The elm bow starts to come alive (image heavy)...

[bent-stick]

I've been posting quite a bit on the bow threads and I thought you might like to see the latest primitive bow. It's a bit like the holmgaard but the limb transition at the tips is not quite so pronounced.

This is a bow from a 3" diameter elm pole. It's been carved with an axe, spokeshave and now I'm working it with a rasp and scraper because the wood is tearing quite a lot.

('scuse the bike pump, just off to the right is a recurve in the bag press. I was working on this one while the glue was drying)

This is the back. There's still some cambium layer on there. I intend to leave it

This is unstrung showing the natural recurve

and here it is pulled to just above brace height.

I realised I had gone a bit too far with the left limb tip so I've taken off the last inch or so and that has cured it.

There's a bit to do yet on bringing the bend into the handle more...watch this space...

 

[woodmunky]

Looks great! shouldn't be long before charlie (chas brookes) is on this thread... he made a very nice Witch Elm bow on the course we did... i'm still a newbie on the bow making front

Where abouts in surrey are you? I'm in camberley

 

[bent-stick]

Thanks for that woodmunky.

I'm near walton on thames.

 

[stovie]

It's coming on grand Bent stick. What sort of weight and draw length you aiming for. And what are the overall dimentions (N to N etc). for a 3" diameter pole you are doing well....Does it appear to stack?

Keep us posted....

 

[bent-stick]

I'm not aiming at a draw weight. I find with stave bows it's best to see how it turns out and put the scales on it when it's finished. I'm guessing that It's going to be between 40 and 50 at 28. I draw between 30 and 32 sdepending on what I'm shooting because I've got arms like a gibbon.

Nock to nock is about 70" or so. That's why aim going to have an active handle. It will bump up the feasible draw length by an inch or more.

It's not stacking badly. I think having a crowned back and a flat belly means that it should feel fairly smooth. The wood is also very stiff so the limbs are going to be relatively (compared to ash) reasonably thin.

I'm going to try to get down to the woods to pick some staves for next year in the next couple of weeks. I hoe there's going to be some more elm. I'm going to have a go at an 'inside out' bow with the outer rings as the belly.

 

[stovie]

Are we at full draw yet....If so, where's the pic???

 

[torjusg]

Looks good! Like Stovie I want a pic too!

 

[bent-stick]

Patience chaps

I reckon there is a good chunk of work to do before I can get it to close to full draw.

Unfortunately I have to have a proper job to finance my archery and sharps habit so I don't get much done on bows during the week. Especially now the evenings are dark.

I've also got a couple of commissions on the bench that I need to sort out. There's a bamboo/ipe recurve that I've glued up for someone else to finish that needs the glue cleaning off it. And a bamboo/rosewood/lemonwood longbow that is a christmas present that is almost done, just the leatherwork and a bit of cleaning up to do..

There are some pics of the longbow (Rhiannon's)

bows in progress

I'm going to have another little go at the elm on Saturday. I'm aiming to have it at full draw by 18th November so I can show it at the NFAS AGM where we are trying to convince them that Primitive bows deserve a class of their own.

 

[bent-stick]

Ok here we go...still a bit of cleaning up to do, but it shoots...

The bottom limb is a bit of a funny shape but there are all sorts of kinks and knots in it.

I'm wondering whether to heat treat the belly. Over in the states they are using blow torches to harden up white wood bows.

A bit lighter than I expected but better a 35@28 and shooting than 50lbs and firewood.

Got to talk to my wood management mate to get some more of that elm...

Next up is a hazel stave. I think it is going to set like a setting thing. If it does it will become the main bow of a penobscot.

 

[chrisanson]

nice bow m8. i have just finished an ash bow for my youngest he is only 9 . Its still over 25Lb dont know how much over (my scale only gos up to 25Lb)
But I am quit pleased with it.
Chris

 

[Snufkin]

If it's too light it might be worth trying to heat treat the belly. I know a lot of US bowyers swear by it. I believe Mark St Louis, who pioneered the technique originally started with elm. If you add some more reflex as you temper the belly it might give you some more speed too.

 

[beowolf762]

Good work! Do you have enough lenght to shorten the bow to bring the poundage up?

 

[bent-stick]

Good work! Do you have enough lenght to shorten the bow to bring the poundage up?

No, I don't think I can pike it down. It'll be fine for field shoots. And it gives me an excuse to make another one.

'Er indoors wants me to sell it. She thinks you can have too many bows

 

[chas brookes]

Looks great! shouldn't be long before charlie (chas brookes) is on this thread... he made a very nice Witch Elm bow on the course we did... i'm still a newbie on the bow making front

Where abouts in surrey are you? I'm in camberley

Hi Bent-stick that looks like a nice Elm bow. As Woodmunky stated I chose to make a bow out of Wych Elm on the course I attended at Woodcraft School.
I was very pleased with the end result, being a first attempt. When they first handed me the piece of tree trunk it was a little daunting. After reducing the timber down using an axe, I was shown how to do the shaping. I had all sorts of fun and games shaping around the various knots in the billet. The biggest problem was a dead knot in the top limb which fortunately disappeared when I was scraping, but still left a bulge in the top limb. The poundage of the bow started at about 45lb but after tillering I also ened up with a draw weight of 35lb at 28". I certainly got the bug for bowmaking and beleive your wife is wrong you can nether have too many bows or sharp things.
The bow shoots well, its the archer that has the problem.

 

[Brian Curnel]

Good stuff I hope that I can have some of my pix up soon right now I am not to the tiller stage.

 

[bent-stick]

Nice one chas, I'm always impressed when people can turn out a self bow that shoots in a weekend.

I reckon it takes me 50+ hours.

 

[woodmunky]

Was certainly impressive watching you make it chas! nice pics of it too think longbow's on the books for me next!