Finished Woomera longbow and some tackle.

[Afro]

G'day fellas,
I recently purchased the last Permex longbow blank from John Clark at Ausbow Ind.
It arrived with his book on building and finishing longbows. Thanks John.
Over the holiday break, I finished it off and made a Flemish twist string for it.
It's lovely and smooth to draw and I'm getting in plenty of practice with it.


I also made a 3 arrow, bow quiver, from pieces of antler and leather.



More in next post.

[bigbob]

that all looks quite impressive Afro, look forward to more photos.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Congrats on finishing the blank Afro. That handle looks to have a bit of size to it; doesn't look much narrower than the bow.

After all these years I see Clarky still doesn't know what a fadeout is!

A word of warning about that Permex glass. If you ding it make sure you super glue it immediately or it could split length wise on you.

Your bow quiver looks very unique. Would you tell us some more about it please?

Jeff

[bigbob]

I never noticed the abrupt fades 'til you picked it out Jeff, but they sure do appear to have a steep taper.

[Gringa Bows]

Like the quiver,have fun with the bow Alfro

[Stickbow Hunter]

I never noticed the abrupt fades 'til you picked it out Jeff, but they sure do appear to have a steep taper.

He has always done them the same Bob. I have seen some where you could feel the belly lam was kinked at the end of the riser.

Jeff

[Afro]

Thank you bigbob and Jeff.

I'm new to this business, so, what is a fadeout and should the handle be thinner than the limbs?
I followed Johns directions and cut the arrow shelf in 9mm. I didn't want to thin the handle too much, in case I weakened the riser.
With the leather grip it fills my hand nicely.

As to the bow quiver, I used some Sambar or Rusa antler ( not sure which as they were given to me for knife handle material ) and cut the pieces to fit over the limbs, with leather padding between.
The flared piece, just happened to be the correct size for the arrow clip section.
For the broadhead keeper, I first used a piece of cow horn, but couldn't come up with a way of attaching it to the stem and not have extra holes in it.
The leather bucket ( model 2 ) was glued and pinned to the stem first and then stitched up. The joints are bevelled at 45deg and none of the stitches are visible on the inside, protecting them from the sharp broadheads. I put a piece of dense foam in the sharp end of the bucket, but will be looking for a more old world alternative, like maybe some natural sponge.

The shaft clips are made from 5mm leather and the piece is held in by two brass screws, one from each side and can be replaced easily. In fact, this one is the third version, as the others didn't hold the shafts firmly enough and usually one would fall out, when I fired the bow.

I have also been making some arrows, from Tasmanian Oak dowels, bought from Bunnings. I made a simple spine testing jig and only one of the dowels has come under the 53lb mark.
I'm also making the nocks and some of the points/blunts.
Here are some pics of making the nocks. I first made a D bit reamer, to cut the tapered hole in the horn/ antler material and this enlarged a 1/8" pilot hole.


A piece of Fallow antler, glued to the shaft and turned down to match.


The other five shafts are fitted with Buffalo horn pieces.


Nocks turned down and the string grooves formed.


Made this nock jig, from a stainless steel rifle barrel offcut. I drill a 1/8" hole through the nock, then use a jewellers slitting saw, to cut the centre out.


This jig I made to check for straightness and for cresting.



A couple of blunts for rabbits etc.


To apply the lacquer, I bent a wool, rifle bore cleaning brush, and it applies the lacquer evenly all around, in one stroke.


The lacquer I use is made from Grass Tree resin, dissolved in Metho. Same deal as shellac, only it's darker and a bit harder, I think.


Some of the shafts that I've made, waiting for the cresting to be finished and for fletching.

[Afro]

Like the quiver,have fun with the bow Alfro

Thanks mate. I am having fun with it already.

[Stickbow Hunter]

I'm new to this business, so, what is a fadeout and should the handle be thinner than the limbs?

FADEOUT: The finely tapered endpoints of the riser of a bow where they are enveloped by the limb composites. If done well, they appear to gradually disappear or 'fade' into the limbs. Done badly, they cause a 'hinge' effect where an unreasonable amount of compression occurs which can cause even fibreglass laminate to collapse like a fret in a wood bow.

This photo shows how fadeouts should look. If you have a look at some of the photos on the site of Bigbob's, Greaybeard's and LB Rod's bows and others you will see how fadeouts should fade into the limbs.

IMG_1120.jpg (158.32 KiB) Viewed 3718 times

In relation to your handle; if it fits your hand well then that is the most important thing!!! Handle shape really comes down to individual preferences. Here are a couple of photos showing how the back and belly of a riser has been narrowed and shaped to make the handle more oval in shape. I prefer this shape to a more squarish one as it is smaller and fits the hand better IMO. The risers are still extremely strong and won't break.

IMG_1124 - Version 2.jpg (104.84 KiB) Viewed 3718 times

Bow-Making-31.jpg (19.25 KiB) Viewed 3718 times

You have done a great job on the quiver and it is one of a kind - excellent!!!

Those antler and horn nocks look great on your arras. You are very talented when it come to making your own equipment.

Just a word of warning in relation to using the Tasmanian Oak dowels. Make sure you really check them out well before using them. Give them a good bend test and listen for any clicking noise that could be the grain separating. Sometimes they can be dried out too much and it makes them brittle. You wouldn't want one to break upon release of the bow string. Tasmanian Oak is a bit of a generic term as well as they can actually be made from a number of different hardwoods.

Thanks for the detailed info and photos. It's great seeing another person crafting their own equipment.

Jeff

[Afro]

Thanks Jeff. I did notice that little step in the 'fadeout' and didn't know what I was looking at. I did wonder about it being a stress point, but we'll see. So far so good.
Did you make those two longbows? They are beautiful.

I know that Tas Oak is a generic term and the wood that I got is probably some kind of Beech, as it has that look about it.
I was careful about selection of the dowels and got the ones with the straightest grain.
Later I want to use Poplar, for the shafts and will most likely build a dowel maker to manufacture them. There is plenty of Poplar growing around here and by using it, I won't be adding to the loss of our native forests.

As to the quiver and arrows, I have always liked making my own things and get a great deal of satisfaction from using them.
I plan to fit 130g Ribtec broadheads, to the best shafts and can't wait to take them hunting.

[bigbob]

Jeff has already mentioned the the fades , but let me add my congratulations on your arrow making particularly the self nocks, and your tool making . Pleasure to see it posted . good work.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Did you make those two longbows?

Yes, they are a couple I made.

I was careful about selection of the dowels and got the ones with the straightest grain.

That is good. Still keep an eye out for them being over dried.

I plan to fit 130g Ribtec broadheads, to the best shafts and can't wait to take them hunting.

Great to hear mate and I wish you success. The Ribtek's are a great head.

Jeff

[rmcpb]

Most impressive. Really like your bow quiver it is so unique and really shows off your resourcefulness.

Did you want solid arrow knocks? You can save horn by just using a thin sliver at right angles to the string slot.

[Afro]

Jeff has already mentioned the the fades , but let me add my congratulations on your arrow making particularly the self nocks, and your tool making . Pleasure to see it posted . good work.

Thanks bigbob Toolmaking is the trade I was in, before taking up gunsmithing.

Did you make those two longbows?

Yes, they are a couple I made.

Very nice.

I was careful about selection of the dowels and got the ones with the straightest grain.

That is good. Still keep an eye out for them being over dried.

I will, thanks mate.

I plan to fit 130g Ribtec broadheads, to the best shafts and can't wait to take them hunting.

Great to hear mate and I wish you success. The Ribtek's are a great head.

Jeff

They are just so simply made, that they just have to be good.

Most impressive. Really like your bow quiver it is so unique and really shows off your resourcefulness.

Did you want solid arrow knocks? You can save horn by just using a thin sliver at right angles to the string slot.

Thanks Bob.
I like the idea of solid nocks, although those spliced self nocks are beautiful, but my wood joinery skills are not very good, so I didn't attempt it. My machining skills however, are good, so I like to do it that way. Besides, I have plenty of Buff horn and antler, to play with. I might have a go at the spliced nocks sometime when I retire. A friend once gave me a sugar bag full of cut/cast Fallow antlers, from a Deer farm and another mate is a PH working up in the NT, who brings me Buff horns from carcases. I usually use the Buff horn for forend tips and grip caps on gun stocks. I also have some African Ebony here as well.

The antler machines better than the horn and I'm going to find out how the two different materials stand up to shooting.

[Gringa Bows]

I like the Quiver but I would suggest that you slide the two pieces to the inside of the fades so they don't interfear with the limbs

[Afro]

I like the Quiver but I would suggest that you slide the two pieces to the inside of the fades so they don't interfear with the limbs

Thanks LB How would it affect the action of the limbs, being so close to the fadeout? It would be difficult to get them to stay in place, mounted further in, on the steeper taper. I would have to make a connecting bar to join them and I didn't really want to do that.

[Afro]

Well, I've been shooting the Woomera for a couple of weeks now and getting used to it.
The home made dowel arrows, are standing up to the shooting and three of them have been fired about 100 times each. The only damage has been a loose fletch and a piece broken out of a feather . I made some 135g field points to match the weight of the broadheads that I intend using.
The horn kocks are really great and spring over the string nicely. The antler nocks are a lot stiffer and I had to file one a bit to get it over the serving.
Shooting the longbow every day, is good fun and the exercise has really strengthened my shoulder muscles.
The only problem, of course, is maintaining a consistent aim and release, but I'm getting there.