Rattan recurve 50#

[Shaun]

Making rattan kids' bows from Christmas and had to make one for a big kid. Used a full round 1 1/8" piece to make this 52.5" NTN 50# @ 28" recurve. Belly is round and tillering removal all on the back. Stain and shellac with skived leather handle.

 

 

 

 

This is 28" draw and it ain't playing around when it sends an arrow...

 

[jsweka]

That's a cool little bow and I love the grips you put on your bows.  

[Roy from Pa]

Nice Shaun

[wood carver 2]

That's really cool! A hunting weight bow made of rattan. What's it like to work with?
Dave.

[wood carver 2]

That's really cool! A hunting weight bow made of rattan. What's it like to work with?
Dave.

[TimBoA]

That's awesome!  I can believe it flings an arrow with some authority...the kids' bows I have made always seem super fast.

[4est trekker]

That is cool...excellent work all the way around!

[scottm]

COOL!!!

[Buemaker]

Amazing and a nice short bow. May I ask where Rattan can be bought? Bue--.

[Shaun]

Thanks all. Bue, rattan can be purchased from cane and bamboo suppliers. It is used for furniture frames and thin strips for caning seats and making baskets. I recently got some from two different sources on the west coast - Frank's Bambooo and Cane supply and Cane & Basket supply. The standard length is 9 ft and I have it cut in half for shipping. You can probably find a European supplier much closer.

[PV]

Cool Bow Shaun !!
what method did you use to bend the tips?

[PV]

Originally posted by PV:
Cool Bow Shaun !!
what method did you use to bend the tips? Wet or Dry?

[Shaun]

Paul, I used heat gun dry and a bending jig. Stick the tip in, apply heat and hand bend as feel it give, hold for a few minutes to set.

[PV]

Thanks Shaun.
Broke down the shop for a move and was thinking of heading back to where I started with all natural material bows.
 A little whittling this winter will be just the ticket for any down time I can find.

[Tom Leemans]

We bought it at Bamboo and Rattan Works on the east coast. They are on the web. If you talk to them and tell them you want the stuff they use for kids bows, they'll know what you want. We tillered one to 50+# at Cloverdale one year. The normal build tools are a band saw and a belt sander but hand tools can and have been used. Here's the pic.

As I posted on another site, I planned on making a rattan warbow for MOJam one year, but I got the full length poles from another supplier and they were bruised all over. Bruise=hinge on rattan. I never ordered more, so who knows if it wouold have worked???

[Tom Leemans]

Here's a pic of Buz Ackerman turning them out with a drawknife. That's my younger daughter next to him circa 2002. She's 5'-11" now and turning 16 next week!
 

[razorback]

So is Rattan a solid cane, unlike bamboo, so it can be glued together belly and back to make these bows. Do you pre-tiller each piece before glue up.Great looking and real interesting.

[TimBoA]

There is no gluing - you just cut the piece in half, use the flat side (inside) for the back, and tiller by removing material from the back instead of the belly.

[KENDALL TECHAU]

Neat bow! :  :cool: