Ozbow

I got a stave of hickory at Otto's in Adelaide recently. 1800 x 45 x 45 mm. Cost $110

Hi Dave,
I'd dearly love to come and do a longbow weekend with you - I hope you'll keep teaching them for a while yet! The bows look sensational.

[attachment=0]DSC00297.JPG[/attachmen Hi guys, Well, here it is. Shootable, if not fully completed. Yeoman, your suggestions this morning regarding tiller echoed what i was already privately thinking. I had already snuck into the backyard around 3am this morning (typical toxophile behaviour - I hope...

Yeoman, i just read back through your last post on this thread - I also have your advise to thank for helping steer me away from taking a saw to my riser this afternoon - thanks. Thanks also for your information re. stringfollow. The speed of your stringfollow-short draw-low poundage red oak bow see...

IMG_1529.JPG IMG_1531.JPG Hi guys, Well i think I've almost got it. As the final tiller photo indicates, i couldn't bring myself to down tools at the normal time - a more patient person would have put the bow aside till tomorrow. But what can i say - life is short ! For the last hour or so of fiddl...

IMG_1527.JPG IMG_1522.JPG IMG_1525.JPG Hi Guys, Thanks for all of the encouragement and comments, and thanks for getting back on board after I left you all hanging there for so long! Well, I'm progressing carefully now the closer to finished i get. It's hard because feelings of anticipation are sta...

Hey Tom, the dog chew toys are available at pet supply stores, or on ebay if you are willing to trade immediacy for a better price. The biggest I could find was $10 and was enough for one full length bow. There's a bloke on youtube called 'boarrier bows' that has made a decent video of the glueing u...

IMG_1387.JPG IMG_1385.JPG IMG_1512.JPG Hi guys, this is the second of two posts I've added to this thread tonight, so go back and read the first if you have not already. (please!) I realised I've recently shot a bow even less often than I've been making one, so today dragged out the 'joebow' and to...

IMG_1384.JPG IMG_1382.JPG IMG_1381.JPG Hi All, Many apologies for the lengthy absence. A family pet took exception to the 'relationship' I enjoy with my Mac, decreed it a rival, and neutralized it with urine. Very effective too - still haven't plucked up the courage to find out the repair cost! The...

Good call Bob, thanks mate

Right you are Jeff- I actually marked 1/4" on each side of the centre line…….that would make the nocks 1/2".

IMG_1360.jpg IMG_1359.jpg Hi Guys, The epoxy I used to join the takedown components to the billets was dry enough today to join my billets together and take stock of the resultant stave. The sleeves fit firmly but smoothly together, and only moderate effort is needed to pull them apart, to a satisf...

IMG_1345.jpg IMG_1343.jpg IMG_1342.jpg Hi guys. Well, I shaped the top limb billet today to fit the brass inner take down sleeve. I used the farriers rasp, and a large rough bastard file to slowly carve down to a firm, aligned fit. My best advise would be to not rush this stage - commit to going re...

IMG_1338.jpg IMG_1337.jpg Good deduction Yeoman, i'm a jewellery CAD/CAM-er these days, but my initial interest and training was and is in hand making. Well, I did the final fit and 'the squish' to finish the take down sleeves the other night, and today used the farriers rasp to cut that which will...

Nice one!

IMG_1333.jpg IMG_1329.jpg Hi guys, Well, back to work this week, so progress on the take-down has slowed up a little, but not stopped altogether. I scored some stainless steel tubing with surprising ease early in the week, and I already had the brass sheet at home. I bent up the brass into a tube a...

Yeoman thanks for the 'vision' there, I love it! I'm very keen to sort out the takedown sleeves and join these billets up.
And Roadie, Paleys are at their best freezing cold at this time of year, with the cricket on the radio!
Darren

Hey Steve, Thanks for the feedback. Since I selected this timber and started work, I've been advised that I should have orientated the growth rings differently, so that the thickness of each growth ring could be seen on the back and the belly of the bow. I was only about 90 degrees off, LOL! Serious...

IMG_1326.jpg IMG_1325.jpg IMG_1324.jpg Hi guys, well, not too much on the bow front to report on - waiting to source some stainless steel tube and get to work on making then fitting the take down sleeves. On another topic, my stock of bow wood surged today. Dad was down in Mount Gambier and went by...

IMG_1320.jpg IMG_1318.jpg Hi Yeoman, Thanks for the feedback. You were absolutely right about the steep taper from the back of the riser into the hickory billet -it's a real 'thing' for beginning bowyers, isn't it? Most people seem to make the same mistake. I guess i was trying to minimise this 'fa...

IMG_1314.jpg IMG_1315.jpg Thanks for the clarification Daryl, I believe I'll build limbs of equal length in the spirit of not trying to overcomplicate things. I do take your point though about introducing some positive tiller to cater for the split finger grip. I've never measured my J.Vardon longb...

Hi Dennis, THanks for the information. Using the equations you have provided indicate that there is some kind of 50lb bow in my hickory billets -I'm going to do a take down with metal sleeves as a way of maximising the length of the billets, and playing to my strengths as a maker. Most things I've r...

IMG_1312.jpg IMG_1311.jpg IMG_1309.jpg IMG_1308.jpg Hi guys, I've briefly put the tools down to really resolve the important parts of this project, and as per usual, could use your input. The closeup diagram of the riser just a bit of decoration really, my real query revolves around the scribble of...

Daryl I reckon you probably could......taking into account my minimal 'workshop' setup and my extremely modest level of profficiency I reckon I'll invest in my chances of success by using both handles! Thanks however for the suggestion. I'm looking forward to when having a bit more equipment and a l...

Gentlemen, thanks for the suggestions. Both of you have suggested the takedown sleeve system - I'm thinking this will maximise the length of the pickhandles and once the sleeves have been fabricated/sourced/purchased, be a bit easier to create a solid, dependable join between the two halves. And the...

[/attachment] IMG_1306.jpg IMG_1305.jpg Hi everyone. Well, I hope this turns out to be a documented process of the oft-mentioned but not-so-oft demonstrated project of building a working, full size bow from a spliced pair of hardwood pickhandles. As with my last (first) bow however, I hope to benefi...

Dennis, Thanks for this valuable advise and information. I'm starting to become more aware of the trees growing in my local environment. There is an overwhelming proliferation of eucalypts in my area, but feel that there may be sheoaks around as well. I'm looking forward to gluing reflex into lamina...

Hi Dennis, I'm flattered and grateful for the time you have spent dissecting and pointing out aspects of my first tillering effort. The one big thing I've learned from yourself and others is that propeller twist in wooden staves is fairly inescapable, and does not have to affect performance to a gre...

IMG_1303.jpg IMG_1302.jpg IMG_1301.jpg IMG_1300.jpg IMG_1298.jpg IMG_1297.jpg Hi guys, Well I think that's bow #1 finito - decided to get a bit lairy with the paint even, it's a kid's bow after all (made by a kid too!). Even after about 50 arrows the draw weight has not really dropped from final ti...

IMG_1278.jpg IMG_1279.jpg IMG_1272.jpg Hi guys, Daryl, thanks for the the suggestion and image suggesting the narrowed handle - I'd already gone ahead and cut a shelf (pictured), but luckily not so deep I couldn't carve it out and match the other side too (also pictured). Looks about 300% nicer, gi...