I hate calling these things Horsebows but anyway... :)
Photo of my workshop. Yeah it's outdoors :)
Closer view. You can see the tool use for wrapping the rope around the form. This is the method I used to clamp the bow to the form.
Picture of the form, the lams, handle and siyahs
For some reason, the pictures of the bow all wrapped up in rope to the form got corrupted but here is the picture of the bow blank all cleaned up. I checked the straightness with the string and everything is lined up.
Here, I am adding more handle material. Of course, everything will be sanded down for the nice slim grip
Still need to add materials to the siyahs and then shape it. After that, some decorations and done!
yes, thats a nice line. I Think your in the process of making a fine bow. I made the mistake of getting a 57# hawarang thinking I could shoot it from day one with a thumb ring. I should have started with something in the 35# range. If I had to guess by limb thickness I would say this bow will be hi 30's in poundage? Please keep us updated.
Yes you are correct - I am going for around 32-37#. The bow will be short. 48-50". I made heavier horsebows but it's just nice to shoot the light ones.
Hi Fernando. I would say the rope method is ok and applies even pressure to the bow but there is a chance of the bow having a "domed" limb. It's always a good idea to use a pressure strip. Also, wrapping a bow (even a short one) is a workout! I will eventually make a full form and use the air-hose method. I just did this one as a prototype and did not want to spend a lot of time on the form.
I will see if I can post a picture of the rope method later...
Great start! Hope you dont mind me tracking you down on the wall when I'm ready to build a horsebow! Anyways....stupid question here. I have arthritis in my thumb to bad to use a thumbring. Ironicly its the only finger I have arthritis in.LOL Do you have to use a thumbring with that kind of bow?
Knucklehead - I don't mind at all. Just PM me with any questions. Anyway, not a stupid question at all. Of course you can use fingers with these bows. The tiller might have to be tweak to accommodate that but that is all. Also, short bows are not very forgiving when it comes to shooting with fingers so your form and re-lease has to be perfect. Also, I don't see why you can't make extra long horsebows... But then, it will be hard to use when riding a horse :P
That is great.........all the pics of the wrap with the rope that you can muster up would be great to see. Please keep up the good work and keep us updated.
Here is the form wrapped up in rope. There is no bow in there. The picture is just to simulate what I did before my camera acted up on me. On top of the form is the tool I used for wrapping.
thanks a lot for the rope in the form, it's reaaly simple. and I understood the method. If you want to test new forms and save money, this is a very intelligent way of to do that. I'm here watching your job. very interesting the grip cut. I want to make horsebows, but for now I'm only learning. Fernando
man i have been waiting for a good horse bow build. i like your design best of what i've seen. can you give us a list of materials and specs on your lams (taper, thickness)?? pretty please!!
Sulphur - I am using Superaction Tapered Core Laminations from Binghams in .06" thicknes. Funny thing is they came sandwiched in packing strips which are basically the same thing (Superaction lamination) and I used those to make laminated siyahs. I forgot what thickness the glass is but it's thin. Maybe .04"
The riser are just strips of woods that I have, rosewood, canary wood, and zircote
Bill - I plan to pull the bow to about 29" and see if it explodes ;)
I used the same rope and lever technique on my horn and sinew bow and I do believe it was a better method than "C" clamps. Jhoneli, this is turning out very nice. I like the line of this bow. :)
I like how you got that "spliced look" by gluing wood onto the glass.
Nice work. Is the rope method one that people used traditionally for horn bows. I like Jaap's rope and wedge system too as the wedge would give you more flexibility in adding pressure when wanted. Can you get good pressure from wrapping along? You're glue lines look good so I'm sure you can
Jhoneil if it's not too much to ask! Could you do like a video short or something on the rope methed? I'm very interested in seeing how that works! By the way the bows shaping up real nice!
Gaur, I can use the rope/wedge method + form too and that might actually easier to do. I have a bunch of plastic wedges that I bought at home depot. There is actually more than enough pressure with just the rope alone and you really have to watch out for "domed" limbs.
I will try to make a video of the tool for roping in action. It's the weekend right now so I am taking a break from working on the bow..
Beautiful. I have a non-archery question. What camera are you using? Your photos are the best I have seen on LW by far. Outdoor lighting prolly helps a lot there.
Thanks! I am using an old Canon 20D with 28-135mm lens. I do photography on the side but I am not trying too hard here as shown by the blurry picture of the bow :)
Here it is all strung up. No string bridges yet. It's 50" from tip to tip but only 48" from the ends of the string. It's all wrapped up temporarily in chord right now just in case it explodes - I don't want parts of it flying around. Haven't pulled it yet. Just letting the bow adjust to the pressure for now. Seems like the upper limb is stiffer so I will designate that as the lower limb instead.
I am thinking thin leather or birchbark and then maybe paint something on it. String bridges will be added after tomorrow. I will be pulling it tomorrow to full 29". I really should make bows with less radical shapes. I might be putting too much stress on the materials. Next one, the limbs will be less forward.
Nice looking bow....can hardly wait to hear how she shoots. I think you made the right call cutting in the string nocks where you did. Putting them higher would have put more strain on the glue joint...JMO.
As for your reply to Knucklehead about a longer bow being harder to use on horse back...didn't the Samurai shoot their yumi from horseback?
Looking forward to the tutorial video on how that rope contraption works.
By the way, why the ledge on the back of the grip?
If your worried about the radical design instead of taking away reflex in the limbs take it from the riser. If you make your riser dead on or slightly forward you could even add more reflex in the limbs. Right now it looks like your 3in? backward in your riser. If you change that to 1in forward and add a couple of inches (2-3in) in reflex to the limbs you will have no problem with overstressing the materials(or preformance). A forward riser is also more stable.
Forward risers are more stable for finger shooters. I don't think it matters for thumbring shooters. I think the bow can handle it. I will think about re-design if this one fails :) Thanks for the suggestions;)
"Forward risers are more stable for finger shooters. I don't think it matters for thumbring shooters" Seriously? That's pretty cool. What about bow length? Does a longer bow help when you shoot a tumbring?
Forward riser should lessen torque but if you watch some ring shooters, the back of the bow sometimes end up facing the archer. I think this is the reason why most Asian type bows have setback handles. Turkish bows have slightly forward handles. I might try making one of those after this and see how they shoot. In my experience, longer bows are easier to shoot but some people have different experiences.
So you could have a 68in bow with a 10in setback. Then when you brace the bow the limbs will be bent enough to use a short string and the bow would be maneuverable yet stable from the length. I'm thinking of doing a Turkish style bow. If I do I'll post a build a long.
I am not sure what you meant. Can you maybe sketch out a design and post it? Sounds interesting tho.
The Copperleaf is not really a Chinese bow. I made it and it resembles a Chinese bow the closest. Ok maybe not that close :D The tiller is not that great.
I was able to pull the new bow to 28" by the way. I think 29"-31" is asking too much of it.
I'll try to draw up a sketch later. I really like that copperleaf bow. Where did you get it? Congrats on being able to pull the bow to 29in. Maybe make the next one a little longer.
Wow you made that copperleaf bow! You did an outstanding job on it. This bow's handle is looking nice now. Instead of thinning the limbs you could try a couple passes with sandpaper on the back and belly. That might able you to pull the bow farther. If you are worried about the bow not being able to pull back far enough you can measure how the bow draws. When the bow starts to stack it shouldn't be pulled farther. So if the bow doesn't stack up to 28in you are safe to pull until it does(whether that be 32in 29in or whatever).
outstanding job, thanks a lot Jhoneil for your time and friendship. If you decide to make a video you shooting it, please show to us. make another horsebow, maybe that west India, what do you think? it's a small bow but very nice and efficient. see you, Fernando
Holy I actually shot it today and the bow works!! Nothing flew out and I did not hear any cracking sounds. I only shot it with fingers for now. I think the riser is too long tho and I will shorten it for the next version.
