Left Handed Testing

Thursday:-
The bottom nock is on the Yew 'Dogleg' bow now (Although I might call it 'Catleg' in deference to my pseudonym). I tried a couple of shots left handed at close range with my tillering string on, but it seemed to shoot a bit sideways. Right handed it shot straight. Now is that me or the bow?

So... I moved the toggle which I use to adjust the tillering string (pic left) down nearer the centre of the string to avoid that causing any weird imbalance and had a careful look at the string line and how the string sat on the nocks.
It was sitting a little skewed, due to the dog-leggedness of the lower limb tip. A bit of work with a round needle file soon adjusted the string grooves in the horn nock. I checked the string line and it looked much better.
This time I shot from the full 10 yards and took care to shut my right eye so I could get some sort of aim. I put my tab on my left hand back to front and managed a half decent draw... thwack... nice and straight in line with my point of aim. I shot another for good measure which hit clean and true. Time to make a decent string and then do some serious finishing and shooting in.

I've had a good day, a guy from the club came over to chat about bows and try a few, he's relatively new to archery.
I don't have a stave suitable for him at the moment, but he's going to give the 'Transatlantic Bow'* I've been working on a home while he settles into shooting.
He'd been to the 3D NFAS open shoot at Avalon Archers which was a great introduction to a big shoot. He's currently shooting a 40# bow but is aiming to eventually get into something a good bit heavier, hopefully I'll have a suitable stave for next year.
He's a big chap and pulled my big old Yew longbow with relative ease and that's about 68# these days so it will be interesting to make him something hefty.
 It's always fun having people over as you get a chance for a decent chat, at the 3D shoots everyone is rather wrapped up in the shooting.
The Chinese repeater had an outing too which is always raises a smile.

My copper sculpture is coming along again, I'd left it lying on the hearth for about a week, and having picked it up again I could see what needed doing. Sometimes it's good to let things sit and mature for a while.

Friday:-
I've made the string and adjusted the nocks for string line and aesthetics.
I must admit I was a tad disappointed with the colour of the top nock, it was a bit plain. The bottom nock in contrast is stunning! I wish they were the other way round, but such are the vagaries of natural material.
The horn is translucent in places and you can see the grain of the Yew showing through.

The bow is still a tad over weight, but as I do the finishing I'll be evening up the limb thickness and minor ripples to give it a sleek undulating look, which may well drop a pound or two.
It still has loads of character, and at first glance rather boggles the mind as that recurved lower tip with the sideways bend looks like it will just fold sideways!
Once you hold it, feel the balance and flex it you can see and feel how it really does all line up and pull straight, then it starts to grow on you as you see the detail.


* That's the bow made with one limb Oregon Yew and one English Yew. I'll probably name it 'Special Relationship'