LBR's Champion Custom Bowstrings + www.recurves.com

Message

erron · #1 Post by **erron** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 9:16 am

I have asked Chad of the above affiliations to post some piccies and details of his Chek-Mate bows. I've attached photos of some of the veneers available on the bows, that Chad sent me.

Guys and Gals, if you have a business, or interest in Traditional gear, please feel that this is a place to showcase your stuff!! You won't be breaking any 'non-commercial' rule: one of the major reasons for Ozbow is to promote Traditional craft and Artisans. So, don't be shy, go for it!!!

Cheers,

Erron

#2 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Wed Oct 01, 2003 3:33 pm

Truly amazing pieces of wood.

Words can't describe how beautiful they are. I think I like the Bubinga best and the Birds Eye Maple.

Jeff

Tuffcity · #3 Post by **Tuffcity** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 3:15 pm

LBR (Chad) makes a killer flemish twist string! I've been running his Dyna 97 strings on my Chek-Mates for about 2 years now. They are quality construction and man do they wear well! Marc's bows aren't too bad either.

RC

~the preceding was an unsolicited endorsement of products I really like~

gilnockie · #4 Post by **gilnockie** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:21 pm

I make longbows using timber veneers milled here in Tasmania.

I also make my own glass laminates.

I would like to make contact with Chad.

Please email me at

gilnockie@bigpond.com

Tuffcity · #5 Post by **Tuffcity** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 3:51 am

Gilnockie,

You can get Chad at: longbowrules@hotmail.com

RC

Glenn Newell · #6 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 5:45 am

Gilnockie, could you tell us what Tassie timbers you are using for your longbows. Tassie is one of those places that has a terrific diversity for timber species, I have seen bows made out of Tassie blackwood and mertyle that shot very well, have you tried and other timbers?...Glenn...

erron · #7 Post by **erron** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 8:55 am

gilnockie,

Chad uses the name LBR here. If you go to memberlist (above) and to page 2, you'll find him listed there. Click on his name for contact details, also his web site.

cheers,

Erron

gilnockie · #8 Post by **gilnockie** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 7:49 pm

Erron

Thanks for the response. I have looked at his web site and he is way out of my league. But he seems to make some stunning bows, particularly the longbow based on the so-called Turkish bow.

Glenn

I use Blackwood, Celery Top Pine, Leatherwood, Rock Maple, Golden Sassafrass, Myrtle and Tas Oak for the limbs. The timbers I use are 0.6mm thick. They are furniture veneers. I use them in various combinations to make a handsome bow.

I use solid Myrtle, Blackwood, Leatherwood and Queensland Siver Ash for the risers. I also laminate 10mm strips of Celery Top, Myrtle and Blackwood together in various combinations, with strips of veneer in the glue lines as highlights.

I do not use botuff, I make my own glass laminates.

At this stage I make a basic longbow, normally reflexed.

#9 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 8:07 pm

Gilnockie,

Do you glue the 0.6mm veneers together so they are thick enough for your limbs? This is how it reads to me, maybe I'm interpreting it wrong. If this is the case you must have a lot of veneers in a bow limb or are you just using the veneers under clear glass and having normal thickness lams in the core?

Also it is very interesting that you are making your own glass. Do you use just fibres or a mesh in it?

Also have you photos of your bows that you could post? I'm sure we would all like to see them. It is very rewarding shooting a bow you have made yourself hey?

Jeff

erron · #10 Post by **erron** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:55 pm

gilnockie,

my first longbow was made by a Tasmanian by the name of Gwynn Kemp. Do you know him? It has Celery Top Pine limbs. Nice bow, sort of a flatbow design.

cheers,

Erron

gilnockie · #11 Post by **gilnockie** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 10:32 pm

Erron

Yes, I have met Gwynne. His laminated longbows bore the name "Robin". He is retired now. My club, Taroona Archers has some of his take down recurves which are club bows for learners. The club also has two of his longbows.

Jeff

Yes I make up the core of my bows from many layers of veneer 0.6mm thick. I do not grind up tapered wooden lams. At the riser the bow can have 15 to 20 layers. At the tip I vary the number of layers according to whether the buyer likes limbs with a fast or a slow taper.

I make my glass laminates from glass fabric and epoxy. When I assemble the stave I glue a veneer on the back and the belly. This provides a layer of timber over the glass. The bow when it is shaped, tillered and sanded is then varnished.

#12 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 10:06 am

Thanks Gilnockie. That is very interesting as I have never heard of anyone doing it that way before. Do you have any photos and did you get in touch with Chad? Chad doesn't make the bows, he sells them for Check Mate. He makes the strings though. He has been quiet but hopefully he will pop back in here.

Jeff

gilnockie · #13 Post by **gilnockie** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 7:22 pm

Here are some piccies.

gilnockie · #14 Post by **gilnockie** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 7:25 pm

More piccies

#15 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 8:15 pm

Thanks for the photos Gilnocki. You are doing a nice job and a unique one at that. Having the veneer on the outside like that makes them look different to other bows.

What weight bows have you made so far?

Great to see someone making their own bows and thanks once again for showing us.

Jeff

erron · #16 Post by **erron** » Wed Oct 15, 2003 8:54 pm

Thanks for posting the photos, gilnockie. Lovely bows

Do you just sell locally, or are you happy to take orders from Ozbowers?

Erron

Glenn Newell · #17 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:01 am

Nice bows gilnockie, I like all of the thin laminations in the limb core. I have made a few bows with timber veneers glued on the glass, gives a nice feel to the bow, protects the glass from rough treatment out in the field and makes the bow more user friendly when hunting because you can a flatter finish on the the timber and the noise factor is a bonus if you bump your bow accidently at the wrong moment when hunting.
Thanks for posting the photos...Glenn...

gilnockie · #18 Post by **gilnockie** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:20 pm

Jeff

I have made bows from 39# to 75#. Most of them around 50#. I normally make a 70 in bow which I understand few people make nowadays. But people who shoot my bows invariably comment on how smooth they are to draw, how little hand shock they exhibit and what good cast they have.

I am about to build a 66in bow which will be the baseline for future 66in bows.

I have also built two 90cm bows for young kids from glass laminates which were seconds. I made arrows from 6mm hardwood dowell which were fletched with feathers, with plastic nocks and had wine corks in place of points. The bows would cast their arrows about 50 metres.

Are you Jeff Chellacombe the bowyer?

gilnockie · #19 Post by **gilnockie** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:28 pm

Erron

I am happy to take orders although I have enough work to keep me going till early next year. I only do this part time as I work full time. But if anyone is interested and they are not in a tearing hurry, I am happy to send samples of veneer and glued up laminates of veneer to illustrate how the bows are built.

Glenn

Did you glue the veneers over Bo Tuff? How did they perform?

Glenn Newell · #20 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:38 pm

I did glue the timber to the bo tuff, first I sanded the bo tuff with 80 grit paper before glueing, it worked real well, the first one was on a bow I missed weigh on so I did this to bring up the bow weight. I have just bought some core tuff that is already sanded both sides and only .030 thick. I will be looking to the timber doing most of the work this time instead of relying on the glass to hold things together. Another bowyer in my area also glues timber laminations to the bo tuff and his bows have been performing well also.

#21 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 8:40 pm

Gilnockie,

Yeah you have the right person. I have pretty much stopped making bows commercially. Still do the odd one for family and friends though.

I always enjoyed making little bows for kids. It sure is amazing how well they spit an arra out isn't it?

Making your own glass makes it easier to be able to get a 70" bow. As you would know it isn't as easy with Bo-Tuff being 72" overall.

Hope the new 66" bow works out well also. Let us know how it goes. It's always good to hear that someone else is carrying on bow making in this country.

Jeff

erron · #22 Post by **erron** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 10:02 pm

Thanks Gilnockie, i must get a list of bowyers happening one day, so newbies especially know where to go.

Erron

gilnockie · #23 Post by **gilnockie** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 6:59 pm

Glenn

Thanks for the info about veneers. Where did you buy yours, from Briggs Veneers in NSW? They sell the Qilted Maple in the first pics above. It costs about $100 per sq mtr. If I become good enough, at some time in the future I want to use their veneers. They have an enormous range of both Australian and imported timbers.

Erron

If you want to put me on a list of bowyerts I would be flattered, although at this stage I am just a hobbyist.

Jeff

To be honest, I have never used Bo Tuff. I actially started building longbows before I ever shot a bow. If our paths ever cross at a tournament, I will tell that story over a beer. When I saw the price of Bo Tuff I immediately thought that there must be a better way. So I built a mould and started experimenting. I believe that my glass is stronger and stiffer than Bo Tuff, altho I have no evidence for stating this. The only drawback is that I cannot produce a clear glass laminate. But with a wooden skin on the back and on the belly, this is of no consequence.

I build 70in bows because I try to build bows which are forgiving as well as having good cast. I know that supposedly you only need a 70in bow if you have a draw length of 33in or more. Yet I have built a 30# bow of 70 in used by a lady with a 26 in draw. She shot arrows which were way too thick and they had a trajectory like a rainbow. But up to 20 metres she could keep her arrows in the red on a 120cm FITA target and most of them in the gold at 10 metres. She had a lot of fun and that is the main point.

If you look on the Morrabbin Arcery Club Web site http://www.mac.asn.au/robinhood2003.htm
near the bottom of the page you will see Erich's 5th Robin Hood. (At last count he has six so far this year. ) He is holding one of my bows. In The other 4 photos he is holding his own bow, a Samick longbow.

So in the hands of a capable archer, they can perform ok.

So far, everyone who has shot them has commented on how smooth they are in the draw and how little hand shock they have. Anyway, that's enough bragging. Compared to you guys, I am just a novice.

Take care, guys.

#24 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 8:47 pm

Gilnockie,

Thanks for the info once again and don't worry about braggin as it is obvious you enjoy crafting your bows and people appreciate your talents. It would be good to hear the full story on your bow making. Perhaps Erron should do an interview with you so you can tell the story for us all to read.

That Erich is obviously a good shot. It was also pleasing to see a few other longbow shooters in that line up.

Jeff

Glenn Newell · #25 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 8:59 pm

I make all of my veneers and laminations myself, I cut them from stock timber and grind them myself, I use to buy tapered timber laminations in the early days but found they weren't accurate enough. I wouldn'd mind getting some of the quited maple.

erron · #26 Post by **erron** » Fri Oct 17, 2003 9:03 pm

Blimey that Erich can shoot!

Erron

gilnockie · #27 Post by **gilnockie** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:22 pm

Glenn

Here is the link to Briggs veneers, if you don't already have it.

http://www.ecoveneer.com/default.cfm

I contacted them earlier this year and they willingly sent me some samples and some brochures. I don't think I could use Quilted maple on top of my glass as it would not survive the first bending of the bow. But under clear Bo Tuff it could be stunning. They also have a range of burl veneers which are equally attractive, but different colours.

I recall seeing a posting by someone who builds hunting recurves and how he lusted after a native timber called something like "Plumwood". When I spoke to Briggs staff they said that they had stocks of this wood as veneers. It apparently won a prize about 2 years ago for best kitchen.

When I clear the orders for longbows I plan to start building recurves. I have some ideas for recurve limbs without timber in the core. I plan on experimenting with carbon fibre on the back and belly with layers of glass in the core. I will have to make new moulds for laminates of various thicknesses but that is no real problem.

With any luck I should be able to produce a recurve with performance similar to a target recurve of a given weight. But I will be aiming at bows in the 50# to 60# weight range so that hopefully they should have similar cast with arrows of a greater diameter and mass.

Has anyone used Fullerplast? I have only been able to find suppliers in the US of A. Does anyone know of a local supplier? Currently I am using wattyl 7008 two pack polyurethane on my bows. It is durable, tough and abrasion resistant but apparently is fairly high in isocyanate and I am looking for a substitute. I have used polycure Durapol 1044 but abandoned it because once the tin is opened it goes off quickly. Apparently it is lower in isocyanate than the two packs and I am waiting on MSDS sheets from Polycure before I make a decision to go back to using it.

My personal favourite finish is "busy bee" beeswax furniture polish. It is great to polish the bow the night before an outing. One also continues the tradition of the English archers. But if the bow is wetted, as in a shower of rain, the water marks the wax.

I have tried marine grade polyurethane, and I am trying it again, but it needs about 100 hours to cure fully. With the bow I am finishing at present I will try cooking the bow to hasten the cure. This works with moisture cure polyurethane and with 2 pack.

Without giving away any trade secrets about how you finish your bows, does anyone know of a local supplier for Fullerplast?

Take care guys.