Starting a white oak selfbow

Mulberry River · March 13, 2007, 11:35:00 PM

Stopped in at Mike Yancey's yesterday & picked-up this stave which he very kindly split for me, so I thought I'd try to at least post some pix along to see if I could: 1) Navigate Photobucket and 2)Succeed in finishing a shootable project bow. Thanks for all your help so far Jawge, Ferrett, et al. I draw 26", and my plan is to build it 64" nock to nock, unbacked, lower limb slightly longer by a percentage I figured earlier & left out in the shop & can't remember (any suggestions?), 1" to 7/8" X 4" X 1&3/8" for the handle, 2" fades to 1&3/4" limb width mid-limb, then tapering to 1/2" nocks and 1/4" tips. Whadd'ya think? See what I mean? Never used photobucket before! I've got about 1/2 the bark off so far & I'll post more pix soon.

re-size your pic please

the Ferret · March 14, 2007, 05:32:00 AM

Nice looking piece of wood. Should make a dandy bow. If you weren't a rookie I'd suggest cutting off a belly split and making 2 bows, but if you're not sure what you're doing it's always better to waste a little wood get at least 1 bow out of it.

Mulberry River · March 14, 2007, 10:13:00 AM

Let's try this resized shot!

George Tsoukalas · March 14, 2007, 06:08:00 PM

White oak is good. You won't be disappointed. Jawge

fflintlock · March 14, 2007, 07:22:00 PM

Please post some pics, and let us know the bad and good of this, I want to try this myself, when and if I ever get situated. Looks like an excelent peice of wood too.

Mulberry River · March 15, 2007, 12:39:00 PM

I intend to do that. Hopefully I'll have it debarked and laid out this weekend sometime. This full-time job really cuts into my lifestyle!Regards,
Dan

Lost Arra · March 15, 2007, 12:53:00 PM

Just being able to "stop in at Mike Yancey's" is sure handy although it might eat into my wallet if I lived that close. :D

Mulberry River · March 17, 2007, 09:52:00 PM

Here's what I've done today & a little bit yesterday after a couple of "honey dos".

The first picture is during the debarking process, illustrating the "tools" I used. The second is of the stave after debarking. The third shot is a closeup view of a small split which worries me. I'm thinking I should fill it up with some sort of waterproof wood glue or glue/sawdust mix, such as Titebond II or Gorilla glue?? Any suggestions? I plan to do some sanding on the back surface tomorrow after church, then lay out the outline.

Shakes.602 · March 17, 2007, 10:08:00 PM

Un-Backed White Oak??

Pat B · March 17, 2007, 10:17:00 PM

Sure. If you have a good back ring, white oak makes a pretty good self bow. Once it's cured, the wood is very hard.
Put some super glue in that check. Did that just happen or was it in the stave when you got it? If it just happened you had better seal the back after you get it smoothed out. I like spray shellac because it is quick and easy and can be removed fairly easily and any finish will go over it. Pat

Shakes.602 · March 17, 2007, 10:21:00 PM

Learn Something New Everyday. Same go for Red Oak?

Mulberry River · March 17, 2007, 10:39:00 PM

I'm pretty sure it was there when I got it. Mike said these white oak staves had been cured longer than the hickory he had first suggested. Also, it seems very dry to me by look & feel & by working with it. I've split lots of oak back when I had a woodstove, & I think can tell generally how dry it is without a moisture meter.

Mulberry River · March 17, 2007, 10:46:00 PM

Also, Mike said that red oak didn't work as well as the white due to some difference in the composition. When I think of it, the red oak does have at least a couple of different textures in it. Kinda like tight & loose or pourous & non-pourous laminations.
Yes, I plan for it to be unbacked. Maybe I should underline "plan".

Luke Vander Vennen · March 17, 2007, 10:55:00 PM

Shakes you can make a make an unbacked bow from about anything, so long as you have a good design. I think Tim Baker made a bow of pine one time. He had to make it four inches wide, but it worked just fine.

Danny I'll certainly be following along. I'll leave it to the more exerienced guys to give you advice, but I'll be here in the shadows . Good luck!

Osagetree · March 18, 2007, 07:20:00 AM

IMO - You could go down another few rings and I'll bet that check will be gone! Your stave is plenty thick enough.

Pat B · March 18, 2007, 12:35:00 PM

I'd say that any stave built bow could be built without a backing if the proper design is used for that wood..like Luke said, and a good solid ring covers the entire back. Board bows, on the other hand can be made without backings but a backing would be good insurance against a splinter lifting or other problems that could arise from using a piece or wood that has been sawn rather than split along it's grain.
Joe is correct that you can probably go down a few rings, maybe only one, and eliminate the check. I'm too lazy to go to that much trouble and would add super glue to it and continue on with building a bow...but that's just me! You have a good piece of wood to work with. Enjoy the journey...which ever route you choose to take. Pat

Mulberry River · March 18, 2007, 10:29:00 PM

Here's what I've done so far...

Laid out the outline on the back...

Broke a bandsaw blade and cut out the rough outline with my table saw, replaced the bandsaw blade with a larger one...

then finished cutting out the outline & rough profile.
Next: laying out the handle profile & slimming the limbs a little prior to floor tillering.