i finally got a chance to hunt a little.

For the past few years I've used my black locust self-bow which is 47# at 25". 63.5" long. I made this bow a few years ago.

Note the layer of sapwood immediately above the heartwood but only because I did not have enough heartwood for the bow. I actually caught that sapwood ring in the middle of becoming heartwood which is what happens to black locust and osage.

Jawge

Of course, a bow without arrows is no good. This is my trade point tipped, sinew wrapped, self-nocked, wild rose arrow. Jawge

And finally I take a blunt. This also a wild rose, sinew wrapped arrow The blunt is tipped a brass cartridge case.

Very nice!

It looks good!

Beautiful bow & arrows George. Best of luck to you this hunting season.

Nice bow good luck and be safe.

Will you post some close ups of the limbs and fads I

Nice George,, thanks for sharing.

Very nice...wish I had one!!!

Looks good. Good luck and have fun, bud.

I went squirrel hunting last weekend with my selfbow and had one on the ground 5 or 6 yards away and never drew the bow. Just didn't feel like killing him. Maybe next time. He was looking for water. Really dry here.

Beautiful sir. Always enjoy seeing your work and reading your posts.

Very nice looking bow and arrows.

Good luck George and she's a beauty!

Nice, George!

I apologize for the lack of punctuation and misspellings. I wrote this post right before my nap which is never a good idea. LOL.

altitude sick, I will try to take some more photos of the fades tomorrow.

It is dry here too, Jeff. We are in a major drought.

I am glad you like the bow and arrows, my friends.

Jawge

beautiful,,

That's a beauty George.

Thank you, my friends. Black locust is a pretty good local bow wood. Jawge

Glad you got to get out...Bow looks awesome..

That’s why I’m curious. I’ve got a lot of honey locust and Black locust. But not much Osage

Thanks, Stan. I've been really busy around the house fixing things. It was good getting out. Thanks, Mechanic.

Come to think of it my first hunting weight shooter was made from black locust. It grows on my land. It had a terrible tiller but I still have it. I made it around 1992 or 1993.

My younger brother Spiro of eternal memory, and I used to hunt with our black locust bows. He died Sept. 19, 2012. The first bow I made for him folded up like a book because of bad tillering and chrysals. He thought it was his fault. I made him another and we enjoyed it. I really do miss him. He is with the the Lord.

BL is one of the first woods to come back from converted farmland which is what my house was built on. It acts like a legume, much like peas, and fixes nitrogen into the soil. The pods drive my neighbor crazy. LOL.

It has been a fun journey learning how to make bows.

Thanks for journeying with me all these years, my friends. I don't know how many build alongs I did but I did a lot.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

Remember that my site has much about making bows.

http://traditionalarchery101.com

Jawge

altitude, remember that BL favors heartwood for its back if the stave has enough of it for a bow. If not you can leave some sapwood. Actually my first hunting weight shooter was made from a sapling so I did not chase a ring. Also, as you go towards the heartwood the sapwood strength increases IMHO.

I'll have better light tomorrow for photos.

Jawge

Remember the magic is cradled in the arms of the bowyer and not in the wood. Don't be afraid to try the BL. I never used HL. Jawge

that's a great combo there...I used my black locust bow and a stone tipped cane arrow for my late season last year. Putting a deer in the freezer that way is a great feeling. good luck.

Congratulations, Bowaholic. That, too, sounds, like a mighty fine combination. Thank you. Jawge

It's good to see you're still making your own simple shootin' sticks George, and darned nice ones at that. And I'm glad to see you still enjoying restful walks in the woods with your woodcraft, there's nothing better than that to sooth the soul.

You're one of the good guys my friend, I miss your good company and wish you all the best this fall and through the coming seasons.

To these eyes that is a weapon without the eye candy, all that's there is just what it needs to come to that pure and deadly arc. Lovely, and thanks for showing it to us.

That's nice, twostrings. Yes, I've always kept my bows simple. Less to go wrong in the field. But that's my choice. The eye candy bows are sure nice to look at. Jawge

Thanks, Altek. I miss shooting with you at the Pokenhope. Maybe next year. Lord willing. Years ago you and Charlie let me shoot with y'all. It was appreciated. Hope all is well. Jawge

Morning Jawge, great combination, BL and your handplaned arrow.

Good Luck with your quest for the venison filled freezer and or one for the mantle. It's all good.

Thanks, Gifford. Just being out there is pretty good too. Jawge

Nice.

Good luck on your hunt sir.

For altitude sick:

The handle is 4 inches and the fades are 2 inches. It is an 8 inch non bending handle. I always stay at the end of the fades to make sure that area begins to bend.

The bow is around 1 1/8" wide. The handle is 1 inch thick and 1 inch wide.

Wrong photo.

double oops.

The last picture is it.

Baseball stitch.

Note the treatment of the knot. I left it wide and tillerd it slightly stiff in relation to the rest of the limb.

Set is 1 inch on the top limb and 1 3/16 in. on the bottom limb.

Really good to see you gettin' to go huntin' George! And the bow, as usual is a honey! As are the arrows! Good luck on your hunts this season, and be safe! Wyatt

Questions welcomed. Jawge

Tanks, Buzz and Kwikdraw, muckiest appreciated. Jawge

LOL. Much appreciated!

Well done George, hope your able to make meat. Jophn

Thanks, Stoner. Jawge

Thanks for the extra pictures. I have to buy my Osage. But have a lot of locust and Mulberry. I know locust is very hard, stringy wood is it hard to coax a bow out of. Any obvious quick tips

You are welcome. Tiller well and don't be in a rush. Do take your time. All the BL I used had much thicker rings to chase so that part is easier,

BL is a good wood to learn on.

Jawge

Thanks for sharing George! Beautiful bow... My dream is to cut a Black locust stave below the house and build a bow with it... I have visited your site and appreciate the guidance on these builds... someday soon I will undertake that project. In the meantime, it is nice to enjoy your locust woood bows! JW

jwhitetail, you can do it. It is a good feeling to build bow with local woods and an even better feeling to build a bow with wood taken from your land. jawge

Nice looking bow, and arrow too. Hope you have good hunting.

Thanks, Bentstick54. Nice of you. Jawge

Nice bow Jawge, that should do the trick. Love the arrows also. Pappy

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here