Been very cold today. Sweatshirt hoodie day. Supposed to be below freezing tonight.

Have a game camera out on the tree. A neighbor told Kelly that he steps outside to smoke. The other night he was outside at 2am - saw a deer with the biggest rack he EVER saw!!! he didn't think they grew them big down here. Me either. Hope we might get a pic. That might have been his hoof print I showed a week ago or so.

Got up last night at 2 am - looked out. Two KILLER dogs roaming the yard out front together. Huge. Creepy. Baskerville stuff. Hope they keep going.

Well - I know that you are all tired of reading about the move and the set up. The forum hasn't exactly been a bee hive of activity or discussion. I've been doing all I can to keep you informed and entertained. I've also been tending to business in the background. Over the last six months, I've respectfully declined a huge number of order requests. That's maddening. It's also been extremely frustrating to know that I COULD be engraving or carving or building .... when I've been organizing and opening boxes. When I've been installing racks, shelves, and door knobs. And now - I'm dying to get behind the machine tools I've labored to get down here and set up. But Maryland awaits.

I've always liked bows. I shot archery from the day I stood. I've gone back to it time and again. For some change from the endless pressure of realizing my best efforts each day are not enough ... I thought I'd try out this thing called the internet - see if there were some good materials on there about making bows. Find something fun to read. Doesn't anyone else have any tools? 95% of the materials I could find, were some guy in his back yard - working with a hatchet. Watched one u-tube video of a guy selecting his stave wood. Selected a particular 8-10" tree - said he'd harvest this one and take it back. Proceeded to pull out a small hatchet and begin pecking away at it! Another worked all by hand in his back yard - with a hatchet - beside the BB grill, with a block of wood on the ground. And there must be a hundred videos on making bows from PVC. Seems like most videos are keen on making a bow - for under two dollars. Guess I'm not typing in the magic words to get the right videos. Bought a magazine I ran across on Primative Archery. Some fun reading. But again - everybody is using a hatchet - draw knife - file - scraper - like primitive people didn't have a band saw ... right . Most are woking sitting in a lawn chair - or standing. I got two words for you --- "Work Bench". So; I read a few paragraphs - and I want to reach in a grab the thing and just go over to the band saw and belt grinder! hahah.

Let's see - I have the trailer and truck tires all checked and topped up. Lots of prep. made for another trip. Prep. made for my "people" here. Tools loaded in prep. for whatever the road might bring. Tools loaded to work with in Md. Oh ... I need my hatchet! hahahah.

I might think of other things. Seemed like I had some things on my mind when I sat down here .... Took care of the mail and PM's. Sure I'm forgetting my main point - no doubt.

Gary



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 10:51AM by barnespneumatic.

Well - our game camera worked last night. Or - this morning! About 2:30 am.

Wow - what a rack!!! That's gotta be the most amazing ....... what? .....



Gary

Come on Gary I'm going to have to see a couple more pictures of that buck before I believe it maybe it's just the angle that that picture is at makes it hard to distinguish . but I did see that little number 36 F in the corner !definitely turtleneck ,bonfire ,hot chocolate weather ! But as to the traditional archery therein lies the joy of making more with less is where it is at for me .Up here in Kalamazoo Michigan every year they have a traditional archeryshow where you can watch people making what are called self bows.You can purchase Osage staves and whittle down you r own long bow.You can also do stone knapping to make an arrow point or edged tool or weapon! To myself it is a very satisfying feeling to learn how they did it in the old days without a belt sander in a bandsaw ,and I'm ta lkin Cowboys in Indian days or even earlier and then to be able to harvest a meal with 1 that you did yourself give this 1 a greater appreciation for how easy we truly have it in life nowadays.Alsoseeing some of pedros kinfolk down in South America really brings me back to a time I wish I could've lived in a simpler life were things weren't such a rat race

Thanks
Kurt



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 04:46PM by kurt wag.

Now Kurt .... You can clearly see that's a ten point buck! Count 'em.

And what's this about Indians not having bandsaws? Nonsense.

I can see the torches and pitch forks now. "I think I'll scrape out a self-bow with a spall of flint ... while running and dodging pitchforks!" Haha.

Always did want to knap points though. You know ... Round the campfire ... In the cave ... While the cavewomanfolk fussed over the hot rocks making twig soup ... Hehe.

Simplier could be nice ...

Haha

huge deer AND huge hounds - sounds like an upcoming horror film......

I saw something recently about handmade bows that looked "high end" - will see if I can find it

Think they might have been from Japan or Taiwan....

I did listen to a 22 minute video regarding "horn bows". All in Japanese I guess - was Greek to me ... But the craftsman was very good. How on earth, do they spend a career working sitting on the floor? Amazing. Guess I'd have been done fifteen years ago.

These bows were bamboo, horn, and sinew it appeared. Quite a process.

I've always loved crossbows - since a kid. Some day .. if I live that long ... I'm gonna apply the skills I've used on airguns to making some crossbows.

Gary

That is a nice buck! Wild dogs, that would scare me. I have never taken an interest in bows, my dad had a compound bow. I could never draw back the bow string as I have been a 100 pound wimp into my late teens.

Awhile ago I caught a magazine at work. It was a promo by Haas and they showcased a company that made bows. I was intrigued as they had started out in automotive parts and almost went bust. Then the owner had the idea of making bows. They went from being a new player to one of the best bow makers, but for compound bows.

[www.athensarchery.com]

If you go on YouTube, search ancient discoveries. I forget which episode it was, hopefully the one I attached. They covered bow making from 3500 years ago! Thought it was interesting!

[www.youtube.com]

I use my iPhone seems to load YouTube faster than on computer, but use wifi for data.

Pedro

Thanks Pedro,

I just watched it. Didn't know they were there. I appreciate it.

Gary

I think that horn/sinew Japanese thing you saw was the same as I did - I thought the finished products were beautiful !

I'm pretty sure the japanese swordswiths do alot of their work sitting/squatting as well, and so do the sword polishers

different world, I guess...

You are by Georgia and they get big there. The dog sighting was most likely a pet on the run, at least your cat can hide. i hope that everything will work out in Maryland. I do shoot a bow also, and one is a compound. Your new property is very nice and the shooting shack is ready for use as well, good luck.

Thank you Don.
I really look forward to opening the shops for regular work upon my return. It's been waaay too long.
Have not SEEN the dogs again but I find big dog tracks regularly. Don't like that. These things were s pair and huge.
Gary

Ck out The Traditional Bowyer's Bible Vol. 1,2,3,4
Lots of history and how to.

Joe

Thanks Guys.

Don't get me in trouble now. The Bow stuff is just an entertainment topic. I don't want any broken knees!

We have been photographing deer each night. They come up our lane at 2am. Very punctual. If that big one is seen - I will have to be very careful coming in the lane - in my Dodge Ram - at 2am .... I'd sure hate to bump THAT guy .... yeah ....

Gary

Here's what you are looking for Gary.



The girls began shooting 4H archery last year. Eric from Tx had mentioned that he was hunting with bows he had made from laminated blanks. I contacted the site and got the "you finish youth bow" and let the kids do the sanding and finishing for their first bows. Here's the handle on Emily's youth bow. Leather wrapped. (don't tell anyone those are leather boot laces)



We then graduated to the laminated blanks. A bamboo/ipe above and a bamboo/hickory for Emily. They tillered them to approx 40 lbs and finished them. Both photos are from last year.





They also crested and fletched their arrows. Here they are practicing on an old arrow. Notice the homemade cresting "lathe".



The site Rudderbows.com no longer sells direct but they give you the new dealers they supply. I just bought a bamboo hickory/ipe English longbow kit that I'll be epoxying and tillering sometime down the road. The last bow challange for me was a bamboo/hickory reflex/deflex bow. I made a two toned handle out of some scrap western red cedar from skin on frame kayak project.



Kent



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2013 04:22AM by Cajun Justice.

Very nicely done. Those young ladies are gonna have a full locker of survival skills. Bows, shooting, Kayaks. Looks like very nice tiller on the bows. 40 pound bows are really nice to shoot too. I shot a few million arrows from my 40 pound.

Hey - it's going to take Amanda some time to crest a couple of dozen arrows with THAT crest pattern. haaha. It that the family crest? THAT would strike fear into the competition just showing up on the shooting line!

Gary

Hi Gary,
Sorry about the staggered edit on the post. Thought you would appreciate the shoe lace handle. Smooth side and rough wrapped together then end tucked. A little white glue locks it all together.

The only power tools used was on my reflex/deflex to cut the profile and window. All tillering was done with rasp and scrapers while the bow was held in a padded vice. Then lots of exercise to the bow between rasping sessions.

FYI the Ipe is beautiful and very fast in a round bellied bow. The hickory makes a nice flat bow. I get to practice with the girls using my reflex/deflex. We are all enjoying the challange of using a self built bow.

Kent

Here's the real crest Amanda was using. They got a real kick of running the lathe with all the pretty colors.




A 12 volt motor run on a 1.5volt battery turned it just right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2013 11:17PM by Cajun Justice.

Very clever. Looks great. Is that a motor sold for the purpose? I can't see well - maybe that's some surgical tubing grasping the knock?

That's all great fun.

heck - let's just turn this into an archery forum. What do you say? It's been a Mayflower Moving forum for too long now!

We want to see your bow Doc. I understand that you laminated the riser - did you say you also laminated the limbs? I actually made a form and an air hose press and bought some materials many years ago. Hey - I wonder if Yaupon makes a good bow? Bet it would - it's dense and hard. A type of Holly.

Gary

Holly is one of the traditional bow woods. Not exactly yew, but then most people don't really need (or want) a hundred-pound draw longbow either.

Tell the girls they do nice work! Good to see a youngster doing something that doesn't include a video game controller.