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.