Got the bug...bow #2 is underway

[Radar_UK]

Sorry to hear that YS

[Yew Selfbow]

Originally Posted by laminatekid

oh the joys of self bows....you never know whats going on inside the stave!!

Your absolutly right there L.K..
Tel..after close examination of the fragments it seems the failure occured at a kink in the stave that was also the site of a small pin knot. This made that area much stiffer than the rest of the limb. I had seen this little trouble spot and thought I'd left sufficent material leading up to and away from it, but alas, I didn't get it right. The location of the pin knot was, I think another factor. It was 2/3rds down the limb so there was alot of stress in that area.

Oh well... I've learned alot from the experience and I think I'll be a little better prepared next time....

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by Yew Selfbow

I'm no competition Tel I can assure you. We did discuss it in the pub... he thought I was bonkers...

He thinks you are bonkers...I know you are bonkers, but that is another story
Best of luck with the project.

OOPs sorry to see what happened, I posted before I read all of the thread
Regards to Pastures

[Yew Selfbow]

Well.. I've been laying hedges today and I couldn't resist taking out a 10 foot pleach of Holly. It's about 12 inches in diameter at the base and around 8 inches at the top and straight as a die.
So..... leave it for a few months and start work on new self bow....
Aahh the joys of archery....

[Little Miss Purple]

I take my hat off to you for even attempting to make a bow!!!

[morphymick]

I'll be lopping down an apple tree this weekend, I've already earmarked one trunk for a few staves, may even have a look at the hawthorns. (Not the WBA variety)

Mick

[Yew Selfbow]

Well.. if nothing else Mick.. you'll have the sweetest smelling bow on the line.
Sounds like a good project to me...

[chris]

allo
the first bow i made was from a slege hammer handle joined at the middle,
it shatered while tillering so i tryed again,and againthen i tryed a pickaxe handle
and .......it worked
longbow about 25-30lb at 28in
shot it a few times ,was brill longbow i made myself
then came home from work and it was snaped in 2 (wife had put it behind a chair) will get a stave one of the days and do it propery.
chris

[Yew Selfbow]

... had a look at my Holly stave last night... moisture's coming down a treat....should be able to start work on it about May - June time

[orius]

It'll be good to see the outcome, every now and then I get a weird Idea in my head about building a bow yet I've never got it off the ground. I've got some hickory and ash here and was looking round for a suitable wood to make the centre lamination. Keep the thread going YS . Your choice of Hawthorn is very interesting. I've often crafted walking sticks from hawthorn but never thought of it as a bow stave wood, although I have seen it written that a good bow can be made out of most woods, obviously each will have its own characteristics. Keep us informed