first post , first bow. advice request...

[kodiakkid]

Tell me what your bow will be from nock to nock and I'll build you a string and send it to ya. Paul<><

[hova]

i have some work to do , but im at 72" tip to tip right now , but i still have some work to do till i figure out where the weight will be...

im thinking maybe 70 or 71" .

i appreciate the offer so much. i was looking around for linen cause im sure i can find it locally , where the dacron just isnt around for some reason. im sure i could pick it up at gander mountain for twice what i could buy it online for...

i guess with all this generosity coming my way i need to come up with something wonderful , and deserving of all your time and effort. hopefully one day i can pay it back (or forward).


-hov

[kodiakkid]

When you're closer to knowing for sure let me know and i'll have a string to ya in a couple of days.

[hova]

that would be awesome. i have to wait a few days till i can pick up something to get the side profiles a little closer to what i marked out , but based on the fact that i marked this like you would a straight piece of lumber , instead of using the bow in it as a side , its going to be a little skewed , but i think it shouldnt be too much of an issue.

do you all leave the handles square until after tillering? i already rounded some edges , but havent really taken any meat off the handle area. just tapering the sides of it so far , its able to take a good floor tiller bend. i was really surprised . i figured id put a little pressure and it would snap , but it really stood up well.


all i have to do , is square them up , then work on the belly. im going to try to pick up a pocket plane , because i had a devil of a time squaring up the end of one side , using a chisel sort of method to remove the excess  , where on hte other side , i just shaved the wood down , but i dont want to go too far. im thinking the plane might not like a semi-flat surface , but we'll see what happens.


thanks so much guys , ill get those pics on here today once the baby wakes up.


-hov

[hova]

ok so three days later heres another update for anyone looking (i know)...

played around with the rasp i have , im pretty sure this was a drywall rasp. very very coarse pointed teeth , they dont really take the wood off , unless i really push , but one side has a chisel point , so i cant really get anything to grip there.

throw in the fact that my vice is a piece of cordage and the chair im sitting in , i cant really get good pressure on the blank.


so this weekends hopes are to hit a couple garage sales and try to pick up a vice or at least some clamps, and if i really luck out i might find something with an edge on it.

anyways , heres some pics. theres a few of my workshop , dont mind those. in the last one you can see the side to side bow in my...bow. im shaping it now as it is , and im going to see how it reacts to some light tillering once i get it worked a little more. if it give me hassle , ill probably try clamping it to the bench , with a 1/2" dowel under the middle , so that it bends it just a bit past even. i tried flexing it side to side to see how far it will go , and it might need steamed.


anyways im rambling , heres the pics...









let me know how you think im doing. i know theres some humps still , i tried using the pocket knife , but my hand cramped immediately. im going to wait till some of the donations get here from the generous people here , cause i dont want carpal tunnel , and i dont want to needlessly waste a blank.

cant wait to get it shaped up. i was intending to do a bend handle , but im not sure how to tackle it from where i am. i may have overlooked some things , like having actual fades , how big teh handle should end up , what kind of tiller to try , and i was wondering if when you file knocks , you put them through the back of the bow. the reg fiberglass bow i had as a child was just basically notched , but i really dont have a clue what im really doing , other than making shavings and sweat...

im done rambling for now...

-hov
-hov

[hova]

meant to say as well ,i expected to go with around 1" , rounded , for the handle. with 1/2" tips , what would the weight be ...too much , or would i just need to thin the belly out towards the tips?


-hov

[hova]

meant to say as well ,i expected to go with around 1" , rounded , for the handle. with 1/2" tips , what would the weight be ...too much , or would i just need to thin the belly out towards the tips?


-hov