Boo backed cypress longbow

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flyonline
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Boo backed cypress longbow

#1 Post by flyonline » Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:32 pm

Finished up my 'boo backed cypress longbow today apart from final fettling and finishing, made from bunnings cypress picket and bunnings 'boo. Made a little differently with high end composite epoxy as I have it laying around and needed using, plus clamped in my food saver vacuum pump bag. This was a test before I start getting out some gooderer timber and investing time and energy, plus improving my tillering skills!

69" nock to nock, 50# @ 28" which I was delighted as it was my nominal aim, though no doubt it will drop a few pounds with sanding and time. It does take a bit of excessive string follow after stringing and shooting unfortunately, so next time I'll clamp in a bit of reflex before gluing up.
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Shoots a 500+change grain arrow very quickly, and I'll be more than confident taking it out chasing goats etc.

Steve

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Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#2 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:52 pm

Congrats mate you have done well. To me it looks like a bit of a flat spot about mid right limb. I'm sure you will enjoy shooting it.

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Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#3 Post by Outbackdad » Thu Jan 02, 2020 5:37 am

Well done.

Eddie

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Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#4 Post by greybeard » Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:44 pm

Steve,

Well done on the test bow.

Is the cypress holding up under compression and what profile is the limb cross section?
flyonline wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:32 pm This was a test before I start getting out some gooderer timber and investing time and energy, plus improving my tillering skills!
What species of timber are you going to use?

Daryl.
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flyonline
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Location: NE Vic

Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#5 Post by flyonline » Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:55 pm

Stickbow Hunter wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:52 pm Congrats mate you have done well. To me it looks like a bit of a flat spot about mid right limb. I'm sure you will enjoy shooting it.
Outbackdad wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 5:37 am Well done.

Eddie
greybeard wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:44 pm Steve,

Well done on the test bow.

Is the cypress holding up under compression and what profile is the limb cross section?
Thanks guys, again it's been fun learning a new skill (and Jeff, as I said last time if I got it right first time.... :lol: ). Actually, this was a lot better than last time, I was able to edge up on my target rather than lurching all over the place like the first. Still LOTS to learn, but fun all the same. Love the smell of the cypress too!

Daryl it's essentially rectangle with rounded corners, it's a little narrower than probably ideal, but as I say a test bow for application rather than getting the best out of it. I've started to pick over the cypress pickets every time I'm in bunnings and if there's a good one I'll grab it as they're so cheap. Full thickness through the handle/riser (24mm), tapering to 18 off the fades to 10 at the tips. 32mm wide parallel through the middle to the last 350mm/14" and tapering to half that (16mm) at the tips. So far no frets/crysals/cracks, but as I say is holding a bit of string follow at about 1-1.5" on each tip. Given the colour and density I suspect its the lighter white cypress, but the darker boards are a lot harder to find, and even harder to find with anything close to knot free let alone straight grained!
greybeard wrote: Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:44 pm What species of timber are you going to use?

Daryl.
I've got a stash of osage I can cut into billets, a few boards of various exotics plus I would like to try some locally available bloodwood (accacia species) which is very dense and hard and quite purple, and if I can get some Blackwood (accacia melanoxylon). Just need to up my Z splices before I start on the billets though :shifty:

Steve

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Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#6 Post by RobHunter » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:47 am

Nice One Steve,

Gotta finish my Red Oak selfie one of these days lol

Rgds

Rob

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Re: Boo backed cypress longbow

#7 Post by Bill » Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:13 pm

Hello Steve,
A nice sweet looking bow you have built there.
Thanks for showing.
Cheers.

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