It is Adam's last week before school starts so we decide to drive up to Tillamook OR to spend a few days with an archery legend.
Adam elects to build a Bamboo backed bloodwood longbow........what a combo!
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0508.jpg)
I decide on an Osage character bow, and John has just the stave for it too.............
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0503.jpg)
John makes shavings too and shows us his arrow plane-a few quick strokes and you have a nice round shaft of your chosen diameter......
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0506.jpg)
By afternoon Adam's stave is taking shape
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0498.jpg)
John shows us how to build up some rawhide for the bulbous handle
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0512.jpg)
My stave is coming along too.........
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0501.jpg)
Well we are off to enjoy a crab dinner and then get ready for tomorrow.....see you then!
Priceless
:thumbsup:
Looking forward to watching your progress.
Trap
great job guys... everything looking good.
That looks like a great place to be!!
Show us more of the arrow plane, if you can...
Great projects and almost like getting to visit too. Thanks for the take along.
Thanks for taking us along Bjorn, can't wait to see more.
I'm sorry I missed this too Bjorn. I was looking forward to making some shavings with you and your son. Looks like you guys are having a lot of fun! Can't wait to see what develops. John was kind enough to offer a Nov. session for me.
Didn't you just get back from building bows with Ted at Raptor Archery? Now this. You're killing me! Adam is a very lucky young man. Thanks for taking us along.
Bill
Awesome experience. Thanks for sharing.
Dan
Bjorn, thanks for the heads up email.
You're certainly teaching that boy right - and having some fun along the way yourself! Do you plan to use your new bows at the next Hogs Wild (or other) hunt when you get back?
Eagerly watching your adventure;
Al
Looks great guys...can't wait to see the next days progress!
OK the Internet is finally running-it has been pouring rain in Western Oregon-we are right on the ocean. But the crabs are great so who needs Internet-right?
Adam got his bow mostly done this morning; look at that tiller!
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0520.jpg)
Adam's bow is pulling 40#@23" and that's his draw, so that's ideal.
Tiller is perfect, as you can see...............and "it shoots amazing! I'm killing my next hog with this one, dad!"
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0522.jpg)
Dad still has a ways to go...............
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0515.jpg)
Adam fabricates the signature 'arrow head tip overlay'
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0524a.jpg)
Adam and John apply the final touches prior to finishing!
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0526.jpg)
This is an eye-opener; no tiller sticks and no tiller tree anywhere to be found! John ends up at the same place; but chooses a different path to get there!
More tomorrow!
Great job Adam, That is a nice looking bow. Great tillering too.
Wow no tillering tree/stick.
Bjorn, does Adam's bow have a shelf or is he shooting off his hand? How about the tips?
Hi Snag........Adams bow does have a shelf-there's a pic of him working on the leather grip
here shortly.........
Today was so busy I forgot to take pics till later.
Adam got a couple of coats of Tru-Oil on his bow,and finished up the grip
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0531.jpg)
Then we made half a dozen strings
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0530.jpg)
I got my bow ready for finish and shooting at about 55@28-get ready Mr. Piggy!
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0529.jpg)
I got my second bow started......an R/D Bamboo, Bloodwood, Osage stave that promises to be a beauty!
We have had rain and wind here every day-perfect bowmaking weather!!
Time for a crab dinner-again; and then rest up for another busy day tomorrow.
Strunk's Bow School is hell!!
Sounds like Strunk's bow school is heaven to me. Waiting to hear about his tiller methods. Eat one more crab for me.
nice bows and well done good to see a youngin getting hands on with wood and having fun. :thumbsup:
Looking good fella's!
Man, John really is working you guys! I feel sorry for you....yeah, right! Good thing it is raining and windy out or you would be wanting to get out look for Roosy's. The bows are looking GREAT! Adam's doing a fine job on that grip. I love your El Naturel bow Bjorn. Infact 55#@28" is just right for me...you need a mailing address? :biglaugh:
Yep more info on the tillering technique would be interesting.
Thanks for posting your adventure. Looks like a good time.
We didn't have any internet last night and today was the 700 mile drive home.
It was a priviledge to spend a week with 'Dr. Tiller' learning his techniques for building self and backed bows.
I'll post some pics on Saturday of the finished bows and the one I am still working on; as well as a try at shedding some light on the good Doctor's tillering technique.
Oh boy, can't wait! Safe travels Bjorn. Looking forward to seeing what your hard work produces.
A few words about some techniques that were new and interesting and of course, tillering.
To remove wood we used the usual draw knife-very sharp, Dean Torgues rasp, cabinet scraper, and Dean's scraper-looks like a spoke shave-but it is a scraper. The most used tool for scraping was a small lock blade knife made by Gerber.
We used lots of sand paper-John insists on removing all toolmarks at the end of each step.
We would remove wood and keep track with tape measure and calipers and carefully eye-ball each limb for a gradual taper down to very small light tips.
We would also 'feel' the wood in our hands to detect peaks and valleys in the limbs.
when we were far enough along we cut in the string grooves and strung the bow-measure for string tiller in two spots-max depth and 14 in from the tips.
We exercised the limbs with the bow laying on a work bench; or just drawing it.
We never used a tillering string, no walkie-talkie, or block; no tillering tree, no tillering stick, and no 'floor tillering'.
John sees nothing wrong with those items, they just didn't seem to fit his methods. For large classes he will use a tillering tree for demonstration purposes.
It seems there are lots of ways to skin this cat-all right and none wrong-and there is plenty of room for all.
Anyway I am going to use some of what I knew from before and primarily follow what Adam and I learned this week with Dr. Tiller!
And a few pics of the bows, Adam made one bow and went bowling for a day-'well at least I'm not playing Warcraft'!
I got to whack out two bows-one of them not quite finished; but should be ready to shoot Monday.
Here is Adams Boo backd Bloowood and my Osage
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0548.jpg)
More detail
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0546.jpg)
Dr. Tiller shooting one of our bows
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0538.jpg)
Here is the uncompleted one
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0561.jpg)
The tip overlays
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0563.jpg)
And a close up of the wood and grip
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/DSCN0562.jpg)
We had a marvellous time with Pat and John, and Tillamook is a beautiful community-the ocean, wooded hills, rivers and just nice folks! Too bad the cows let out so much air! The place needs a visit by Al Gore!
Looks like a fine pair of "Pig-Stickers" to me. I'd love to see them draped across a pair pig's backs this fall.
Did you have any time to look for elk while you were there?
What an awesome trip to make with your son. The next generation might just be okay if there's enough kids like Adam around. Way to go "Dad".
Very Nice :clapper:
Trap
Ditto on Traps comments Bjorn. Nice job to both of you.
Please bring those bad boys up to the range tomorrow evening to let us eyeball them in person and drool a little.
Al
Love the Bows and I was at Johns the weekend before you and your boy got there. he told me you were coming in. I am lucky he is in my back yard and I will make many more visits and yes your right he does things different but he is a master. He and his wife are great people and I think he loves golf as much as he does archery. I would only ask that you not tell to much of his methods without making sure you have his permission. He had a guy do this before and he was not real happy with him. Good luck and keep building. I am on my Third bow sense I left his house and just ordered three more stave's from him.
Elkslayer, can we see pics of your bows?
I did get a Vine Maple stave 'to go' so I will start on that this week.
I believe someone did a buildalong for the handle wrap that John does. He is a master as you say and has a right to keep his methods to himself.
You are right Dano, there was a build along and it got pulled by someone's request...........I believe a former student of John's.
The handle wrap and tip overlays are 'signatures' and I think if a person wants to know how to do it they should take a course given by Dr.Tiller.
I believe that if John has portions or all of his methods that he would prefer to keep proprietary that he has a responsibility to tell his students that, not leave it up to guesswork.
I am pleased to learn something of his tillering methods. I like the measure and look method of making the limbs taper in thickness and flow in profile. I have been told this method before and have adopted some use of it myself. I had first hand experience with it when I made a hatchet bow and was pleased with the results that can be had by eyeballing and then by feeling the dynamic tiller after attaining a decent brace tiller.
I don't think most folks want to copy trademark design motifs like the handle wrap overlays or the particular knock overlays, but could be wrong. Anytime I see that handle style I assume its one of John's bows or at least a student of his.
Again, I truly appreciate the shared information and applaud Mr Strunk's craftsmanship. Perhaps a phone call to him would be in order to make sure that you are not skating on thin ice with any shared methods. Thanks Bjorn for sharing and kudos for the parenting quality time.
Shaun I agree with you and for that reason I sent the link to this thread to the Strunk's early on and Pat has shown it to John to look at, no complaints-they were happy to get the plug! LOL.
I was just letting you know what he had expressed to me about the handle build alone. I don't think he has a problem with what you have done. He will no doubt get more requests for classes or bows but to for warn you he is booked through November. I have the first weekend in Nov. Good luck. LOL I will post pics of my Strunk style bows here only if it is ok with Bjorn. I dont want to high jack a thread.
Sorry I didnt see that it was you that asked I will get pics on here asap thanks and I am glad you took one to go LOL I did the same and just got all the coats of finish on it. I have two completed one is a osage and blood wood combo with bamboo, and it is a beauty. the other is a osage and bamboo and bamboo. The one I am working in now is a Yew and epey and bamboo. Not sure if I spelled the epey right but it will be a beauty as well. I ordered two more yew one with blood wood and the other with epey. I am taking a self bow class in Nov. I want to start a Osage carter bow. I have a nice yew stave I want to work on but it will wait till after I take his classes. I love his bows and enjoy learning from him. Never could tell he was a teacher for over thirty years LOL. I will get pics asap. I have some in the building process but I have not taken any complete but I will in the morning.
Ok with request here is the two finished bows. One reflex deflex and the other is a flat bow. One has Blood wood core and Osage with Bamboo backed the other is Osage with boo core and bamboo backed. I have even one more like the flat that is a sister bow and I am currently working on a yew and epay core boo backed bow.
(http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/Mr_Havoc/CIMG1202.jpg)
(http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/Mr_Havoc/CIMG1205.jpg)
(http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn289/Mr_Havoc/CIMG1203.jpg)
Very nice work-obviously you sanded out the tool marks! What are the specs?
VERY nice bows!! :thumbsup: Looks like the two of you had a ton of fun and learned a bunch.
I hadn't realized the wrap-along had been pulled - it was a good one. It's a look/process I've used on a few bows and really like.
I respect Mr Strunk's awesome work, but he's by no means the first to overwrap a grip in that fashion. There are similar examples of sword grips and period artwork that stretch back 100's of years. That particular pattern (or one very near it) appears on a surviving viking sword if I remember correctly.
A wrap of leather thong or linen cord followed by wet-moulding the leather over it was also very common to add texture and interest to a grip without the color contrast or fear of it slipping.
This wasn't meant to take away anything from John's work, just pointing out that the idea and methods have been around for a very, very long time and are still used by other craftsmen.
The bows are 55@25 and 54@25, both are 64" long. I love the bows but I cant wait to get the yew one done. I love the look of it. I am also looking forward to the charter bow in Nov. I just showed my bow to a buddy and now he wants a stave. I might keep John in business just for my self and buddies.
nice bows ...nice post thanks for sharing
wow,what a treat.making shavings with john and the smell of the salty air.that would be some thing to write about.thanks john