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Traditional Bow Maintenance and complete course on Tillering!

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Ohio Joe:
Well I've spent the better part of the morning since I got up and had coffee - performing maintenance on my traditional "wood" longbows. I didn't realize I had made so many bows over the years,,, (and have bought four),,, but I love'em all. So far I've strung 8 of them (I have 24 total) and gave each bow string some fresh bow wax, flexed them a bit - then couldn't stand it any longer and headed off to get my arrows so I could shoot them. I was doing this in my side yard where I got a 25 yard archery lane.

Over the years (and I haven't made a bow in at least 5 or 6 years) the ones I've made have been board bows,,, some with a birch to maple, and birch / hickory / maple lamination, and just some plain ol' birch longbows (which I find to be an excellent wood for this), and man I must of just got absorbed and carried away making them.

So far the ones I've done the maintenance on have performed very well for me. Though I do have some favorites that perform better then others - but that's because I use them quite a bit more.

Anyone else get lost in this hobby and just can't get enough of it?  :shake 

Winter Hawk:
I haven't made any, but I do go out every couple of days in the back yard with a recurve I bought in 1966 when I was getting ready for college in Alaska, or a longbow I bought several years ago.  I enjoy the silence as compared to the rifles.  And every so often I get out in the woods behind Chauncey and kill some stumps.  I get exercise and the dogs get to run.  Sometimes we see deer or squirrels although they tend to hide from the mutts....

~WH~

Keb:
I've made a few but I just can't hang on to them very long. I shoot a 55# @ 28" bamboo backed ipe as of this writing but that could change at any time. I have made four osage / bamboo backed bows, an osage / hickory backed and an ash board bow this month. I also made a very light ladies or kids bow of ash. It's 20# @ 28" and very limber. I've got 4 dozen arrows to fletch but I just can't sit down to do it.

Ohio Joe:
I handled some Osage Bows at this years Rondy (Chadron Fur Trade Days) and I gotta say I was very impressed with that wood!  :bl th up

Uncle Russ:
Joe, I made a Bamboo Backed Osage about 4 or 5 years back. It is 52# @ 28".
I dearly love shooting that thing!

I also have the Bow you made for me 10 or 12 years ago!  :bl th up

The Bamboo backed Osage was the third Bow I have ever made, and trust me, it took me forever to get that Tiller just right. Dean Torges Book "Hunting the Osage Bow" was an invaluable tool throughout the whole process.

You can see both sides and the edge of the Bow in these pictures.
Osage is a beautiful color in my eyes.

That string on the floor is a part of a new stringer. I never string without a stringer, many folks simply step through, yank the tip around the back of their leg, and put the string in the notch. I ALWAS use a stringer....with my feet on the stringer slowly lifting the bow while slipping the string on the notch. It's just the way I was taught, back when old Shep was just a pup.
That Bamboo looks great with Osage too!

And, of course, there is one of me in the shop trying to get the "shape" on the Bow.
Scrapers is the way to go before final sanding...and I would suggest that you never sand without using a block on the paper.....similar to a gunstock, if you use your fingers with sandpaper, you can betcha yer going to get waves, that's just how life is.


Uncle Russ...








Uncle Russ..

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