FullContactGEEK Adventures in Nylon Braiding and Assorted Craziness

Bowmaking 3

Well I know that my tillering is off by about 1/2" but this is one of those situations where I'm happy enough to leave things where they are so I can finish and start playing. I'll know better what to do for the next one. Used my palm sander on it this morning with progressive grits from 40 to 220 and got it nice and smooth. There are a couple of spots where my tools gouged into the wood as I was learning but I don't think they will cause any real problems.

Bought some Dyneema from 3Rivers and put together a string for myself this morning. Used dental floss for serving the middle. The technique is pretty easy. People have worked out how to make special jigs for making strings but I guess since I'm used to working with cordage it's not really an issue. As long as it's waxed and you put the right amount of twist where you need it and give enough length on the ends your loop should stay secure. I added drops of Crazy Glue where I thought I should for a bit of extra security.

Today's class covered final details:

- the more flexible limb should be on top

- add a permanent center reference groove to each side of the handle so we always know where the center point is

- use some form of cushioning material to layer a grip base on the face of the bow, secure with tape

- may also add an arrow rest formed from wood into a thin taper with a slightly rounded resting surface to minimize friction

- handle cover may be just about anything that is comfortable

- arrow nocks on the string should be initially formed with tape slightly above the center point of the string until the string itself has properly stretched, may be permanently made with serving material and glue

- finishes can vary from varnishes to vegetable oil

We measured the draw weight of my bow at roughly 44 pounds at 28". I made my nocks with electrical tape above and below where the arrow should sit and it turns out that they make the grip and release on the string more comfortable.

Once I got home I applied two coats of tung oil and carved out an arrow rest from some scrap hickory using a knife and my belt sander. I used several layers of non-slip material to build the grip foundation and wrapped it all with vet wrap instead of tape.  Then I completed the grip with a simple spiral wrap of red and black paracord. I considered doing a long turks head, but I still haven't worked out how to do one so I kept it simple. Looks nice.