Grey Myrtle Self Bow

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Graeme K · #1 Post by **Graeme K** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:21 pm

Hi All

Just finished a self bow from the Grey Myrtle that I cut a year or so ago.
The bow is 70" nock to nock and 50# at 28". The timber has proved to be extremely stiff and resilient and I am pleased with result. I used the least satisfactory stave I had and this has resulted in having to straighten it quite a bit to get decent string alignment. Also the stave had one reflexed and one deflexed limb caused by shape at the fades of the handle. I decided to tiller it to a uniform shape despite the irregular limbs and the result has been satisfactory in that the reflex limb has taken a little permanent set during tillering due to the higher stress. This has made the overall tiller reasonably even.

Jaydo · #2 Post by **Jaydo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:25 pm

Very nice work there Grahame K,

i love the colour in the timber,

hows your tillering set up work, its probably the most complex one ive seen on here,

asking this because im learning about tillering before i tiller my bow,

jayden

Graeme K · #3 Post by **Graeme K** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:34 pm

Hi Jayden

There is nothing flash about my tillering set up. It is just a wall with a few lines on it and a place to sit the bow. I use a small hand winch to draw the bow and a scale to tell how much I am loading it. The spots and marks on the wall are just a few points I have used to make it easy to pick the ends of the same lines

Hope this helps --- Graeme

Jaydo · #4 Post by **Jaydo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:42 pm

Thanks Grahame,

do you find that this method works better than the normal sort of tillering board,

jayden

Graeme K · #5 Post by **Graeme K** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:54 pm

Hi Jayden

No Idea what you consider a normal tillering board --- what I use is fairly common and most tillering boards are some sort of a shelf on a wall with some way to draw the bow.

The only thing I can think of that you might be talking about is the tillering sticks that some people use which is just a bit of wood with a place on one end that you place the bow and some notches to hook the string on.

The tillering stick is sort of a way to hold the bow drawn if you do not have a wall to use or you need something portable but the end result is the same as you usually put the bow on the tiller stick then stand it against a wall to look at it.

If you are talking about something else try to explain it and I will tell you what I think.

Graeme

Jaydo · #6 Post by **Jaydo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:00 pm

yeah sorry Grahame, i did mean the tillering stick, maybe got confused,

thankyou for that, ill probably end up using a stick cause my folks would be mad if i drew lines on their walls,

Graeme K · #7 Post by **Graeme K** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:07 pm

Hi Jayden

Yep you are undoubtedly right. Best thing is to find a wall with some sort of lines already on it like a brick wall or some sort of fence with horizontal lines on it to lean the bow on.

Graeme

jape · #8 Post by **jape** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:36 pm

Is that texture on the back just hard grain/soft grain and achieved with something like a wire brush? I find it an attractive and interesting finish.

TomW · #9 Post by **TomW** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:09 pm

Beautiful bow Graeme and beautiful timber as well. From your description, it must have been a real challenge to get it right!

Regards

Tom

#10 Post by **Stickbow Hunter** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:24 pm

Another fine bow Graeme, it looks great.

Jeff

longbow steve · #11 Post by **longbow steve** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:42 am

Hi Graeme, The bow looks great. Have you stained the bow or is that the natural colour? Steve

Graeme K · #12 Post by **Graeme K** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:12 am

Hi Steve
.
Yes I stained it with "Golden Oak" wattyl spirit based stain.
The timber is a sort greyish salmon pink which is interesting but unappealing.

Graeme

Graeme K · #13 Post by **Graeme K** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 9:50 am

Thanks --Tom and Jeff
I am pleased with it and it has proved the timber to be very satisfactory -- I will try one of the better shaped staves next, now that I have got a feel for it. I have a real nice stave with a good natural reflex that will give me another flat bow and a narrow ELB which this timber will be perfect for since it is so strong and elastic.

Hi Jape

The pattern / texture on the back is just the way the tree grows. All I did was remove the bark and that was the surface you are seeing. I did not even sand it much since it was tight and smooth despite the texture, I just gave it a rub with steel wool before I finished it with Danish Oil.
I think if you produced this sort of texture on the back of a bow by wire brushing you would cause all the fibers to be broken and the bow would probably fail. In my case because the texture was the way the tree grew it meant that the fibers are in tact which is why I did not want to even sand it too much

Graeme

losty · #14 Post by **losty** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:07 am

thats probably the best tillering set up ive seen. I'll try and rig that up next time i have a go at bowmaking. Saves making a tillering stick as well, that was annoying. Did you get the small winch from a 4wd shop or?

coolhippy80 · #15 Post by **coolhippy80** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:24 pm

lovely... i like the look on the back, nice and unique. the handle looks a bit bulky... is it?

Graeme K · #16 Post by **Graeme K** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 4:23 pm

Hi Losty
Yes I got the little hand winch from an auto accessory shop -- I have the sort with webbing not a wire rope which is better since it does not get kinked. I think it cost about $40

Graeme

Hi Gus

The handle is about 25mm wide and about 40 deep so it feels a bit skinny in my hand. I think the 25 wide makes it seem skinny but it feels OK to shoot and the very rectangular shape stops it trying to rotate in your hand. It is a very common shape on a self bow Bow.

Graeme

coolhippy80 · #17 Post by **coolhippy80** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:00 pm

oh ok, lovely bow anyway.

african man · #18 Post by **african man** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:34 pm

H
I am at present making a bow out of a tree we have growing here that we call Australian myrtle (I don't know the real name for it)it is an invasive alien. The tests I did on it were very promising . The wood is very gnarly looks a bit like the wood in the photo except it has holes were side branches come out of the trunk and these seem to get deeper as the tree gets bigger to the point were you cant make a bow out of the bigger trees.The bark is very shaggy and papery and peels of easily. Does any one know which myrtle it is (I could try and post some photos) and have any advice for me
Thanks

good shootin
Chris

Graeme K · #19 Post by **Graeme K** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:01 am

Hi Chris

You need to post some photos -- there are not may types of tree called Myrtle in OZ and it sounds more like the one you have is a Melaleuca or paper bark. But that is just a wild guess so send some photos and I will be able to identify it for you.

Graeme

african man · #20 Post by **african man** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:49 am

Ok

I went wandering around in the bushes this afternoon and got some photos of the tree. I hope I have down scaled them correctly

(The stave I was working on turned itself into fire wood

no problem I got another out and started working on it ;at 01.30am; )

Graeme K · #21 Post by **Graeme K** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:39 am

Hi Chris

hard to be sure without a photo of the flowers and fruit but if it is definitely Australian then it is most likely to be a Melaleuca as we suggested --- not much chance of it making a good bow unfortunately. There must be something better growing locally, perhaps some of the Acacia family. You need wood that is close grained and dense.

Graeme

african man · #22 Post by **african man** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:29 am

Thanks for the input

Graeme K · #23 Post by **Graeme K** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:40 am

Hi Chris
The Melaleucas ( or paper barks ) have flowers like the shape of a " Bottle Brush " usualy 20 to 30 mm long and white/ cream or pink

GKL

jape · #24 Post by **jape** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:02 am

http://www.sabonet.org.za/aliens/aliens ... taceae.htm

this might help identify it mate

seems you have ironbark there, that would be much better if i remember some informative posts from australian bow makers rightly?

Sparra · #25 Post by **Sparra** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:11 pm

Graeme K wrote:Hi Jayden

The spots and marks on the wall are just a few points I have used to make it easy to pick the ends of the same lines

Hope this helps --- Graeme

The second red dots from the bottom don't line up

Cheers...Sparra

african man · #26 Post by **african man** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:15 am

Hi
Its me again (on a mission have to find out what's this tree)
I've found some flowers and seed pods
no one in the area seems to know the botanical name not even the local parks board, most just call it Australian myrtle (dam this is frustrating ),it showed so much potential with the mini bow I made that I have cut quite a few staves
The flowers don't look like the bottle brush

Thanks jape went onto the site but couldn't find anything concrete but will carry on trying

Mike-dy · #27 Post by **Mike-dy** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:29 pm

Looks like it could be a member of the hakea family? from the pods and flowers.
Cheers,
Mike

Graeme K · #28 Post by **Graeme K** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:28 am

Hi Chris
The seeds and flower buds seem to confirm my guess of a " Melaleuca" but I am in Italy for a couple of months so I do not have my reference books to tell you which one.

Greme

Mike-dy · #29 Post by **Mike-dy** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:38 pm

Leptospernum laevigium or Coast Tea Tree
Cheers,
Mike

african man · #30 Post by **african man** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:14 am

Thanks Mike
any good for bows?