Friday 3 October 2014

Unwrapping the Bow

Got it unwrapped this morning, looks good, there's less reflex than the previous Boo' backed Yew but I wanted it definitely looking like a longbow. The back splice is really good, and I set too cleaning up the edges and rasping the corners off.
I tried it on the tiller on a string that would just slip on and it pulled back to 50# comfortably. One limb was a good bit stiffer, so I've earmarked that as the lower (left) limb.
I rasped a bit off the belly of the stiff limb, tightened the string a bit and tried it again at a 4 1/2" brace. It immediately had some sideways bend, but the string was a bit over to one side on the nocks. Forcing the string across until the bow sat true gives me a centre mark for the tips, a little extra width at the tips is always handy as longbows do have a tendency to bend sideways at first.
I then got it on the tiller and videoed it pulling back to 50# the left limb is still a bit stiff and straight but it looks pretty good for a first try (I like the curve of the right limb). There's not a huge amount of spare draw weight, but I have some spare length and I'm already at at a bit of brace.
It's mostly the outer halves of the limbs that need reducing, but that's the way I generally work, get the middle working first and then progress outwards.
Update:-
Blimey, bit of a battle, I've been at it off and on all day. As I rounded the belly and tidied up the limbs I made sure I was taking more off the lower, but it still looked stiffer, that and the bow was trying to go sideways.
I kept at it slow and steady inching it back and finally just as the tiller looks good it hit 50# at 28". Most of the reflex has pulled out, but then I didn't want it looking like a recurve.
At one point I was thinking I'd take an inch off the upper limb to stiffen it, as I just couldn't seem to get the lower one to catch up.
I'll leave it now as I've done more than enough, it's beginning to look rather pretty too.
Get the nocks done tomorrow maybe.

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