Slowpoke

Jan. 24, 2009 - Final Report and Pix

 

It's been a long journey, but I definitely built a bow, and I built the bow I wanted, not available really from any of the regular bowyers, who have their own models. It isn't perfect, by a long shot, but it's decent... good looking, adequate performance for my needs, and best of all, the things I learned will enable me to make the next one better.

Here is a summary of the final stats and info:

The layup, or recipe: .040 clear glass - .090 oak lam, parallel - .110 maple core, tapered .002 - .070 oak lam, parallel - .040 clear glass

AMO: 68"

Draw: 28@25 ----- 33@28

Chrono Results: ave. 115 fps, hand release at 25" draw (but only with real concentration on form... any slacking off on the draw drops you down to 105 to 109)

Arrow Match: presently shooting full length 1516's with nib points, but they are showing a little stiffness. I may cut the shelf in further or make another batch with another 10 gr. weight up forward.

And, Ta Da! The pictures...

 

 

Strung...

 

 

Inscription:

"Slowpoke"

Capt. Dick #1

Jan. 09

68"

28@25

 

Padauk riser...

 

 

Oak limbs

 

Laced wrap

Showing the limb width and shape

 

Unstrung, showing the string follow...

 

 

 

Why a Flatbow?

I've been asked why I didn't just build a Hill, since I like them so much. Orneriness, I guess. I have an excellent Hill form, courtesy of JD, but the truth is, doing a Hill felt too much like more of an assembly project. I knew I could go to numerous reference sources and come up with a set of specs right off the page that would produce a bow of the desired length and draw. I also really like the old flatbows and have been trying to update the design to glass laminate for a couple of years now. I decided I would learn more and get more satisfaction by continuing to pursue this goal. So, what exactly are the differences I was after? Take a look....

 

 

A bow is just a spring, and there are two ways to get the spring and strength you need... a wide thin limb or a narrow deep limb. Obviously, in today's world, except for recurves, wide and deep has won out. It may well be a better choice, but I liked the old selfwood flatbows and decided to be stubborn about it. Here you see Slowpoke next to a Hill, roughly same weight bows.

 

 

Same comparison, but the bows are reversed... Hill to the left and Slowpoke to the right. It's clear how much thicker the Hill is.

 

Another thing I liked about the old flatbows was their string follow. Of course, most of them got it courtesy of taking a set, but I still liked it, and wanted it built into my bow. My form does that. The Hill is an old one by Ted Kramer, and shows the exact opposite approach. Modern Hills are almost straight bows. My Hill form builds this older version, and I'm sure I'll do some one of these days.

 

 

 

But is It Any Fun?

Obviously, even though you may have tried the bow along the path to building it, the real satisfaction is in shooting it in the final form... the proof of the pudding, as it were. So, out to the backyard Slowpoke and I went...

 

 

18 yards... really pretty solid out to this distance.

 

Ah, but at 30 yards... I know most folks wouldn't include this picture, but 30 yards is my maximum distance with any bow. It took be quite a few shots to get adjusted to where I can do this pretty consistently... and improving. As I get more used to the bow, and maybe improve the arrow match a bit, I can get to where I will be able to take 30 yard shots at shoots with a reasonable expectation of at least getting some foam.

 

 

After the basic 20 and 30 yard testing, I just ran around the yard shooting targets from random places and distances... with great results...

 

 

 

 

These were 20 yard plus a bit shots, obviously from two different angles...

 

It was at this point that my wife came out to get me to undo a bottle cap she couldn't open. Apparently, that broke my rhythm and concentration, because (fool that I am) I said, "Hey, watch me shoot the coyote!" Naturally, I couldn't hit the kill zone on that coyote (from about 16 yards) to save my soul! I finally got it with the 12th arrow, and by then we were both laughing so hard I just quit. :^)

So, there you have it... the complete adventure of deciding to build a bow, equipping a shop, and building the bow. It was a blast. I plan to build a shooting machine for better testing and a paper rack for paper tuning, hit a couple of shoots with Slowpoke, and then do it all again!

Dick