bow nightmare...
ok, now that the pics are loaded and ive figured this all out... there were many issues right from the start when i decided to make this bow. First of all, i set out to make a traditional longbow. (didnt have any hardwood long enough...) then, i decided to make it a three piece takedown bow. (couldnt find any plans with any detailed drawings of the riser.) next, when i did finally get the riser blank all glued up and ready to go, i found out it was too short to use for a standard size. (no big deal, its for a 70lb little girl, how big does it gotta be, right?) finally, never could get any designs for it, so i tried my best to just wing it based on my recurve at home, but only scaled down.... (yeah right! scale? calculate? hahaha! lol!) then, realizing that a bandsaw might have been a good tool to have in my arsenal, i looked at my poor little scroll saw and said "well little buddy,... i guess we are gonna find out your limits today!" lol! ( not only managed, but miraculously didnt break a single blade! ) after rasping my arms off, and almost a finger, then sanding, i stepped back and was left with a half decent looking hunk of a handle.
now all i have to do is work on getting the inserts for the limb bolts and all that set up on it and its done. meanwhile, i have a set of limbs that im not even sure will work, as they are nothing more than a piece of red oak about 3/16 thick laminated between two pieces of pine about 1/8 thick. (i know, i know... pine? seriously?! but its only supposed to be 20lbs max, and i didnt have enough oak or anything else suitable for limbs) after the glue cured, i tested them for integrity and was surprised, but im still skeptical, and plan on backing them with some resin soaked linnen or cotton from an old worn out pair of cammo pants... anything to just try and keep the pine from splintering when tillering and drawing...
either way, im interested in pursuing this project till i get a sucessfull bow, because right from the start, ive learned a lot. (biggest one was to plan ahead and not to wing it all the time! lol!)
if anyone has any comments, advise, ideas, or suggestions (so long as they arent suggestions to quit woodworking! lol!) id be happy to hear from someone out there that has some experience with making bows. thanks!