Building Another Bow!

Then that's the good stuff! Doesn't have to be straight to make a good stave, as long as the tips align with the handle. I had to trim a little off my stave before I started making the bow, and went to work making a wooden spoon out of the short piece with my KLVUK. Hard stuff! Don't know how that one will turn out.
 
Just a question. I know zilch about bows. However, I thought I heard somewhere once upon a time is that Osage Orange is a good candidate. The reason I ask is they're very plentiful in my area of Illinois. I could easily supply some. However, I wouldn't know what piece would be a good donor or not.
 
Bigbore577 said:
Just a question. I know zilch about bows. However, I thought I heard somewhere once upon a time is that Osage Orange is a good candidate. The reason I ask is they're very plentiful in my area of Illinois. I could easily supply some. However, I wouldn't know what piece would be a good donor or not.
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Osage is one of the great legendary bow woods, and highly sought after. If you've got a source for it in your area, man, that's a treasure! Look for trees that are reasonably straight. They can be snaky as long as there is alignment from tips to handle. Small trees, around 4 to 8 inches are ideal, and the most important things to watch out for are knots and twist. You really have to study the tree before you cut it, and if in doubt, don't do it. Just so you know, a good stave of Osage is spendy on the market, so it's worth the time to find a good one.
 
T. C. Weston said:
Osage is one of the great legendary bow woods, and highly sought after. If you've got a source for it in your area, man, that's a treasure! Look for trees that are reasonably straight. They can be snaky as long as there is alignment from tips to handle. Small trees, around 4 to 8 inches are ideal, and the most important things to watch out for are knots and twist. You really have to study the tree before you cut it, and if in doubt, don't do it. Just so you know, a good stave of Osage is spendy on the market, so it's worth the time to find a good one.
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Well, like I said I don't know much about it. I can pick out a great stock blank for a custom rifle but, they aren't still part of a tree. I was thinking more along the lines of finding some and donating free of charge to someone like you that would appreciate it. However, like most things in life it seems easier said than done. My luck, you'd end up with a pile of kindling.
 
Fair enough! If you ever decide to try it, take a picture of the tree before you commit to the effort of cutting and splitting it. I might be able to help.
 
Looking forward to seeing your finished bow! You gotta make some new arrows for it too!

Today is rest day for me so no bow pulling for me but I took some pics of my regular shooters, maybe some inspiration for ya ;)

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Not Salukis, Mariners/Cinnabars and a Bamboo Archery Malaysia custom run for the Turkish

Though apparently Lukas has seen both of these models belonging to others in person.

He saw the Khan/Mongolian Conquest era in China and complimented Mr. Mariner on it and I saw a picture of him trying the Scorpius in Malaysia and he approves.

I believe they are similar to his hybrid or laminated glass-wood-bamboo models.
 
christcl said:
Not Salukis, Mariners/Cinnabars and a Bamboo Archery Malaysia custom run for the Turkish

Though apparently Lukas has seen both of these models belonging to others in person.

He saw the Khan/Mongolian Conquest era in China and complimented Mr. Mariner on it and I saw a picture of him trying the Scorpius in Malaysia and he approves.

I believe they are similar to his hybrid or laminated glass-wood-bamboo models.
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I understand all of these words separately! ha ha
 
stwm said:
I understand all of these words separately! ha ha
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I had a long rambling response that I blew off somehow. In summary, they are beautiful Asiatic horse bows with lots of history behind them. That's one thing an interest in traditional archery will bring to you; if you're a history buff, it's an endless fascination. Every culture on every continent (except Australia, if I'm right) developed archery to a level of functional art. As different as the cultures may be, no matter the distance between them, there are striking similarities separated more my resources and geography than anything else. Horn and sinew bows were fired from horse back on the Great Plains as well as the Mongolian Steppes, and the Algonquin longbow waged war as the English longbow did.

Me, I just make big sticks that shoot little sticks.
 
I decided to come in and work in the house where the light is better, and let's face it, warmer! Took of almost 2lbs of shavings with the khuk, and am nearly to the point of floor tillering.

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Here's a bit more progress. The sun was out today, since I can't remember when, and I had a tough time getting a good shot in the bright light, so here are a couple I hope show the progress so far. I've followed the grain, and during floor tillering most of the bark has popped off the back.The rasp and the khuk are all I'm using today and instead of improvising bowyers bench I'm doing this standing free as if I was building it on the spot in the woods.
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I'm ready to start string tillering so it's time to carve in some notches with my KLVUK.
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If you've seen my last build-a-long, the truck should be familiar! It's looking good so far and I'll keep bending the limbs and marking the areas that need to be reduced.
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So far, so good!
 
Man talk about skills, man thats cool. Never made a bow but I certainly shoot em.
 
Tillering to the outside top corners of your IH corner lights! Thats just too cool man! I noticed that way long ago:thumbup: Whats all that white fluffy stuff on the ground tho? Aint seen none of that in many years? I see them antlers Bawanna but whats that primate looking skull right next to them? Uh...Nevermind. I dont want to know...;)
 
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