This is now a build-a-long! FINISHED!

coulter · September 13, 2009, 10:59:00 PM

a beautiful piece of art! you guys are good. noel

ron w · September 15, 2009, 07:23:00 PM

Osage...osage...osage, looks great!!!

dutchwarbow · September 16, 2009, 03:08:00 PM

well marty, how did it come out? or haven't you glued it up yet?

Nick

Apex Predator · September 16, 2009, 03:26:00 PM

I glued her up this morning Nick. I used the osage on the belly and the bubinga on the back. I've got some wenge for the riser overlay, and osage/wenge for the tips. I'll post some pics soon.

Apex Predator · September 17, 2009, 09:18:00 AM

Here she is all glued up!

Dmaxshawn · September 17, 2009, 01:53:00 PM

Oustanding as usual Marty. Keep em coming.

Shawn

SteveD · September 17, 2009, 02:09:00 PM

Looks great Marty

Dano · September 17, 2009, 02:35:00 PM

Purty, Purty, Purty!!!

TNstickn · September 17, 2009, 03:52:00 PM

Marty, awesome combo you got goin!! Your riser arch and fade arch are workin magic together.

metsastaja · September 17, 2009, 07:22:00 PM

Very very nice.

ChristopherO · September 18, 2009, 09:50:00 AM

That's about as custom as you can get. Great work.

AkDan · September 25, 2009, 11:41:00 PM

curious if you finished this bow yet? Would love to see the final pics!

Pennsyltuckey pete · September 25, 2009, 11:46:00 PM

Marty

Still lurking on this one

pete

Apex Predator · September 26, 2009, 12:36:00 PM

I got a string on her and realized she is going to finish over weight. I had to do some scrambling, but have found a home for her. I'm going to have to shelve this one for a couple of weeks while I build a replacement a little lighter. I was shooting for 48@28, but she will finish around 54@28. I'll update when I get back on her.

Dano · September 26, 2009, 02:24:00 PM

Stuff happens!!

ron w · September 26, 2009, 07:26:00 PM

looks good !

Apex Predator · November 18, 2009, 11:58:00 AM

Here we go! I'll play catch-up today, so you guys will be current with this build.

Here are the riser and tip overlay pieces built and layed out. I am gonna use osage and wenge to match the riser. The colors will look sharp!

Here I am checking fit. I will use this arc clamped on during glue-up. I can add tape where there is light showing through. The tip overlays don't take much pressure for a good fit. I have beveled all the ends prior to gluing.

I'll glue it up tonight after work.

Apex Predator · November 18, 2009, 12:10:00 PM

This is what I found this morning.

I unclamped everything and cleaned up the edges. After that I profiled the tips and re-filed the string grooves. I was narrowing the tips some and found that I sanded out my grooves! Normally I will keep a shallow groove to use as a guide when filing the final ones. After painstakingly marking new grooves, I cut them with a triangle file, followed by a tile cutting coping saw blade, and finally a chainsaw file. Slight mis-alignment issues can be corrected along the way when using a three step string groove cutting process. I go slow and do a lot of visual inspections along the way. I have to study the grooves from the belly, and then the back constantly. I have found that certain woods blend better into the glass when sanding. Osage is one of the best! They are about 90% complete here.

Apex Predator · November 18, 2009, 12:11:00 PM

How about a messy work bench?

I got some riser shaping done this morning. These wood combos are looking better as the bow takes more shape!

I still have to do some shaping, but the rough shape is coming around.

Apex Predator · November 18, 2009, 12:13:00 PM

Time to fill the pores! The grain on this wenge is fabulous, and I just love it. It is very coarse though, and requires quite a bit of work finishing.

I start with the bow sanded through 220. I clean everything and spread the first coat of CA with my finger tip.

After it dries, I lay another coat down.

I have been applying three coats and then sanding. Normally I have to touch up a few pores again.