First Attempt - Maple Self Bow

[lazydrifter]

Ray, if you or anyone else need any soft deer leather for the handle let me know. I have quite a few pieces of scrap that would work great.  I'd be happy to send you a piece.

[Ray]

I could take more off the lower limb but I want to keep it over a 55 lb bow and was shooting for around 55-60. It will work it just wont live as long and I will build another one when I start seeing stress signs.

[tlbradford]

Will there be gradual stress signs, or is there a danger of a limb snapping when you are at full draw?

[Ray]

I guess we'll find out. 

[Michelle_Nelson]

Daing thats a nice looking bow Ray. 

[tlbradford]

Now that is really going primative.  I would think with a long bow it wouldn't be too violent of a break, in comparison with a recurve or compound.  I still get a little nervous when stringing my bow.

[Pathfinder101]

Let's see your son's bow. 

I have been meaning to take some pics of it.  I'll try to remember when I get home tonight.

Ray,
Here are a couple of pics of my son's bow that he and I made last month.  Lot's of mistakes, but we learned a lot.  As you can see from the pics, he can't pull it to full draw yet.  We did ours by gluing strips of oak together in a jig.  Reinforced the tips with antler and backed it with sinew.  Looks kind of cool on the wall but not as functional as I would like. ...maybe next try.  I have enjoyed your thread and learned a lot from it.  Next bow will be more functional...I hope...

[Ray]

That bow's got some great character. I like the shape, the handle and the ends. I think you did a great job.

So that's basically a laminated bow if you glued them together I suppose. I would like to try to do that too. I was thinking Ipe would be a good wood to try along with something else to give it two wood character.

From the paintings on the wall somebody's a great artist too.

[Pathfinder101]

Thanks Ray.  You are right, it is really a laminated bow.  I made the strips too thick and from the wrong kind of wood.  I also put the arrow rest too high, and I used Gorilla glue, which is probably fine for gluing the strips together, but not so much for backing it with sinew.  Justin and I watched a special on the History Channel on the Huns, and he wanted to make a "Hun Bow", and their bows were composite.  He thinks it is super cool, even though he can't pull it to full draw.  He has a compound Browning that he does most of his real shooting with anyway, so this is more a novelty than anything.  At some point I will do another one and do it right.
Thanks for the compliments on the paintings.  My son and I both do a lot of wildlife art.  Sometime I will do a thread with our paintings.

[Hornseeker]

Cool stuff! Way to go guys...

[pacyew]

I see a couple of very nice wooden bows posted here. Keep up the good work, fellas!

[Ray]

lazydrifter thank you for the leather. It worked out just fine. I cut it up this afternoon and punched some holes. It's drying with barge cement right now. I guess it's pretty much done. I had some ideas about dying the wood earlier but when I was sanding the vine maple I decided that I liked the soft color of the wood.

Thanks to Jay for the sage advice and for helping me put on those horn overlays.

[Pathfinder101]

That is one great looking bow Ray.   Nice work.

[lazydrifter]

you're welcome Ray. That looks really good. I like the way you laced the leather up the front.  I was thinking on mine about getting the leather wet and trying to stretch it out really thin and then wrapping it on tight and letting it dry but I think that lace is great.  Can't wait to see how it shoots.

[PacificNWhunter]

Great job, nice looking bow