[High Desert Flipper]

Here is my latest bow build, finished a few weeks ago. It has ~500 shots in it now and seems to be surviving well and hasn't taken on any more set since breaking it in.

Made from a maple board, it is 65" nock to nock, has phenolic reinforced limb tips and a D97 string. Made straight it has taken about 1.5" set after breaking in. Looking forward to trying to add some reflex / deflex someday soon but this one is just straight.

This is also my first try at a layered handle- I am happy with the way it glued up but want a do over on the colors and shaping the handle (will try to get those more to my liking on the next one).

It pulls 46 lbs at 28" and 43 lbs at 27" (my draw length) and shoots 9 grain per pound arrows at 160-165 fps and holds 155 with 10 gpp arrows.

It also badly breaks the rules against ring violation and grain run off on the limbs- pic of the top limb back included below. To counter this I treated the back by sanding it rough and painting it up with watered down wood glue. My idea was to try and impregnate the top bit of wood with glue hoping to stick it all together to prevent layers or splinters from lifting up. Not sure if that worked or if I just got lucky, but it has held together well for several weeks of shooting and ~500 shots. When I learn about reflexing and / or flipping the tips I am also looking forward to adding bamboo or other backings to support limbs like this with poor grain patterns. And while it seems to be ill advised, the grain pattern on the limbs is visually pleasing.

Part of the my adventure with self bows is learning how to shoot a bow instinctively- I've always used a site before. Learning to shoot with both eyes open has been challenging and fun. And thankfully that is coming along. Pic below is shots from 20 yards on one of first outings with this bow. I am getting most arrows inside an 8" paper plate at 10 yards now and looking forward to the day when I can consistently do that from 20-25 yards.

A few pics below and a short video showing the limb bend while shooting is at

 

[Hobbit With A Slingshot]

Good looking bow! I've read a ton about making bows and arrows, but I've never really tried it myself.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

Good looking bow! I've read a ton about making bows and arrows, but I've never really tried it myself.

It took a lot of tries to get one that worked and that learning period was a little fun, and it is really enjoyable now that I am getting it figured out and starting to have some success. Wonderful to have so many good video's and how to guides out there now. Makes it easy enough that pretty amateur level people without much wood working experience or many tools like me can figure it out. If you decide to have a go at it, I found the videos from Kramer Ammons / Shatterproof archery and Clay Matthews really helpful.

 

[Tobor8Man]

HDP - really impressive. I tried to build a bow and have a great deal of respect for those who can.

I noticed that you are using vanes. You can shoot vanes from a trad. Bow - but it requires really carefully tuning. Do you have access to feather fletching? It is a lot more forgiving. What spine weight arrows are you shooting?

One of the best instinctive archery coaches is Tom Clum at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear in Wheat Ridge (Denver Metro Area). RMS Gear is a mecca for trad. Archery and the shop and range alone are worth the trip. Let me know if you are inspired to travel here. I am happy to host you and make all the arrangements with Tom.

 

[Island made]

Good looking bow! Maple makes a tough fast bow. I've never had one break, but I always back them. Currently working on a all wood tri lam bow. Maple and oak.

Btw, that's some good arrow speed! Plenty enough to hunt anything in North America.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

Good looking bow! Maple makes a tough fast bow. I've never had one break, but I always back them. Currently working on a all wood tri lam bow. Maple and oak.

Btw, that's some good arrow speed! Plenty enough to hunt anything in North America.

A tri-lam is on my list to try someday! Would be really cool to get a good functional one of those done! So far just red oak and maple boards for me- it's what is available at the stores in my area. I haven't had any of the maple ones break yet but usually have to back the oak ones. So far the easiest to apply best function backing I have found for the oak is drywall seam tape (fiberglass) put on with wood glue. Looks ugly as all get out but really holds things together and looks marginally better after painting the back. I am looking forward to trying bamboo backings at some point not too far off.

 

[Island made]

I'll let you know how I get along with this one I use drywall tape and glue as well. Have never had a bow break with it....even with bad boards. I too would like the try bamboo backing but I'm afraid it would over bower the oak belly. Maple might work better.

I too paint the tape, typically a dark green or brown. But my plan for the next "good" bow I make I'll order a snake skin to cover the drywall tape.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

HDP - really impressive. I tried to build a bow and have a great deal of respect for those who can.

I noticed that you are using vanes. You can shoot vanes from a trad. Bow - but it requires really carefully tuning. Do you have access to feather fletching? It is a lot more forgiving. What spine weight arrows are you shooting?

One of the best instinctive archery coaches is Tom Clum at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear in Wheat Ridge (Denver Metro Area). RMS Gear is a mecca for trad. Archery and the shop and range alone are worth the trip. Let me know if you are inspired to travel here. I am happy to host you and make all the arrangements with Tom.

Yes, I am using vanes. Also using a plastic flipper arrow rest- the classic bear flipper rest. I found a deal at Sportsman's Warehouse over the summer and got their house brand carbon arrows ("Vital Impact" or something like that) at half price. But they only came with vanes. At ~$3 per arrow it was hard to say no. Now that I am getting some respectable bows made I am going to do right by our locally owned archery shop and have them set me up with some feather fletched arrows. Have some leather / moleskin / carpet shelf covering material that I will use to make traditional rests with. Actually longing to shoot these from the shelf, and the day is getting near.

HDF

 

[High Desert Flipper]

I'll let you know how I get along with this one I use drywall tape and glue as well. Have never had a bow break with it....even with bad boards. I too would like the try bamboo backing but I'm afraid it would over bower the oak belly. Maple might work better.

I too paint the tape, typically a dark green or brown. But my plan for the next "good" bow I make I'll order a snake skin to cover the drywall tape.

I found a matte tan spray paint that I do most of my figerglass backed bows with. Doesn't look too bad, but not as nice as the natural wood. Those end up shooting pretty well too, but I keep striving for wood grain on the back that will toss 10 gpp arrows at 170 fps or better. Something to keep "shooting" for I guess. I have yet to get one there with or without a backing. I bet snakeskin turns out to be super awesome! Lord knows we have enough down here that I could get my own, so long as I didn't get bit while trying to get them. Thankfully we don't actually run into them all that often unless we actually try to find them. But some exciting times when they turn up unexpected! Maybe another option to consider.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

Got this one out for ~100 shots this morning before the cold snap hits. Got better groups from 20 yards today. If you look closely, one of the groups looks like I was trying to see how close I could get without hitting the paper plate- one barely in the plate and eight ranging from barely grazing the outside to 3" or less off! Not what I was going for but pretty comical nonetheless- I got 5 shots in and thought I was gonna nail it with the last 4. Little did I know! This shooting without a site is a hoot, with some days going not so bad and other days going not quite as well.

 

[hoggy]

Here is my latest bow build, finished a few weeks ago. It has ~500 shots in it now and seems to be surviving well and hasn't taken on any more set since breaking it in.

Made from a maple board, it is 65" nock to nock, has phenolic reinforced limb tips and a D97 string. Made straight it has taken about 1.5" set after breaking in. Looking forward to trying to add some reflex / deflex someday soon but this one is just straight.

This is also my first try at a layered handle- I am happy with the way it glued up but want a do over on the colors and shaping the handle (will try to get those more to my liking on the next one).

It pulls 46 lbs at 28" and 43 lbs at 27" (my draw length) and shoots 9 grain per pound arrows at 160-165 fps and holds 155 with 10 gpp arrows.

It also badly breaks the rules against ring violation and grain run off on the limbs- pic of the top limb back included below. To counter this I treated the back by sanding it rough and painting it up with watered down wood glue. My idea was to try and impregnate the top bit of wood with glue hoping to stick it all together to prevent layers or splinters from lifting up. Not sure if that worked or if I just got lucky, but it has held together well for several weeks of shooting and ~500 shots. When I learn about reflexing and / or flipping the tips I am also looking forward to adding bamboo or other backings to support limbs like this with poor grain patterns. And while it seems to be ill advised, the grain pattern on the limbs is visually pleasing.

Part of the my adventure with self bows is learning how to shoot a bow instinctively- I've always used a site before. Learning to shoot with both eyes open has been challenging and fun. And thankfully that is coming along. Pic below is shots from 20 yards on one of first outings with this bow. I am getting most arrows inside an 8" paper plate at 10 yards now and looking forward to the day when I can consistently do that from 20-25 yards.

A few pics below and a short video showing the limb bend while shooting is at

SWEET

 

[Trap1]

Love it!

I only ever backed 2 bows..using a thin (⅛" thk) strip of pignut hickory.. still have a hickory stave left but A've no the strength for tillering noo! Never ever thought of using boards when I was making..wish I had, wid' ve saved a lot of time!

Inlaid M.O.P made a great arrow pass

Great thread & nice bow! HDF. A' look forward(..furrit) tae seein mair o' your work! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ghost0311/8541]

Looks good the end of April I am going to the tennessee classic traditional bow shoot and they have a three day make and shoot your bow for score and some amazing bows come out of it there guys there to help you out and show you what you need to do.

 

[Tobor8Man]

HDP - take your arrows to the local shop and ask it to strip the vanes and install feather fletching. I buy cheap shafts at Wally World when they go on sale after hunting season. I strip the vanes with a utility knife and install feather fletching. Easy-peasy!

Keep grouping those arrows! You can move the group at a later date.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

Looks good the end of April I am going to the tennessee classic traditional bow shoot and they have a three day make and shoot your bow for score and some amazing bows come out of it there guys there to help you out and show you what you need to do.

I've seen videos of the classic and other archery meetups (and slingshot ones too), they look like a hoot! Not sure when I will have the budget or time to travel, but maybe in a few years if I am able to retire. Maybe by then I will have learned a bit about making bows from staves. I would love to work up to that someday. Really amazing that they get them made and shot in three days. Right now I do so much hemming and hawing, thinking, re-thinking, guessing, and second guessing along the way it takes me about three weeks to make a bow even when starting from a board. Granted, that is around a full time job and all, but still....

 

[cromag]

I've never tried making one but really enjoy shooting them. You can get Gateway fletching for about a quarter a piece if you look around and a jig for less that 30 bucks that will get you in the refletching business. It's a handy "necessity" to do when you start grouping tight enough to get traumatic on the feathers although I wouldn't know. Looks like you're getting some pretty good performance out of an ordinary old plank , kudos!

 

[Tobor8Man]

If your shelf is not slightly convex so that the arrow rests on a narrow ledge, put a match stick perpendicular to the arrow, under the shelf material, at the same point as the ledge of your stick-on rest.

 

[cromag]

HDF , I notice you make the site window/shelf area quite wide. Is that for strength? Harold Groves had a similar pattern that he incorporated in order to allow for an over draw on some models of his bows. I have a GS 300 that has that feature but it makes shooting off the shelf difficult because of the length of the shelf itself.

 

[High Desert Flipper]

HDF , I notice you make the site window/shelf area quite wide. Is that for strength? Harold Groves had a similar pattern that he incorporated in order to allow for an over draw on some models of his bows. I have a GS 300 that has that feature but it makes shooting off the shelf difficult because of the length of the shelf itself.

I have left the window and shelf wide to date, and yes, for strength. Not sure if it needs to be that wide or not. I have curved the shelf slightly to try and reduce contact with the shafts but it will still spend a lot of time rubbing the fletching. Will see how this works and ponder narrowing it down in the future. While I haven't made one yet, I am also considering trying a no window minimal shelf type bow. And someday, maybe a no shelf shoot off the top of the hand one as well. So many cool things to think about trying!