Padauk Longbow build along

[bjansen]

Hello everyone,

This week I built a new longbow and took a bunch of pics along the way...so here come another build along for those who want to see it.  

First the specs, I am using a mild R/D form.  The handle is teardropped, made of bubinga and cocobolo...and centered horizontally in the form.  

The laminations consist of:

.040 white glass
.110 - 0.020 hard maple superaction
.110 - 0.020 hard maple superaction
.110 - 0.020 hard maple superaction
.060 Padauk
.040 clear glass

 

 

[bjansen]

Dry fit a few times to get the riser to fit

[bjansen]

Then apply smooth on to each lam and begin the glue up.  I put a 1/8 strip of rubber between the form and bottom laminations then used clamps and rubber bands along the form.  I protect the top laminations with a piece of scrap MDF and use a couple piece of thin spring steel on the riser/fade outs

 

[bjansen]

Here it is all clamped up and then into the hot box it goes.

[bjansen]

Here it is out of the oven




and after glue cleanup on the sander

[bjansen]

I then put a new piece of tape on and layout the limbs, cut them on the bandsaw and add tip overlays.  The overlays conists of .030 maple S/A, Padauk, .040 white glass



Then sanded

[bjansen]

Tips were about 5/8 in this pic...i brought them down just a tad after some more sanding

[bjansen]

Cut the shelf, 1 inch above center

[mwmwmb]

looking good. i hope to try this sometime.

[bjansen]

Added overlays on the side for a thumb rest...laminations again were maple, Padauk and white glass...firs time I tried this....



And then sanded

[bjansen]

Then overlays on the back

[bjansen]

And a little finger tracing

[bjansen]

Checking for tiller...Thanks for the advice Diamondback

[bjansen]

The bottom limb was too strong and I was getting handshock...so after fixing that I finish sanded the bow down to 320 and put on a coat of Thunderbird epoxy to seal the pores.  Here is a pic of the bow after the first brush coat

 

[bjansen]

This morning a sanded down the first coat and I will likely put another sealer coat on and then spray two coats of TB finish...I have 3 bows ready now for final finish...so i can kock them all out at once.

[bjansen]

It turned out pretty decent...possibly a little ugly in the handle...but it is defitely different than all my others.  It is 54# @ 28"

[bjansen]

[Aeronut]

Looks good Brad.  

Dennis

[Ian johnson]

looks great I like the thumbrest on the side

[sulphur]

looks pretty good to me!  how a pic at full draw?