Self Bow Build Along

[David Flanrey]

I'll try not to be too long winded to start but wanted to do a special build along.  Last week I lost my first hunting partner, my dad.  He was 74.  We had many many good times hunting and shooting bows and guns.  He was a great man.  He retired from farming in 2000 just about the time I started building bows.  

He was my biggest fan.  His favorite bows that I have ever built were the osage self bows.  I guess because we don't have many osage trees in our little corner of the world.  He helped me harvest wood of all kinds and got them sawn at mills or whatever it took.

His favorite thing to do was drive around all our field roads looking for snakes to back bows.  We live in rice country so there were plenty around.  I still have several copperheads and cotton mouth that he found for me to use.

I haven't built a self bow in a couple years.  I've been on a glass bow run for a while now. I started the build this afternoon.  I don't know how it will turn out but I thought I would just let the shavings fly and see what happens while thinking of him all the while.

I will try to post as many pics as I can along the way because as Roy says "it don't hapin wiff out pichers".

Picked out a really dry stave I've had for several years given to me by my bud Brian Oden.

[David Flanrey]

I am amazed at this wood.  No matter how old or dry it is still yellow on the inside.  

[David Flanrey]

I am amazed at this wood.  No matter how old or dry it is still yellow on the inside.  

[David Flanrey]

Sorry for the double post.  Slow computer.

Here is the stave down to the ring I want for the back.  Pretty tired.  Enough for today.

[Pat B]

Looks like a good start to me. Nice stave.

[scrub-buster]

That is a great looking stave.  Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[Roy from Pa]

Very nice, David..

[Mad Max]

Let's do it

   
 

[John Scifres]

Tired?  You just started.  Back to work!

[Crittergetter]

I'll be watching this one!!!!  Osage should have it's own color named after it!! I know it varies but so does white! Lol

[Dan Landis]

Nice looking stave David.  Looks like it could be enough in the thickness for a belly split.  Either way I'm along for the ride.  I like seeing how others approach a stave, hopefully I'll learn something new.

[David Flanrey]

John, I'm getting soft.  I had a blister on each hand after I skinned that stave.  LOL  Those glass bows will spoil ya.

Dan, this is the second bow I've made from this stave and I think I have plenty wood left for another.

Took it to the band saw to make it a little more manageable and roughly laid out the bow.

[bigbob2]

keen to follow your progress David.Sorry for your loss too.My 93 year old mum now has dementia so we are losing her bit by painful bit.

[David Flanrey]

Gonna make a 54" mostly bend through the handle bow.  Hopefully to shoot out of a blind this fall or maybe turkey hunting.

[David Flanrey]

Two draw knive, two rasps and a scraper.  Little elbow grease.

[David Flanrey]

Going to take the grip area down a little more and do some heat tweaking one the end with the knot.  I may heat a little more back set into it.  It has some naturally.

[David Flanrey]

Not a great pic but here is another view of it.  

Still workin John!      

   

[John Scifres]

Nice. You may take a break now  

[Sockrsblur]

love these build a longs!

   

[George Tsoukalas]

David, sorry for your loss. May your Dad's memory be eternal.

Thanks for doing the buildalog. I am enjoying it.

Jawge