My gears are turning now for a new longbow or a hybrid. Thanks recurve crafter. JF

Jeff, is this gonna be a step by step pictorial? I'm in. Randy

Oh I duno,if I have that much time. I will take pics as I go though. That's a chunk of dried Cherry behind the glass. I haven't made a cherry limb bow yet. HMM :) JF

Nice tight growth rings. JF

Down to a handier size. Charcoal needs poured out. Have a good one everybody. Tomorrow :) Jeff

Almost down to 1 1/2 wide. I cut the outer edges off. Dinners callin me. JF

I run the stock through my edge grinder a few times till I get a even 1 1/2" thick. Now it'll be a ready to run back through the saw.

With this setup I'll cut .150 strips out for grinding into laminations.JF

I end up with eleven at .150 from that small piece. Now ready to go back to the edge grinder to take them down to a even .130 JF

DRAT! Like to be a fly on the WALL to see this in progress! Keep us in the loop! Batman

Keep em coming

After running each one through the edge grinder,I reached a even side to side .130 Now four of them will get run through on a taper grinding sled. It'll have to be tomorrow,grandson Hunter had a ball game. Have a good one everybody. JF

There's still a lot left for more limb wood and accent strip material. This isn't even a 1/4 of the big chunk. JF

Thanks for taking the time for the benefit of all your friends here on the wall Jeff.....Nice work.....Bobby

Fun to see, bodymanbowyer. Jawge

Enjoying you build a long.

OK were was I, I know pretty messy. I have a lot going right now. It'll be all right. JF

I think you'll like the cherry in the limbs Jeff. It's one of my favorite limb woods. You should try some flat sawn cherry under clear glass sometime too... subtle yet quite purdy.

Will be watchin this one... hey wait... that looks like the glass I bid on at the auction :^)

Now that all the lambs are .130 thick, next is to give um a sled ride through the edge grinder. My sled is .002 per running inch. I'm shooting for .105-.110 butt thickness. I feed through right to left in to the rotation. JF

All my laminations are 36" long any longer no ride. You have to watch what your doing here and get a feel of pushing everything through, keeping it up against the stop at my right hand. JF

The stop at the end of the sled.JF

I do have one helper when I grind laminations, this screen door springy thing. That keeps things calm on the output side. JF

Yep it is from the auction. I was wondering about flat grain cherry under glass also. Now more ideas, cool. JF

Jeff D, can flat grain be done to any, or most of limb woods without running into limbwood bending uneven. Without having to make it a veneer? Or sheer? JF

After several passes and closing in on thickness and doing each lamb both sides each pass. I'm reaching .110 butt thickness, a couple more times each side. JF

There .107 butt thickness .049 end thickness. JF

Each one bends nice and even, no kinking or flat spots.JF

Now decisions are going have to made. Limb core is going to be I think all Cherry. I'll grind parallels to make pounds a little later. I'm thinking the Gray glass for sure. String follow 66"or 68" oorr 62" hybrid. Riser wood, plane,stripe color. Hmmm :) JF

Like your core grinder set up!

Like all the colors! Will keep an eye on your progress!

Good Luck, Old

OK I've decided 66" flat longbow. A Cherry riser with some Osage accents. And still the gray glassThis will require some thought on thickness and where to place them, and adult beverage to think it over. It is friday.JF

I cut for width and a close thickness. Then run everything through the edge grinder for straight and parallel thickness. 40 grit on the belt. JF

This is what I'm thinking, not glued yet. By the time they age and change color. It should be subtle golden colors. JF

Thanks for showing us your process. I like your wood choices for the riser, especially with the cherry lams.

Got this one saved to favorites. Always wanted to do my own limb lams. Got some 2" thk. cherry from too. Your right this will be fun, thanks for sharing. John

Thanks guys for watching, this is obviously my first build a long. Well I have the riser ready for glue up I weigh my glue , I know I'm real close that way. JF

My shop is my favorite place to enjoy a very cold adult beverage.....or three!:^)

Watching with great interest, Old

I like to tape up both external top and bottom surface, I don't want any glue getting on the bottom especially. Also like to build it on plastic. Each mating side gets buttered up as I go, nice even amounts of glue spread out with a Osage stick spreader:) JF

All ready for clamps. JF

I start in the middle and work to the ends barely tighting each clamp. I also put a small wood or metal pad on the bottom of riser, don't want any clamp marks. JF

After all my c clamps are on. I take 2 quick clamps to keep things from sliding out side ways. This message is where its nice to have plastic around it. Then I go back and keep righting clamps a little each one back and forth. Just st in until I feel resistance then I tad bit more. Don't want all the glue squeezed out. Clamping takes a feel. JF

Everything is staying where I want it. Since its summer and hot I'm going to bake this one in the shed for catsailor ;) oh yea this is all glued with smooth on epoxy. Dry time :)JF

My picture maybe this time

Gosh Jeff, now I know why I pay a bowyer to make me bows. LOL Jim…… :>)

Jim, I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a real bowyer. I do the first part of my handle for real and build longbows for fun. I'm just a learning bow builder. JF

BODY MAN! I think that the wild photo was somehow from a rove by DAGUNZ? Ref: The BUILD ALONG? I am liking this very much! Like to watch people who have skills! ( I can't hardly walk and chew gum at the same time) STAY SAFE / WELL / COOL / COMFORTABLE & BLESSED BE! Batman

Things are moving along now, I'm in. Where's the popcorn. :-)

-Bones

See Jeff, We wanna know. Randy

OK 24+hrs glue is dried, ready to remove clamps and clamp pads and plastic. A little bow snot on edges. JF

I'll sand the glue of close on the flat part of my edge sander both sides, keeping it flat.JF

When I get it real close I'll run it back through the edge grinder with the fence. Tapping the fence in after each minor pass until its a 1 1/2". Everything is still square. JF

I like to mark center on top of the riser by cutting a line in. I then using a pencil and transfer this mark all the way around. This is way my mark for center doesn't rub off. Lead will get its way down in the cut.JF

Like to clamp my pattern in the vise with a couple c-clamps also a board under the fade ends to support them when marking. Knife cut first then pencil. JF

Dark pencil mark for my eyes. The pencil mark will get down in the cut and be handy when it comes to drum sanding the fadeouts later. Now the riser is ready to be cut out on the band saw, tomorrow. Have a good one everybody. JF

Here we go its cutting time. JF

Side 2

Back to the belt or "drumsander". JF

When I grind my belly ramps, I use a pine board that has been run through grinder. Against the fence do it's square. Using the backer board helps so you don't grind the thin fadeouts off. It supports the ends and gives me something to hold on to better. 40 grit on the belt still, I always use a coarse grit. JF

It takes a little, feel, sound and sight to get in to the groove. So you can get nice gradual curves,in the belly ramps. When I scoared the sides of the riser with a knife, now is when you watch for that line to fall of when I get close sanding on the drum.JF

Nice and even to me,and thin slender fades. JF

A little dreaming here, I can see it now. Jeff

Now is about the time I drop the riser and break a fade lol. Good stuff Jeff. Keep it Coming.

OK now I need some thickness to the limbs. I'm using a total of .004 taper. I'm gonna use two parallels to keep all the laminations close to the same thing thickness. I mark where the fades end on the edge of the tapers so I can measure thickness. With .080 glass it come to .280 . I want .410 or so +-.005 so I'll grind 4 parallels down to .070 keep running them through when I get close. Slowly tap and adjust tighter until I get final thickness. JF

I am shooting for .410 at fades with glass. The riser is 15 1/2". It will end up a thick stack, narrow at the fades 1.020 or so to .500 at the nocks grooves

Yea when I get the fades real thin, extra care is needed not to bump the thin edge. Or %4%$$%. Bad news. All is good here so far, I have done it though.JF

Now it looks like a kit bow ;) Next I'll be fitting and gluing the ends together 6 of them to make 3 @ 72" one piece laminations. Tomorrow. Have a good one everybody. JF

Looking good! Seeing your shop makes me feel okay about mine. Seems when I get a few things going I never clean up anything.

Seems that is the nature of any shop that sees regular use ... I've come to think of mine as chaos management.

Great to see your progress Jeff.

Looking good. If you drop it I know how to repair it LOL.

Managed chaos, that's under statement for the lower part of my shop. More chaos than managed LOL. Upstairs though is treated a little different

Take care, Old

Thanks guys appreciate everybody taking a look. Tonight it's time to grind bevals to join the two 36" laminates. This is a pretty hytech jig here. Over a few bevals I found the position they need to be clamped at. So they meet and still run straight. JF

Using hardwood sanding blocks and stick it 36grit. I sand each one down to the jig surface, keeping block flat so the jig last a long time. Its made from some brazilion walnut flooring (scrap). JF

Test fit on a scrap piece of aluminum (used to be frame measuring equipment) 60" long or do. Now I use for gluing my lamination together. Good to go. JF

One set is in clamp jig, a parallel and a taper set wait.jft

Both ends get a coating of a medium body super glue, lined up on jig and clamped for 10-15 minutes. Use some plastic and clamp pad if you want, I do, I don't. JF

One off the clamping jig and up into hytech storage tube so it won't get bumped or scratched. Two more to do tonight. Next I'll be sanding the glue joints flat, with the same block and grit. Tomorrow, Have a good one everybody, grandson has a ballgame. JF

Hytech storage tube. ;) JF

OK back to the bow. I have taken my clamping jig a put a piece of .060 glass taped down in the middle, cause it wasn't flat. I don't need it bellying when I sand with 36 grit and short flat block. JF

Sand all three flat.

I mask the finish side for protection and for layout on the limbs later. Carefully trim edges clean. Make sure no tape pieces get underneath on the sand side and get glued in there. Wipe clean with fingers and blow with clean dry air from air compressor to make sure its clean, smooth and no chunks of sawdust or anything that will get taped down and could cause a bumb in glass when done. JF

Oh and be very careful not to catch a glass strand and pull the edge. I have at times, sanded my glass ,tape edge with 150 grit on a flat block. Sand from tape to glass, that will trim it off also. JF

Mark one at 36" to be cut in two. Careful attention here not to go to fast, the blade could grab and pull the edge and make a split. JF

Good clean cut :) JF

Everything is ready for glue up day. JF

Getting closer to time in the oven. Tomorrow have a good one everybody. JF

I need to clear out my bow oven And make 4 more of these brackets, so I don't have to keep swapping them from form to form. JF

The brackets that I need to make more of. Tomorrow, have a good one everybody. JF

You cooking that baby tonight Jeff? Can't wait to see it.

Naw tripv. I didn't have time, honey dooz and chores. Hopefully this weekend looks good. JF

This is very interesting! This will be the first thread I've saved to my favorites. Thanks Jeff for taking the time to show us all your skills. DJ

OK it Friday and my grandson has tournaments little league. I did get a new set of side iron straps made,and dug out my flat form. Needs blown off and waxed down tomorrow hopefully I'll get this glued up. Have a good one everybody. JF

Its finally time, I had forgot all the cool wood I had stored in my hotbox. JF

I put all the wood pieces in the oven for an hour to dry any surface moisture and open up the pores for glue. JF

This baby be ready for DVA? Looking good, Old

Yes sir OB, it'll be there. While the oven is warming up I tape some 2mll plastic over the form,after I bow and wipevit down. No dirt on the surface. I've also made some stops on the back side and front.JF

Got glue A and B, scale, red solo cup.

Rubber gloves, Osage mixing sticks. 1 for A, 1 for B. Pressure strips, baby powder for rubber gloves, pressure hose, had been checked for leaks. Good to go.JF

I'm gonna mix 9 ounce for 4 lams of wood and 2 glass. I'll see if I have much left over. Part A and its own mixing stick. JF

Part B and it's own scoop stick. Ready to mix. 9 oz. JF

Mix a-way a couple minutes at a a time. About 4 times and scrape down the sides of the cup. Scrape down both stir sticks too. Wipe the short stick off and set a side. For next time. The lams should be warm by now. JF

Now go wash your hands and then lay out all the pieces, in order for glue up. After my hands are washed I'm going to blow off all the pieces again. JF

I like to clamp my form at one end and swing out. This also keeps the middle open for taping riser later.

Now glove up and drizzle some glue down on the back glass first. I work toward the edge of my table so I can keep my spreader stick flat. Nice even coats, each piece will get buttered with glue.and then stacked up and centered. JF

One, no stopping now.

Back to my glue table for the back taper, spread glue on one side then flip and stack then butter that dry side and back to the table for the next. If your REALY GOOD, may not have to put extra glue at fade ends. I'm new at this so I'll put a little extra there.JF

Oh yea were getting there.

I tape the riser with filament tape all the way around the middle tight. I position the top glass and tapers 1/4" in to middle. Then I start tapeing at the ends once around tight.top then bottom. I then move in to the fade area and pull and tape there each side watch for sliding, should be good.

I like to keep a layer of plastic sheet between glue and my hose. My pressure strips get heavy coats of car wax, let it dry on there, it keeps them from sticking or use more plastic. There are different ways to apply the pressure. I like the hose method. JF

The little white plastic, of some sort the glue doesn't stick to them. I use them to make sure nothing slides sideways later in the oven JF

Into the oven at 180°top end, 140° bottom. It cycles on and off. There are 4- 200 watt bulbs in there with a thermostat switch. I lined the box with foil bubble insulation, stapled in. I'll backs it for 4 hrs, I use a out door timer. In an hour it'll be kick in :) JF

Bake it 4hrs, wow getting tired :)

Its done :)

Ha, one piece ain't she purdy. Well maybe a little polish. OK a lot of grinding and sanding. Its all worth it:) :) tomorrow have a good one everybody. JF

Can't wait to see how this comes out. Have enjoyed following along.

One of these days someone needs to teach me those damn hoses. Looking good JF, Old

Good morning, time to fire up the endge grinder and knock this dried snot off. JF

Good morning, time to fire up the endge grinder and knock this dried snot off. JF

This is AWESOME!

This is cleaning up pretty quick, with a 36 grit belt.JF

OK now I'll knock the the belly side lams and glass down to square with the handle. Keep the grinder going from glass to wood. No grabbing of glass and pulling a splinter. JF

Other end

I like the white UHMW trick to keep the lams in line. Thanks for the tip, I'll have to modify my forms. Great Build-A-Long. John

Whith my compliments. Great job, it's my dream to make ones like that.

Now that all the glue is removed, I'll take a sanding block with 80grit on it and make a few strokes from handle to tips, tape to wood. To barely nock the edge off, so there won't be any fiberglass splinters. DO NOT JUST GO BACK AND FORTH. You WILL run the sand paper under the glass edge and lift a splinter that can run into the face of the bow. 80grit diagonal riser to tips ONE direction just a few strokes. This help keep splinters out of your hands too. JF

Bodymanbowyer,

GREAT BUILD ALONG! I really appreciate your EXTRA TIME in doing the photos and writing! I've done a Re-finish along and a thumbring build-along (from a number 4 poolball) and doing the pics and posting takes a LOT of extra time. Your's is EXCELLENT!

THANKS! CR

Thanks all, for your appreciation of this build a long. JF

Remember just the tape to glass corners. Center out and riser to tips. JF

All the edges have been lightly chamfered now. Let's take a little peak. When its finally time to unmask the whole bow, start at the handle and pull to tips. I'm just gonna do a little, I got a see it I can't wait :) JF

OK I'm liking it, put the tape back down and continue :) JF

The reason I sand the edge also is to cut the tape off where it had flared up when I am grinding. This will help me see my lines when I start limb shaping.

Looking good

Clean tape edges without using a razorblade, the blade can and will pull a splinter. JF

Mark on the face of the limbs where the fadout ends.

Since I have not made a pattern, I'm going to use another bow I made. Find the middle of the bow and center the tips and clamp it down to the bow blank. Trace from the fades out to tips. Don't bother with center section, that will come later. Use a ballpoint pen. JF

Remember I scribed on line on the riser top, that is my center. Now I measured out each limb 33" each way. This bow is going to be 66" ntn.

With recommendations I use a diablo we're lumber blade to remove the bulk from limbs. Carefully here. I haven't had any issues yet. Cut JF st close to the line, the rest will get ground of on the side grinder.JF

Wet lumber blade by diablo its a thin curf blade. I use this blade for everything on my bow build.JF

Table saw time is done. The bulk of the limb edges is gone. Back to the edge grinder. JF

Grinding to my layout line. From faces to tips.JF

That's from fades to tips sorry typo.

When grinding the tape will most likely flare up. This is when I sand the tap corners from tape towards wood on a angle and away from handle NOT back and forth. This will cut the tape off to the edge so I can see where the line is. JF

Oh man I'm getting close to filing nock grooves. I've Sande real close to my lines, nice and even and straight. JF

File nock time. I'm gonna go straight across this time. Using a small chain saw file. They come in pairs. I use both. Start just out side my mark 33" from center to bottom of groove. After I do one side I use the other file as a guide. Place one on the bottom and the other one on top to file the second groove. This helps things go straight. JF

I'm not going to round the corners of the string groove yet. I'll be putting tip overlays on. I know this is going to be hard on the string. Remember when I sanded the corners of glass, that will soften the edges for when I slide my string on without cutting. JF

OK in mask from handle to tip, were going to string this bow. JF

Unmask

I strung it up, checked tiller, one limb is 1/8" stiffer. I'll make that the bottom limb. More finish sanding to come, to fine tune the limbs. Weight came out at 43.67lbs :) I wanted at least 40lbs let's go shoot it with a bare shaft. JF

A couple more shots and I'd better stop before the string brakes. I'm luvin this bow. JF

I'll be shaping the riser and overlays and put a finish on this beaut. Tomorrow, have a good one everybody. JF

Thanks for taking us through your build process. it's exciting to see bow coming into an existence through skilled hands :) looking forward to tomorrow!

That is sooooo cool Jeff! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

CD

Looking forward to tomorrow . I have enjoyed this.

Ain't ya gonna ask me what finish I want on it? lol Randy

Way back at the beginning I forgot to mention always wear both of these when working with wood and glass, any dust. JF

Be ware of the masked man, looks like he can shoot! LOL Still makes me nervous about running a bow on table saw.Old

Oh don't be scared OB, the saw ain't so bad :) a little board this AM at work,SO I did some layout out on the riser. Marking center and fades both sides,to and bottom. I know this may scare some of you,but I'm a trained professional lol ;) I've been to using grinders for a while. JF

OK, I mark my fades,my center of bow e from ntn, the top of belly ramps x2. Then I find center Lt to Rt at five places and mark. I will freehand looking at marks and center and park with 1/4" tape, until profile looks right. No shelf yet. The ink marks are for you to see better. Jf

Mark belly and back. JF

This is with layout tape, yea I know same color. The shaded area will get removed to tape line. With a 6" 24 grit air grinder. Grinding towards me and from tape to wood. JF

OK here we go.I won't be able to talk and take pictures so have a look. JF

Grind tape to wood and moving towards me.

Now I'm grinding in between fades with grinder flat, narrowing up the sides. JF

Both sides. JF

Now I'll layout the shelf to center.JF

And again I won't be able to talk.I need to watch what I'm doing. JF

Now I'll even things out with a DA sander and 80 grit. JF

There ruffed out for some hand sanding later. I think its time to shoot,there still some lunch time before I'm supposed to go back to my real job :) JF

Ah let's shorting this up a bit,it'll be easier to string. I'll use a cut off wheel. And the chamfer the edges with DA. JF