'The Winged Longbow!'

How to make a Bow, a String or a Set of Arrows. Making equipment & tools for use in Traditional Archery and Bowhunting.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
Message
Author
Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

'The Winged Longbow!'

#1 Post by Sabinus » Thu Jul 20, 2017 1:56 am

IMG_4053.jpg
IMG_4053.jpg (67.06 KiB) Viewed 4635 times
IMG_4044.jpg
IMG_4044.jpg (121.81 KiB) Viewed 4635 times
IMG_4047.jpg
IMG_4047.jpg (81.66 KiB) Viewed 4635 times
Hi guys,
thought I'd show a couple of photos of a recent bow-build. Starting to feel like I'm getting my head at least partly around the glass laminate straight-laid longbow, and working out what works well for me. I'm trying to stick to a front -on profile that tapers from about1/1/8 inches at the fades to <1/2 inch at the tips, and a side-on taper rate of .005"per" of limb length. The full draw profile of these limbs looks pretty right to me and the shooting characteristics are proving very easy to live with! Materials are Jarrah in the riser, Tassie blackwood laminations and clear glass. My own touch is the decorative repousse' copper panels- inlaid, oxidised and sealed with beeswax. Draw weight is 57lb@28". I've gotten by with not much more than a straight form, g- clamps, a hacksaw and truckloads of sandpaper in terms of tooling - oh for a bandsaw and belt sander! looking forward to getting a form together and trying a hybrid design at some stage, and also being able to grind my own risers and lams. I have to buy my risers pre-ground currently, but would love to take control of this stage, to get my fadeouts more gradual and feathery than the way the ordered ones come to me...
Thanks for looking!

kerry
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 430
Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2011 3:48 pm
Location: The Summit QLD.

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#2 Post by kerry » Thu Jul 20, 2017 8:40 am

nice work , love those inlays :clap:
Life is not a fairy tale,if you lose a shoe at midnight , you're drunk.

User avatar
greybeard
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 2992
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:11 am
Location: Logan City QLD

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#3 Post by greybeard » Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:44 pm

Although the "winged" plates appear to be well executed I feel they look out of place on a traditional type of bow, just my opinion, the masses may like it.
Sabinus wrote:...........and trying a hybrid design at some stage..............
As much as we like to play with bow designs it has all been tried before. A small change in design can result in unexpected consequences.

A read of the following should give you an insight into bow design.

http://www.dryadbows.com/Defining%20Bow ... 0Dryad.pdf

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....

Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#4 Post by Sabinus » Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:21 pm

Hi Darryl, allow me to rephrase mate. I tend to use the terms 'hybrid' and 'deflex/reflex' interchangeably (correctly or incorrectly). In other words, I aspire to one day extend my experience beyond the straight-laid longbow, to other established 'types' of glass laminated bow.
The inlays may not be to all tastes, but they are my little extension on the stock standard design, for better or worse. I get to utilise more of my personal skill set, learn new skills, and have even more fun with bow building.
But the arrogance and/or ignorance to think I can create a sweet shooting bow type that no one ever has before? That's not me.
Thanks for your input

Kerry - thanks for the feedback mate, I'm glad you like them! :D

Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#5 Post by Sabinus » Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:42 pm

Darryl, I've just re read your post mate.... it makes me a little sorry that I posted here. I've read and continue to read voraciously on Bows and archery, as I do on all my interests. Over the years you have seen and commented on much of my input, beginning with my pickhandle takedown, various other all- wood designs, and more recently some glass laminated longbows. Not exactly the bow-making trajectory of some clown with flighty ideas on innovating this ancient practice......more the story of a respectful maker who looks to learn a tiny amount of what has been known and discovered by many over thousands of years.
Your experience and virtuousity is known and respected by many, including myself.
For those who are (deservedly) high up on the totem pole of any field or pursuit, the knack of being able to speak to others lower down in a respectful manner is a valuable, if not always common one.
Darren

User avatar
rodlonq
Posts: 2096
Joined: Wed May 06, 2009 3:02 pm
Location: Ingham NQ

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#6 Post by rodlonq » Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:40 am

The "money shot" looks good Darren. There appears to be plenty of room for a much longer draw length in the photo. A nice looking longbow.

Cheers... Rod

User avatar
Gringa Bows
Posts: 6331
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Bundaberg QLD

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#7 Post by Gringa Bows » Wed Jul 26, 2017 7:52 pm

bloody beauty mate i likle it

Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#8 Post by Sabinus » Wed Jul 26, 2017 11:24 pm

Thanks for the comments and feedback, gentlemen! That's an interesting comment that the full draw pic suggests room for a longer draw. A force- draw graph would be very interesting to put together for each bow.....a digital scale, pulley setup and an assistant would come in handy for this! At my 28"-ish draw I sure don't feel any stacking, but then with a decent 68" bow one probably shouldn't i 'spose..... No-one else has drawn one of my bows, let alone someone with a 30" draw so that would be very interesting.

The first couple of glass bows I made seemed to bend very quickly out of the fades, so I increased the rate of taper from .004"per" to .005"per", and retained full limb width (1 1/8") for 1 inch out of the fades before the straight taper to <1/2" tips. The result seems to my eye to bend nice and evenly through the limb, but a tiny bit more gradually out of the fades, and still retaining suitable stiffness in the last 6" at the tips.

Someone once suggested a design with a limb taper rate of .008"per", but that seemed a bit 'whippy' to me - more of a light arrow/flight bow design? I still like the idea of being able to shoot 9-10gpp, and have my arrows bury themselves into the targets at Archery Park, rather than bounce off :biggrin: At the other end of the scale, I think the Binghams design has .002"per" limbs, which would seemingly require more of a 'flatbow' profile than the narrower, deeper limbs that I prefer.

I learned of a public 'makers workshop facility' here in SA the other day, so now it's in my reach to make my R/D form and try a couple of those. Found an excellent plan for a proven R/D design on one of the American forums (complete with a list of stack thicknesses for given approximate draw-weights), so I won't be going in entirely blind....

User avatar
bigbob
Posts: 4098
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:55 pm
Location: sunshine coast

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#9 Post by bigbob » Thu Jul 27, 2017 10:22 am

Nice bow!. My longbows have only .004 taper and they work very well . Can't imagine using .008! Saw your inlay work on that USA site , looks great.
nil illigitimo in desperandum carborundum
razorbows.com

Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#10 Post by Sabinus » Fri Jul 28, 2017 11:51 pm

Hey Bob, the first couple of glass longbows i made were with a .004 taper and they shot great - nice validation to hear that is your default setting as well.

Maybe i was a bit paranoid, but when I saw that the pre-ground fades on my riser blocks were a tiny bit steeper than seemed optimal, The bending straight out of said fades made me worry that that could be a stress-point in the limb.

Making an increase to .005 thickness taper and adopting a '1inch- delayed' width taper was my attempt at moving a little bit of the load away from this area and utilising more of the limb.

I'm looking forward to have access to a drum or spindle sander at some point so that I can try and produce really gradual and feathery fades on my future risers.

User avatar
Forester
Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 2:04 pm
Location: Pullenvale, Queensland

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#11 Post by Forester » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:33 am

Hi Sabinus,

count me in with the masses then - I love the look of the winged riser! That is what self bowyery is all about - self expression. Although no expert, it also looks to me like a very capable bow. Good on you!

Sabinus
Posts: 138
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

Re: 'The Winged Longbow!'

#12 Post by Sabinus » Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:04 am

Haha -thanks for the great comment Forrester! 'The Masses' can be used as a derogatory term, but as the name suggests, it's the group that almost all of us are part of!!! :lol: From long experience in other pursuits, I know that trying to appeal to your own niche- peer-groups is tempting, but bloody hard work and profoundly unprofitable! :lol: Give me the 'great unwashed' any day! :dance: :dance: :dance:
Thanks for the compliment mate it's really encouraging to hear. And yes it really does shoot nicely - all the classic longbow traits seem to be in place. Totally quiet, entirely smooth to draw, and absolutely fast enough. But I reckon my best bows are yet to come!
Good onya,
Darren

Post Reply