EWB Finished!!

[John Malone]

Hello guys. So i got this stave worked down a little. Its 65 inches long 3/4 thick at the limbs 1 1/4 thick in the handle area 1 3/4 wide the entire length. I want to make an eastern woodland style bow. The bow on page 53 of the TBB volume 2 is my model. That one is 1 1/8 at the handle 1 1/16 mid limb 5/8 at the tips. Looks like some slight recurve in the tips. At this point think i work on the profile some. Take it down to 1 1/4-3/8 and 3/4 tips that would leave me wiggle room later to adjust things. It has some slight natural deflex i think i should leave that for now, fix when i put the reflex in. What do ya think so far. Going in the right direction?
 
 
 
 

[Roy from Pa]

Looking nice, John.

[John Malone]

Just read a post by Eric Krewson. So i will be using Eric's goof proof bow building method. Sorta what ive been doing but i like the way he explained it.

[John Malone]

Well fellows, this one is coming along very slowly. Its at what I call zero brace or string is tight enough that the tips start moving when you start pulling. These two pics show brace and #55 @13. I figure its #85 @28, that about right?

[Roy from Pa]

Looks nice, Johnny.

[John Malone]

Thanks Roy, I'm getting there.

[Pat B]

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Looks good so far. With that little and smooth of deflex, I'd probably leave it myself for an easy to brace shape that won't gigve up much speed (compared to same with reflex) as log as the set stays low. But a it's still very easy to induce a little reflex when heat treating too.
I was thinking English warbow when I opened the thread. But a good eastern woodland is just as good and fun to shoot.

Kyle

[Forwardhandle]

Looking good John  wish I had the shop room you do  

[John Malone]

Mo-coon, that deflex is very slight its not perfectly even but close. I'm kinda going by the pic in TBB vol 2 pg. 53. It has a tad bit o reflex that I think would have been intentional, it also has some delex could have been string follow who knows. It will not be an exact replica I'm  just using it as a  rough pattern, more like inspiration. If anything this one has been really fun so far.

[John Malone]

Well fellows I got it worked down to #55 @19 inches. A little further and ill heat treat it and flip the tips as is in the picture I'm working from.

[Roy from Pa]

Yer gonna have a 75 pound plus bow dude.
Looks nice though.

[John Malone]

Naw I'm just going slow working it down. Was thinking #55 might tiller to that and then if heat treat adds #5 or so call it good. I got it down to #55 at 22 now.

[mwosborn]

Looking good!  Nothing wrong with going slow.

[mikkekeswick]

You are tillering correctly. Always pull to full weight if there are no problems. Drawlength progressing as you remove wood.
The mid to outer limbs need to bend more.

[John Malone]

Ok guys and gals, got it down to #55@25, been staring at the pic on page 96 Of TBB vol4. The bow is turned in the tree in the 2nd pic. Lighting sucks.

[fujimo]

looks great, only advice i would give- is refrain from using a tillering stick- leaving an all wooden bow- under tension while one snaps pics etc will put excessive strain on the bow- at the least causing unnecessary set- and in the worst case causing the bow to fail.
i have seen all hickory bows explode quite spectacularly.

build a tillering tree with rope and pulley- and its easy to get pics by oneself

[John Malone]

Thanks fujimo. I don't like doing that but I did it anyway. Think ill drill a hole in a metal wall stud to anchor that down, I have pulleys and such.

[John Malone]

Well guys, draw is 26 inches brace is just shy of 5 inches.  I turned the bow arounf in the two pics. Heat treated the belly put a lil d/r in it not much, Feels pretty good. Put a few arrows through it no hand shock seems pretty smooth.

[fujimo]

tiller looks great- just starting to bend in the hnadle
very nice!
is that some natural backset in the stave?