# Red Oak Longbow (Updated: Finished, Painted, Full-Draw Pics)



## JohnnyArcher77 (Jan 7, 2008)

Some pics of my first bow. I made this with mostly hand-tools. I think I may have used the jig-saw twice, but other than that, it is hand-shaped. It finished out at 65# @ 27". A pretty stout bow, for sure, but I made it to take down the big boys! Here she is, all finished. Comments, critique welcome.


----------



## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)




----------



## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

nice. pretty cool.

one of these days ill be making one.


----------



## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

she looks like a dandy, let us know how she shoots.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

That grain on the handle makes me want to throw up. It looks almost identical to the grain on mine. It looks great, but is going to be prone to snapping. I finished making my red oak longbow about 2 or 3 weeks ago and it's cracking, but I wrapped the riser with fiber glass so it's keeping it all together.

Great job on it, looks good! :beer: Keep up the good work!


----------



## JohnnyArcher77 (Jan 7, 2008)

weasle414 said:


> That grain on the handle makes me want to throw up. It looks almost identical to the grain on mine. It looks great, but is going to be prone to snapping.
> 
> Great job on it, looks good! :beer: Keep up the good work!


Thanks! The handle is actually a separate piece of wood that I glued on. I took my time with the stave selection. It was a good piece with no knots or run-offs. Being as it doesn't bend in the handle, I don't see it being a problem. Of course, I am a tad inexperienced with bow-building. What are the specs on yours? Does yours bend in the middle? And just out of curiosity, what kind of tools did you use? Mine was done with a Stanley Surform, a rasp and various files.


----------



## fishless (Aug 2, 2005)

SWEEEET!!!


----------



## JohnnyArcher77 (Jan 7, 2008)

Turner said:


> she looks like a dandy, let us know how she shoots.


Thanks Turner. I've been able to shoot a few times since I strung it up. As far as I can tell, she shoots great. Problem is, all I have is plastic vanes on my carbon arrows and there isn't much grouping to even speak of. I'm thinking that will be alleviated once I re-fletch my arrows with some feathers.


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

sweet nice job...weasel ive found red oak is kind of a finnicky wood, it works but it has to be at least 2.5x your draw length for best results, might have something to do with the breakin u said u had


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Mine's 69" with a 13" taper on the edges (? I'm not 100% sure, this one was either 12 or 13 but I can't remember for sure.) I tapered the belly right off the riser which is 10", the riser did bend at one point in time, but I wrapped it the times with glass and covered it all with hemp and now it doesn't bend. My belly tapers where roughed out with a bandsaw and then finished with sandpaper and surform. My edge tapers where all done with sanding and surform and the riser surform and sanding.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

nmubowyer said:


> sweet nice job...weasel ive found red oak is kind of a finnicky wood, it works but it has to be at least 2.5x your draw length for best results, might have something to do with the breakin u said u had


Yeah, that's probably it. I've got a 28" draw I think so this might've been a bit short for me. I built it for my girlfriend and she's only got a 24" draw so it would've fit her well, but with it starting to crack, nah ah, it's just gonna look nice in the corner of my room.


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

weasel sometimes it seems like the boards ive built bows out of start out too dry, some guys let em sit in a damp basement for a few weeks to stabilize but ive never tried it


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Maybe steaming it would stabalize it. I think I'm gonna have to start a new project tomorow


----------



## sotaman (Apr 6, 2004)

I cant wait to get back and shoot my long bow. Maybe one of these days I will attempted to make my own. But if you look at my WWW button on the bottom of my post is where I had mine made at. I used Osage Orange.


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

steaming might help, but i'd let it stabilize for about two weeks after word because an hour or so of steaming temporarly turns it into spaghetti


----------



## JohnnyArcher77 (Jan 7, 2008)

nmubowyer said:


> steaming might help, but i'd let it stabilize for about two weeks after word because an hour or so of steaming temporarly turns it into spaghetti


Would this be a good time to clamp a stave down to put some curve in the limb for a reflex/deflex design? Or would you want to let it stabilize some first?


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

ya i built a recurve this way last summer, boiled for an hr or so and bent it over a form, then did the other limb, then tiller, sayin its like spaghetti is a bit exaggereated, but it does get flexible, you have to let it dry out for two weeks before tillering so you dont lose your curve


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

it was outa red oak too 45 @27 64 in long, short but im a hippocrate


----------



## JohnnyArcher77 (Jan 7, 2008)

Forgive my ignorance, but why not just put the curve in AFTER tillering? When you say you boiled it...you literally BOILED it? Like in a pot? Man, you must have a pretty big stove...


----------



## nmubowyer (Sep 11, 2007)

i floor tillered it first, becuase it will change your tiller, and i used a big chili pot about a ft tall to boil it, the longer you boil, the easier it bends


----------

