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oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer · 12-17-2012, 11:40 PM

I don't know what it is but shooting a traditional bow is just a blast.

I would say it is because it is fun, simple, effective and age old to boot. Mike

**45_70sharps** · 12-18-2012, 12:02 AM

Plus a nice longbow is a think of beauty!

oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer · 12-18-2012, 12:10 AM

Yes they are a thing of beauty. I will try to take some decent pics of some bows I have finished and some in progress as well. I was only going to build one but...... I have given away 11 if my memory is right and only sold a few. I get attached to them and don't want to get rid of them when finished. Same thing with my flint knapping some of them just have something that makes you have to keep it. Mike

oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer · 12-18-2012, 12:24 AM

Here is an eight point shot with sinew back osage bow I built. Used a home made arrow with a kay county flint tip.

**Zuljin** · 12-18-2012, 12:24 AM

I've been on eBay and traditional archery buy and sell sites for a week hoping to find a non TD. After talking myself into a TD because it makes the most sense, I went to Bass Pro and Cabelas and molested some non TDs. Falling for the romanticism of those.

I see people buying and shooting bows from as far back as the 60s and even some from the 50s. Given a bow is in good shape, how much does flat out age effect it?

oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer · 12-18-2012, 12:30 AM

I would expect a good osage bow to last a couple of lifetimes if taken care of. Which by the way don't take much. Don't keep it strung up all the time, only when shooting or hunting. Other than stringing backwards or dry fire or torquing a limb while stringing or maybe breaking a string there just is not that much to go wrong. One more thing is letting someone else shoot your bow. Be sure they do not over draw it or that can spell splinters or loud snaps. Both of which do not sound good. Mike

**nutty_gnome** · 12-18-2012, 12:35 AM

Please point me to a reputable online version of the DIY osage bow process. I've already googled too many bows made from coat hangers by kids on youtube.... I'm curious to see the process if not try it myself. N_G

**45_70sharps** · 12-18-2012, 12:41 AM

That depends. A selfwood bow, meaning one that is made from a single piece of wood is vulnerable to all kinds of mistreatment. Some woods will take bending and releasing more times than others.

Most bows you buy today have a wooden core and are structurally covered in something called bowtough which is a material similar to fiberglass. If those are treated properly they should last for a very very long time.

When you see a bow from the sixties or seventies, there were selfwood bows, fiberglass bows, and some made like today's bows except they had fiberglass over the wood core. Fiberglass does not take repeated shock as well as modern materials. I would look at any old bow with fiberglass carefully and check for cracking. I would also stick to 50 pounds or less on an old bow just for safety.

Another thing to remember is that an older bow or a newer selfwood bow needs to have one of the older materials for its string.
The newer stuff, someone else will help me out on what it's called, will put too much energy into the limbs and that can result in catastrophic failure.

oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer · 12-18-2012, 12:56 AM

Osage will take about anything you throw at it. It is also one of the springiest woods there is. I just made a little bush bow that pulls 55 at twenty inchs. The bow is very short just over 40 inchs long. It rode in the back of my pickup for ten years roughed out just needing tillered and nocks cut. I don't think I will ever ever think about a finish. It don't need it. It is a cool little spitter for shooting out of small portable blinds. If you look up OJAM there are several small pieces of footage showing the different steps. I would go to the library and get the Jim Hamm book called Bows and Arrows Of Native Americans. An excellent site to look into would be Paleo Planet. They have several bow tutorials there. Mike

**Zuljin** · 12-18-2012, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 45_70sharps

That depends. A selfwood bow, meaning one that is made from a single piece of wood is vulnerable to all kinds of mistreatment. Some woods will take bending and releasing more times than others.

Most bows you buy today have a wooden core and are structurally covered in something called bowtough which is a material similar to fiberglass. If those are treated properly they should last for a very very long time.

When you see a bow from the sixties or seventies, there were selfwood bows, fiberglass bows, and some made like today's bows except they had fiberglass over the wood core. Fiberglass does not take repeated shock as well as modern materials. I would look at any old bow with fiberglass carefully and check for cracking. I would also stick to 50 pounds or less on an old bow just for safety.

Another thing to remember is that an older bow or a newer selfwood bow needs to have one of the older materials for its string.
The newer stuff, someone else will help me out on what it's called, will put too much energy into the limbs and that can result in catastrophic failure.

That's fast flight string, if I've read right. The older bows take new strings made of dacron.

I've also read about using phenolic on the tips to make old bows fast flight compatible. Not sure if that's correct info though.