Ozbow

I am often boggled by how thick tips on Danish bows and some handle risers get in the name of rigidity. Everyone in the wood bow world seems to know the 'double thickness, cube the draw weight' rule, yet people seem to go overboard in making the tips on Danish bows enormously thick. I suspect that w...

Daryl, that bow looks like it was made out of 'danger - do not enter' tape.

I think a handle of that shape and volume would be better suited to a bow made of laminates of glass and wood rather than a selfbow. That, and/or a rather radical shape in the limb profile. Considering the riser independently, I'm not all that inspired by the Hawthorn Football Club-inspired flat lay...

So have you had a chance to set it going for an epic trial run yet? If so, how'd it go?

If you can't find the mechanical properties, but want to know them, then send me a couple of samples and I'll run some tests to see how it compares to the likes of our other bow woods.

Go on. Tease us with your new found excellent bow wood.

It's uncanny how close the stage shape is.

Do you have any pictures to demonstrate just how the back has been violated?

So after having investigated Techniglue and looking into its availability, today I ordered a 1 pint kit of Smooth On. I should get it next week. Next weekend I'll try and pull a great box together and start experimenting.

Interesting setup. I may plagiarise some of the features. When I was younger I had a fan heater that wasn't particularly effective for heating the room I was in. So I'd sit right in front of it and it'd shut off. Since then, I'd assumed little fan heaters had their own thermostats to prevent them ge...

Alright. So I've asked John (jcm) for a quote. Where else can I get it reasonably quickly in Oz?

They have some, but I emailed to ask about it and apparently none of it would be suitable for our needs. He also said it was Pecan and not strictly Hickory. Not that that matters because it is in the same family and obviously makes for a good backing material.

Yep. From the handle out.

Bear in mind though: there're many paths to a common destination.

In my courses we use a long string, but it's only just long enough to get over the tips without bending the bow. At this early stage, we focus on the inner third of each limb (because of the vectors, you see). As the string shortens, we spread our attention across more of the limb. The string just g...

As a matter of fact, I've been into the local fibreglass place, though for a different purpose. I do remember they had Techniglue in stock though. I've asked John (jcm) about Smooth-On. It'll be a close call between the adhesives, I think. Either way I need a heat box so will be looking forward to s...

Like I said, I'm happy to be swayed. What temperature do I need to get this excellent curing time?

Is it Smooth-On that's purple?

Maybe the taxine has a habit-forming characteristic to it?

I did look at the data sheets, and it said 'solid-state cured' in 8 hours at 25 C, but I don't know if the adhesive keeps getting harder/stronger after that point. If Smooth-On was measurably better/more reliable/easier to use and cost more, I wouldn't mind forking out for it. But if Techniglue CA i...

Hi all, Looking to change adhesives for backing wood bows. I've had some great success with Gorilla Glue, but also has some disappointing failures as well. I need something more reliable. I also need something that will cure to full hardness in 12 hours or less, no negotiation. I already use Titebon...

Good point Daryl! That picture with that text superimposed should become the standard object lesson in what not to do!

I may in fact, have a go with red oak.

That looks superb!

I found a couple of resources that may be of use to others: http://www.vccaq.org/BendingTimber.pdf http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/390293/The-Bending-of-Timber.pdf I've also read elsewhere on the wide internet world and found that Spotted Gum can be suitable for steam bending, ...

Thanks Grahame. Was your recurve a working recurve? I commonly hear of working recurves pulling out over time. I was expecting the limb to lose some of its shape coming of the caul. It still has sufficient curve in my opinion. Well within the realm of usable recurve. Currently, the curve occupies ei...

I put a lid over the limb, and plugged the gap it made with a tea towel, which I think was almost as good as a steam box. I would have preferred a proper streaming setup though. I'll try steaming the next one for longer and see what happens. I'll report back of course. What have you stream bent, and...

Good evening. Today I had my first go at steam bending. I'd made a form recently and was keen to have a go. I had a couple of spotted gum billets ready to go so I cut the thickness taper and left them at a full width of 35 mm. I left them in a bucket of water for a couple of days. The limbs are only...

That stave is so perfect, I'd be scared to do anything with it for fear of ruining it!

Looks really nice Daryl. An alternative to a larger diameter pole bamboo would be to give the stave a trapezoidal cross section and use a narrower strip of smaller diameter boo. I've done this many times on 2" wide bows with 1 1/2 or 1 1/4 inch wide boo. Looks quite a treat. But as it is I'm su...

A bow can follow the grain without following a single growth ring. The reason people like to chase a growth ring in Osage and such is because that guarantees that the surface follows the grain. A board of any ring orientation can potentially make a bow as long as the ring lines run straight and para...

Just out of interest, why'd you go with a V splice instead of, say, a fishtail or something that would give a larger surface area to glue?

You're certainly doing your bit for the wood importation industry. It's great to see someone working with 'exotic' woods. Exotic for us, anyway!

Dennis, my measuring arrow has a line drawn around it every inch from the nock. Instead of a nail, I put a rubber band around the shaft, doubled over and over and over etcetera , then roll it from mark to mark. Fills the same purpose, and means you don't need to drill into a relatively narrow round ...

It'd be extremely helpful to have some pictures.

Also, if you could measure the length/width/depth and the mass, we'd be able to tell the density and relative utility. How about ring count per inch?

I have long been of the opinion that people that build deflex into their bows by gluing them up into deflex on a form are robbing themselves of potential. There are scientific reasons for believing so. What I eventually hope to graduate to is something similar to the deflex/reflex bows of Marc St.Lo...