I spent a couple weekends last month working on this recurve. I’ve been wanting to do an Osage recurve, so I did a practice run on a hickory board. Gave me a chance to try out the form I made and learn how to steam in the curves. It’s real smooth and came in my target weight. I’ve been using it as my daily shooter the last few weeks. Check out the build video to see the whole process! I’m already working on the Osage bow.
Thanks bluesman. I'm real happy with it. Longbows always give me trouble when I'm shooting them. For some reason, recurves are way more natural. I've thought about trying bamboo flooring. Good to know it works. I've only ever used bamboo once as a backing on an osage slat.
I forgot to add...got a ton of advice from Pearl Drums. From the form to the splinter I got during the bending process. Definitely, shortened the learning curve a ton to have advice from someone with lots of experience.
Bows are tough to take pictures of... I can never get the full bow and detail in the same picture.
Very nice, thanks for the video. I learned the hard way to leave a lot of material when steaming. So any splinters can be worked out. Even using thin metal on the belly I have gotten small splinters. Not every time but it happens. I’m still learning.
As a bowmaker of 25 years I can honestly say you did a great job on that bow. Making a lumber board bow is a challenge, making a recurve board bow is a double challenge and you pulled it off perfectly.
"Bows are tough to take pictures of... I can never get the full bow and detail in the same picture."
Your photographs are good. Bows are all about curves and the lethal arc of a full draw. The detail shots of risers and wood grain may as well be in furniture catalogs.
Altitude sickness. that seems like the ticket. If you were really thin to begin with I wonder if it'd bend easier? But if it doesn't then you're kinda up a creek.
Eric I think you're right. I haven't made a stave bow in years, but after starting the Osage bow, I feel like that works way easier comparatively with a draw knife. Not sure if that makes sense. But boards seem to lend themselves to band saws and staves to drawknives. Boards are cheap and easy to come by.
Catskills lol, I'll probably try my selway on it at some point, but I'm liking a naked bow.
I definitely can't give enough credit to Pearl Drums. Without his advice, after the second steaming, the next scene would have been me drinking whiskey next to a hickory fire. lol After doing the recurve and getting a handle on it, I think all my personal bows will be recurves. They're just sexier, and I feel way more comfortable with them.
Twostrings my wife took the stills, she's not the neanderthal that I am.
Amazing work. I've tried to recurve hickory board limbs on a half-dozen bows and one limb always cracks fatally on me. I have only tried dry heating with oil and submerged boiling so far. I'll try steaming someday.
