Red Oak Paddle Bow (w/ Full Draw!)

[KochNE]

I'm working on a red oak board bow right now that's a combination paddle bow/ holmegaard design.  67" tip-tip, 9" non-bending handle, plus about 1" for each fade.  2" wide at the fades with a straight taper to 3.25" wide at the widest part of the limb, 19" from center.  The last 10" of each limb are narrowed and non-bending, with laminated reflexed tips that end up about 3/8" wide.

With the wealth of info here, I usually just do a search, get ideas, learn what I need to know, and make up my mind on my own.  But I haven't been able to find/ decide upon what I want, so I've been forced out of my usual lurking pattern.

With the tips as skinny as they are, my options are overlays, tied or glued on, or pin nocks.  I haven't seen anyone discuss how wide they make their pin nocks, so I'm not sure if I have enough "meat" to make those work.  The tips are already sanded/ rounded (lack of forethought) so glued-on overlays won't work too well.  Tied-on "back nocks" are my best option, but I think they look too primitive/ rough for the smooth lines of this bow.  Plus the laminated tips look really nice & I don't want to cover them up with thread.

I guess the best option would be to remove the tips & re-laminate them, and carve the back nocks in as I'm shaping them.  But I really don't want to do that...  You think pin nocks could work?

Pics to follow later today...

[Ryan Yoon]

3/8" is plenty of room for pin nocks. Another bowyer I've seen on other forums makes them on his bows where his tips are often 5/16". The tips on my bows are often 3/8" and I just use regular nocks.

[John Scifres]

For red oak, I'd sand the back flat and add overlays of a hardwood or horn.

[KochNE]

Thanks for the advice!  Ended up carving in normal nocks, soaked them in CA glue & figured if they broke I could always re-laminate the tips.  So far so good!  

Sorry the pictures took so long!  Ended up outta town for spring break and without access to a computer.  

Bow is tillered out now to 35# at 24".  Should lose a few #'s with final sanding.  Took 3/4" of just-unstrung set.  Will be a gift for my girlfriend.  Took her out shooting a couple weeks ago using my brother's 42# @ 28" boo-backed maple & she had a blast.  

I've pulled it to my 29" draw length with no problems, which should be 45-50#, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it as much as her!          

Here are pics from last week...

Just under 3/8" wide

   

The cat approves

   

Better shot of the lamination contrast...  Red oak bow, red oak, poplar, red oak, & poplar.

   

[KochNE]

Nocks carved in

 

Grain on back

 

Toasted belly

 

Back profile

 

Side profile

 

Braced

 

Still need to laminate & carve handle, finish sanding, stain & seal.  This will be my first unbacked bow.  Knock on wood.  (just happen to have some handy)         Have poplar shafts ready to make her some arrows once I have a for-sure draw length measured and get a spine tester made.

Full draw pics later tonight...possibly with its future owner!

[Ken75]

thats a different design for me!interested in seeing your full draw . nice work !

are you kin to charles and david koch

[bjansen]

Very nice!

[aric]

very cool

[KochNE]

Thanks for the compliments!  No Charles or David in my family that I know of.  

Put on a little stain to show off the grain.  Handle is gluing up tonight.  Could do my own full-draw, but I want her to be the one to show it off!

[KochNE]

Julia & her new bow    

 

Not 100% happy with the tiller, but it's close enough for me, using only a mirror & bathroom scale...

[matts2]

The bow looks pretty cool, but I keep going back to that pic with the cat.  Does the cat have a head.

[Ken75]

full draw looks fine id be happy with it !

they own the company i work for .billionars

[KochNE]

Haha yeah, he's got a head.  His head's down, he's scratching the back corner of his jaw on the bow.  Light-colored blur is his ear.

Billionaires, huh?  In that case, I think I probably am related.  I'm pretty sure of it...  

[b.glass]

Tiller looks good, I haven't seen a bow like this. It's different, I like it. Good job!

[twitchstick]

I seen this design in TBB1 in west coast indians section. It is cool to see it working. Nice work I like the look of the petite tips.