some quick holes on the drill press. You can use a hand drill as well for this just make sure that you clamp it down well.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/10735744515_e4d899b7be.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735744515/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7407/10735826486_5c25f34cfe.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735826486/)
Take some screws and secure it to the form. Make sure that these washer can move a little so that when it comes time for the glue up
these are able to move down when the air hose is inflated.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10736039933_7ae3f86837.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736039933/)
I ended up swapping out the maple strip on my form with a black formica strip that I got. You will see how I alined the fender washers on the form. I try not to use a lot as they can also get in the way of the glue up.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3689/10735714465_362cbf116e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735714465/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7401/10735810734_a0286e35a7.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735810734/)
Now you can mount your hardware and you should be good to go. I got my bracket hardware from Bingham Projects. Don't forget to cut some shims about 1/8" in thickness so that your compassion hose is not squeezed on the sides of the brackets. This allows the hose to apply even presser on your lambs for the glue up. (//)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/10735689265_bf7df5e8e3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735689265/)
:thumbsup:
Alright its time to build a bow oven! Now this one is going to be shorter kind of oven and will be 4'x3'x8" when it is completely finished. This is a quick and cheep oven solution that I have come up with so you are not spending huge bucks for a large and expensive oven. This one is a good first time build and I need a new one for some some other projects I am working on.
So lets build a box!
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/10735903726_35efe69cb6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735903726/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/10735895746_e33171eb09.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735895746/)
This should be pretty strait forward for everyone so I am not going to be explaining a lot. Just build a complete box and then cut it with your table saw to create a top piece.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/10735892536_dcef2b9272.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735892536/)
Add some hinges on the back of it.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3795/10735788995_5f2b82bbf3.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735788995/)
Now that the box is done we need to move to the wire ring of the lights. I just picked up some 200 watt lights, some ceramic light sockets and use and old extension cord and wired it up.
You only need to use three lights in this type of box and this will maintain a heat of about 170 once it is done.
Its alive!
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/10736098213_6706e6c915.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736098213/)
Once you have tested your wiring, its time to go and get this attached to you oven. Screw it down and make sure it is nice and secure. Also make sure to add a small hole, where the cord will exit out of the box. You will want this so the lid won't clamp down on the cord.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/10735882374_ca2e9ccbaf.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735882374/)
Now that part is done you can grab some Aluminum Foil and some spray adhesive to secure it down. Make sure you get the corners good!
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2847/10735774125_2f638215df.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735774125/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/10736082783_704809c88d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736082783/)
The glow means its working. :jumper:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/10735867154_859bd2c3d9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735867154/)
You will notice that I put a simple $4.00 meat thermometer in the front center of the oven. This will not be there the whole time and will be used once in a while to check the heat from time to time.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/10736074663_8a3862319f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10736074663/)
Now that we have an oven and a form lets get some limbs made up!
Alright lets get our Smooth On going. Remember its a 50/50 mix.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/10735990523_6d5d34927d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735990523/)
So the woods we will be using is Padauk for the limbs and Maple for the wedge. I got these all ready and done from Bingham Projects. I do make my own at times but this was a quick build and I don't work with Padauk wood limbs that much so it was just easier to order them.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/10735673845_6433c04671.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735673845/)
Mix it up good and apply an even coat of epoxy on each part.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/10735765686_322f0cdddd.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735765686/)
The way I set up my lambs is glass, taper,wedge, parallel and glass.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/10735667135_fe407a6bf9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735667135/)
Make sure that you have plastic wrap to cover you form so that no glue will stick. Its also a good idea to "grease up" with some car wax. Wax really helps not only protect your form but it really does extend the life of it.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2886/10735966753_039a9f773c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735966753/)
Well I only have two hands so I wasn't able to take a photos of the final form process. I secure the limb down with some filament tape and then lay the hose and metal pressure strip. I fill my hose up to 70 PSI and then pop it in the oven for 5 hours.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2837/10735962333_00fba16ee8.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735962333/)
I'd say a camera could be ruined doing a glueup!! LOL
The camera happens to be my iPhone so yeah..... lol Kenny I buy from you from time to time. Good to have you on here!
This is great info!Thanks. Looking forward to the finished bow.
Thanks! Guys please ask questions if you need more info. We are all here to learn, so please let me know if you need me to elaborate in any section of this.
Well, while one of the bow limbs are cooking lets move on to the riser. I saw a design that I fell in love with a long time ago and always wanted a bow like it. Well good thing I make bows, because I am going to be me making it!
I am going to be using Paduak and Rock Maple for the riser. I am also going to be using some black and white phenolic for some added strength and for looks. :saywhat:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/10735634305_1716cd22c2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735634305/)
I use 21 deg. angles on the limb pads and use a jig on the table saw so cut them out. just square up saw blade before cutting and you will be good to go.
I cut out my pattern on the ban saw and made my blank where my maple will be going.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/10735723906_857f6d0de2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735723906/)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2894/10735720666_ed90be029c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735720666/)
Now that is done, I am going to be using this scrap piece and cut some 1/4" pieces for the decretive inlay I will be adding to the maple portion of the bow.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/10735933993_857a6522f8.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735933993/)
I went and stacked it before I glue it up so you can see where were are going with this project. Alright time to get messy again.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/10735930633_61fdca0cc1.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735930633/)
Again I only have two hands so I glued each part with Smooth-On epoxy and clamped it with a couple of bar clamps.
Alright once that part is all good and glued up its time to get it cut out roughly and make sure that it will be 1/4" off the part of the Paduak. We need this 1/4" gap because we need to make room for the white and black 1/8" strips of phenolic that will be in the middle of the riser.
The way I do this is to first get my first part of the riser sanded up and looking good. Once this is done, you can take a 1/4" offset wheel and use it to offset your trace of the cut out section onto the maple block.
You can buy these here
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=50272&cat=1,42936,50298&ap=1
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/10747130494_162766b14f_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10747130494/)
You then can cut out your maple section and get it sanded to fit.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/10735590855_2ca9a6678d.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735590855/)
I already did a dry fit with my phenolic pieces but wanted to show you where I am going with this.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5521/10735905353_998864112b_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735905353/)
Alright some more glue and clamps and we will be ready to cut the limp pads!
Alright I got it cleaned up a bit and this is starting to look good. There are two gaps just at the end of the riser but this is no worry as this will be cut off.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/10735884553_5be8c3875e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735884553/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3796/10735571805_c488460ea2.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735571805/)
What is next is to cut the limb pads and then add some more phenolic to the pads. I cut my riser limb pads to 21 degrees with a table saw jig that I use. Sorry didn't take a photo of that.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/10735642486_281cefec6e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735642486/)
I add some black phenolic to the limb pads and also some white to the bow limbs. I like using phenolic like this because I have found that it makes a great mating surface for the two parts.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/10735847593_fea4ce1ef5.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735847593/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/10735844953_70ff456691.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735844953/)
Once those are glued on I mask off the pads and find center of the riser. I draw a line all the way down and make sure it is good and center.
Now comes the fun part. I always cringe when it comes to alining the holes but if you just take your time you will get it right.
I always start with a small drill bit and work my way up. This allows me to stay center and not have to worry about the drill bit from drifting off the center point. I have used the Bingham's Drilling Jib but have found myself ready to throw it against the wall as I have never gotten it to aline right.
I just center up the drill bit and work my way up to larger bits until I get to where I need to be and this has worked well for me.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/10735625644_c2279c5030.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735625644/)
We then need to get the pins set and tap the holes for threads.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/10735830993_9982096a4c.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735830993/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/10735519575_20f0c8f176.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735519575/)
Like a said earlier I like to add phenolic to the limbs as well. I just cut it to the same length as the pads on the riser and glue them on. I just use my oven to let them set up quickly.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/10735609436_9b53aed788.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735609436/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/10735605266_7009a8fe86.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735605266/)
After we the the bushings and pins in its time to put this together and start getting it tillered. She is starting to look like a bow at this point and it is really easy to just rush and just try to get it finished. As a rule I make sure that my limb twist and other limb issues are taken care of at this point so that I don't miss anything.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/10735593494_dc6958d8cc.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735593494/)
I use a string to line up my limbs and make sure that I am on center. I am a little off on this side up some light sanding will bring this back into place.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10735787163_ef204d94ee.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735787163/)
Grab your tillering stick and check for any limb twist. I had a little bit but was able to correct it with a little sanding.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2852/10735778193_d6b1f886cf.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735778193/)
Now I wanted to add some more phenolic to the front of my riser. I went ahead and cut it out and glued it up again.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/10735790923_e0e4917ae8.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735790923/)
Now were are getting somewhere!
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/10735558956_8f7e768dd0.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735558956/)
Next I went to town on the riser and forgot to take some photos of my shaping process. But here are some photos to show you where I get at this point of a build.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/10735458555_495a1b4cde.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735458555/)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/10735544136_1ef7462a08.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735544136/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/10735756913_e362e22113.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735756913/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/10735538694_02dfafff08.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735538694/)
Now its time to get the limbs lightly sanded and get the tip overlays on. Again sorry for the lack of photos! :bang head:
I then hand sand the bow down all the way down to 400 grit sandpaper and then seal it and then add about 5 to 6 coats of True Oil Finnish to it.
Here are a few photos of it.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2871/10735525426_eefd5a1e1a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735525426/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/10735737013_967b2ae601.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735737013/)
Great, the woods go perfect together and the stripes are awesome- as I`m a bowyer myself and felt in love with it too I think I got another project on my list...
What do use as sealer/filler- the birchwood`s?
The sealer is birch woods. as a filler I actually use CA glue aka super glue. This has always been my go to with woods that have a little more oil in them.
Well after that there is nothing left to do but get this thing assembled and shoot it!
Here are some finished photos.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/10735729383_cd9527b93b.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735729383/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/10735508454_e319f342ca.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735508454/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/10735713023_efb0fecc83.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735713023/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/10735490346_f759dbcaf9.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10735490346/)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10748274545_bb2c343391.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748274545/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7369/10748275355_52574bf68f.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748275355/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/10748395666_a89f768e59.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748395666/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/10748395126_a05aa612b6.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748395126/)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5492/10748426204_8fb69aa879.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748426204/)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7300/10748626683_bb1894214e.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/108002031@N02/10748626683/)
And there you have it! Anyone have questions?
Really nice job Matt, I like the riser, great concept with the accents.
Wow awesome job you've got me twitching now to have a go at those strips lovely job well done
What were the final specks for this bow if you don't mind me asking.
Beautiful bow! Thanks for the build along.
good looking bow. And fine job. thanks
Good looking bow! Cool riser accents
Thanks guys! The bows final specks where 62" #53 lbs. @ 28". Its a good little shooter.
great job!!!!
Great bow and build along! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
Thanks for taking the time to do that. Looks great!
Thanks again guys! If there is anything that you have any questions on please let me know.
Nice looking bow!
great job and great looking bow!!!
that is one nice job!Like everything about it!
Well Done!!! :clapper:
Wow, awesome! Love the racing stripes! I've been trying to think of something for myself, and that looks like something I've got to try. Thanks for the build!
Awesome build! The stripes look great
Very nice..
Great build along - thanks for taking the time to share! Beautiful bow.
Great bow! Only way to make it better would be if it was a leftie and headed my way! LOL!
Wow! Beautiful....someday I'll try