Been busy in the shop

[Jamie]

Correction, I did not shoot rabbit with hickory backed bow but rather a very similar bamboo backed bow which I also still have.

Evidence you all will get a kick out of, lol. Young Jamie in 1999 when he could still shoot a bow pretty good. This rabbit was running as fast as it could go from a pack of dogs and hunters after being shot at and missed about 30 times before I shot it at distance of about 20 feet. Got lucky.

The good old days.

 

[Jamie]

Junior BBO ready to roll. For all intents and purposes, I built this one just like I would build one for myself. Epoxy finish, stitched leather handle wrap, fur sting silencers and all. Fun bow to build. I hope it starts the fire. My hunting rig in the pic for reference.

 

[Jamie]

Some of the work I was doing in the shop 10 years ago is what started this thread. Today, for the first time since 2015 I went to work on a new bamboo backed osage static recurve. The one featured in this thread from 2015 is still a rocket launcher and still probably the best work I've ever done in bow building. I just cannot shoot it any longer because the draw weight is too heavy. Since my number one bow decided it was finished about two weeks before this season started, I scrambled to find one of my old bows that I could handle and would shoot the same arrows. I ended up hunting all season with a bow I had not shot in many years, but it got the job done. I'm not sure how many dozen hunting bows I have, but all but a few of them are too much draw weight for me today. Time to make myself an arsenal of old man bows so I don't wind up with an undesirable back up bow. in my hand all season again. I joined some billets and tapered some bamboo over the last few days. Time to bend some wood and get on with this.

 

[triple_duece]

You can’t cut the limbs down to a lighter weight draw? I know you can’t add but can always cut it down lower.

 

[Jamie]

Yes, I could reduce the weight of the bow, but she is a real looker, and I don't want to change that. You can add 5-10 pounds of draw weight by making the bow a few inches shorter, too. The reality is that a wooden bow that was made a certain weight at a certain draw length is just never the same if you try to make them something else after they are completely shot in. Besides, I just like making bows and need to spend more time doing it. Hell, I might even start taking orders again.

 

[GoetzTalon]

I’ll take a 40 pounder at 28’’ right hand draw. Where do I send the down payment lol ?

 

[Jamie]

I have a 40 pound D/R BBO that is tillered but not finished. PM me if you are serious. Make you a deal.

 

[Jamie]

Looking more and more like another squirrel hunt is very unlikely. Pisser as I'm not ready for it to be over. Too cold and snow too deep to do much besides work in the shop or do some day drinking, lol. Took the high road today and glued a riser on my new static, boiled and bent some more wood. I'll leave that clamped up until tomorrow, boil and bed the other side tomorrow. This will be a bamboo backed osage working recurve in the 45-50lb range if I can pull it off. These curvy ones can be quite challenging.

 

[Jamie]

Yesterday I boiled and bent the other end of this working recurve. Both of these bends held exceptionally well this time, barely springing away from the form at all.

The backing and the core will spend a few days in the hotbox drying out before I glue them together, and when I do, I'll glue 2"-3
of deflex into the middle of the bow/handle area.

 

[Jamie]

Yesterday I also glued up the core and backing for the static recurve. I glued about 2" of reflex in the process with the intention that the finished bow, fully relaxed, will stand straight or follow the string a tiny bit after being fully shot in

I also trimmed the excess core to the backing profile and also established the trapezoidal cross section at the same time (this also removes excess glue and makes the bow easier to handle until we get to the actual shaping with hand tools). Tilting the table of the bandsaw to 75 degrees makes the belly slightly wider than the back of the bow. This is a difficult maneuver but is the best way I know to get that angle on both sides of the limbs even on the entire length of the bow.

Cleaned up those cuts with a #49 Nicholson patternmakers rasp and a large sanding block with a piece of spent 60 grit drum sander wrap glued to it. I did all of this today so I could glue the stiffeners on the siyahs. Tomorrow I can go to work cutting and shaping the handle, the brush nocks, and start tillering.