From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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I have been shooting this self bow a lot more this year. It's very smooth and quiet. I really enjoy shooting it. It carries well too.
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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So Don! Stats please. Awesome shooting btw. Lance
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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I just love shooting selfbows. It always makes me smile. Bjrogg
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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This is the self bow I won years ago for that auction they had for "Dire Wolf' Jim Fetrow. I did not shoot a Fetrow today. I was only ten yards away form target. Badger Steve Gardner Put this bow up for auction. I was the lucky winner. Its 68" long and 50# @ 28". A very enjoyable bow to shoot.
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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This is the very first self bow I ever shot. Steve makes a really sweet bow.
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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No I didn't cut anything. But this bow got darker with age.
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From: Pa Steve
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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Nice looking bow. IMO nothing is quieter than a well made selfbow. Considering Steve made it...it's definitely well made.
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From: papadeerhtr
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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I too just started shooting selfbows this past year. I was so impressed with the quietness and their not as slow as I thought they would be. Plus I started building my own that kinda makes it sweeter.
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From: Arvin
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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I like making and shooting selfbows. Nice bow by the way! Arvin
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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Thank you Arvin. It was guys like Fred Arnold, Jim Davis, Dire Wolf, and Pearl Drums that sparked my interest in these bows. And I did luck into a well made one for sure. When I bought my first compound bow back in 1985. I never would of thought I would be shooting a simple wooden self bow today. The journey continues.....;-)
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From: fdp
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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Nothing quite like shooting an all natural materials bow.
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From: Jay B
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Date: 15-Sep-19 |
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Is Jim Fetrow still around? I used to love his posts.
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From: PEARL DRUMS
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Date: 16-Sep-19 |
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No doubt a good one is a good one. All it takes is one poor self bow to shy a fella away from them and it bolsters poor opinions on what they are capable of. Enjoy your bow, Don. Steve makes a solid shooter.
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 16-Sep-19 |
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Thanks Chris. You really do have to shoot a well made one to even have an opinion on one. But better yet. Try making a few first. It will give you even more respect and admiration for the guys that really know how to build a "GOOD ONE". ;-)
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From: PEARL DRUMS
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Date: 16-Sep-19 |
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20 full scrapes on the right side and brace it up to about 2" and have another look. Bows always look different when you not only pull them down but also inward, a shorter string will show that.
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 16-Sep-19 |
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Both limbs seem stiff from midlimv to nocks. Jawge
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 17-Sep-19 |
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I used Ash Kana. Wish I used Hickory. The bow developed White diagonal lines on the belly side of limb. And it cracked. I glued it back together. Not sure why. I will never shoot that one. But I learned somethings from it.
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 18-Sep-19 |
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Thanks for the input Pat. If I ever try Ash again I will make the limbs wider.
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 18-Sep-19 |
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Tonto it was probably bending to much in that area. If I had to guess from picture on your tree. I'd say right out of fades left limb. Your inner limbs are bending but middle and outer are stiff yet. Can you see what I'm seeing. It's the tricky part of making a selfbow. As Marc says keep it flexible. Get it all but the very tips bending and doing their part. Don't let anyone spot take more than it should.
Bjrogg
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 18-Sep-19 |
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Yes I see BJrogg. I will give it try again.Thanks for the advice.
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From: Jeff Durnell
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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Go back and read Pearl's last post closely. He's spot on.
Be mindful of judging those mid/outer limbs when being drawn with a long tillering string, because with the long string, they appear stiffer than they will when you brace it with a shorter string. Sometimes the bend in the outer limbs changes considerably, and can make the rest of the process unnecessarily more difficult.
So, it pays to keep the tillering string as short as possible... just long enough to get it on both tips. To minimize the 'long string effect'. At rest, the string should be near the handle, not hanging down a foot below it before you begin pulling. If you create nice arcs all the way out the limbs with an overly long string, you may be shocked when you brace it properly and find the thing whip ended. Then ya start backtracking, struggle getting it corrected, making weight, etc.
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I think jeff just gave you some very good advice to. I personally go right from what I call vice tillering to low brace. Even when I'm vice tillering I pull the tips back and towards the handle like short string would. It works for me but I made a lot of bows and I got a pretty good feel for what I need. Bjrogg
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I appreciate the advice and tips Jeff. I have only made 3 self bows. I never heard of the short string thing. I will have to give that a try. But after shooting "Badger's" Steve Gardner's self bow. I was amazed how well that all wood bow shot an arrow.It really is a joy to shoot and carry. Do you guys remember making your first few self bows? Were they as good as the ones you are making today? I have a tree guy looking for a good piece of Hickory for me. I will give making a self bow a try again.
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From: barebo2
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I remember my first one all too well! I got the desire to carve out a bow and that's exactly what I did. Ash log about 6" and well seasoned. I set to work making a nice handle and 2 long limbs and filed in some nocks. I thought I was a "pro" at this because it sure Looked like a bow......! Went to the local archery shop where I bought my first new Darton recurve in 1972. Art smiled when I showed him my new weapon - he fixed me up with a string and I was ready to be Howard Hill. Got home and got my arrows and glove and was going to string this beauty up. I had all I could do just to get the darn string in the nocks. It had to be 80#. Tiller tree? What is that? The limbs were about 5/8 to 3/4" thick and I was clueless but it looked like a bow. Never bent until now. SO - I get the string on and give it a nice steady pull for all I'm worth and at about 4" from my anchor there was a CRACK - SNAP like a 30-06 rifle went off. One limb came around and smacked my hard in the gut and I had a pie plate sized bruise for a good month. My wife came running in yelling "What was That!!!???" I showed her my "Bow". I related this to a guy named Val Sorrentino who was an excellent bowyer and who I had traded recurves and longbows with. He told me to get the Bowyers Bible and that turned the light on. At this point I realize that after the 80 bows I've made that you can make a simple and plain well built bow or go the extra mile and add nice overlays and different finishes, etc. You get out of it what you put into it. If you follow the steps and listen to the wood the result is satisfying. It would be a huge benefit to have someone like Pearl Drums or one of the many guys on here actually show you the ropes. That would save on making mistakes and learning the hard way.
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From: PEARL DRUMS
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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My fist 15-20 bows sucked and are worthless. It takes a while to understand proper tiller based on the bows unbraced shape and then follow through with it. But, once you learn and your eyes can see it, it all comes easier.
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From: Bjrogg
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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Yup remember everything about it . I can still see that awful bend. I did shoot it a couple hundred times but looking back I can see it was destiny it would fail me. I was so proud of it. I took it to a neighbor farm shop where Saturday mornings some of the old timers hang out and have some coffee. They kinda think I got a screw loose or something. I braced my bow all the while they were saying don't do it it's gonna break. I confidently drew it to my normal anchor and they just watched me. Then feeling unstoppable I over drew it to my ear and heard crack and everyone erupted in laughter. I laughed right along with them. I knew then and there I was going to get serious and figure out how to do this right. Those old timers knew I had a screw loose then. Now they are all pretty proud of me and don't doubt my equipment or how I use it.
That bow broke my heart, but it hooked me for life. My second was much better but still like pearl said it took probably 20 or more to really get good. I'm still always learning. I started out with very conservative designs and I have been pushing the limits more as I go. I really enjoy everything about this passion
Bjrogg
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From: Jeff Durnell
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I still have my first selfbow. What a piece of work lemme tell ya. It's too short, wide, thin, whip ended, from a small osage tree that had been standing dead for many, many years. Lol. The 'yellow' heartwood was dark like walnut throughout and hard as a rock(I've never seen a piece of osage that hard since) and I remember thinking that if all osage was like that, it would surely be my last. Good grief did I struggle making that bow. I could probably throw an arrow farther by hand than that thing can toss one. It has so many tool marks left in it, it looks like a petrified bow that some caveman made with a rock 20,000 years ago. It still shoots today... which says nothing about my skills, but is a testament to osage as bow wood. As hard as I tried to ruin it, it's still a bow.
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From: D.Lewis aka tonto59
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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Cool stories guys. Maybe my bow turned out bad. But this thread sure turned out good.
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From: Will tell
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I had a lot of help building my first self bow. My son and me went to a bow making class for a weekend given in Erie by Ryan and Patrick O'Sulivan. We both built a nice Osage self bow.
Later that year they had the 1st Traditional World IBO shoot in Erie. I took the bow I made and went to the shoot. It was the first ever shoot I kept score or competed in.
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From: Missouribreaks
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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No greater pleasure, or accomplishment, in archery than bow and arrow hunting with a selfbow as your primary weapon. Bow and arrow hunting at it's finest.
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From: Will tell
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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He was shooting a Bamboo Ipe bow if I remember. It was in 2009.
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From: Will tell
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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I've retillered it and pretty much got it out of wack. It pulled around 55 pounds at 24". I'll have to get back at it this winter and get her shooting again.
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From: MStyles
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Date: 19-Sep-19 |
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Reading these posts has me wanting to finish an Osage self bow I started 5 yrs ago. It’s about 1/2 done. It’s in the Molegabet style. It took me a long time to get it down to one ring. It has thin growth rings, but is very straight.
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From: George Tsoukalas
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Date: 20-Sep-19 |
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My selfbows are all I shoot these days. I also have my first which was made from black locust 1990 or so. It was my 14th try to get a hunting weight shooter. Jawge
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