Yet another norwegian Moshcheveya Balka type bow
Hi all!
First, thanks to everyone for all the help I have found here. I am a new user on the forum, but have been reading it for some time. The info here is the main reason I have now made my first hornbow. It started nearly a year ago when Kviljo, here on the forum, a couple of others and I, got together for a weekend to share what info we had on hornbowmaking. None of us had made any hornbows. I decided to start with a (modified) Moshcheveya Balka design. (special thanks to Andrew Hall for the drawings, a great help!)
Since it was to be my first hornbow, and the main purpose was to get experience, I wanted to reduce the strain. I would aim for a moderate draw weight, the setback in the handle ended up at about 8 degrees (down from20) the siyahs was shorted (from 10" to 9") and siyah angle reduced (from 40degrees to 30). The core was made from lumberyard birch with standing growth rings, siyahs from a steam bent ash log, glue was hide glue in pearl form. The core was finished before we met for the weekend. It was steam bent in the handle, but siyahs was v-spliced. During the weekend we worked and talked, the horn was sawn and rasped.
[external image]
Now I got a major problem, the horn twisted sideways, out of the core. I decided to cut it and glue it on with a small gap, and put in a small piece of horn in a butt splice later. And just go ahead to get experience of the process, even if it should break. The wood and horn was sized with 7 or 8 coats of thin glue before final gluing. The rope method was used for clamping, and I think the glue line looked quite good. I did not make grooves, but scraped wood and horn in a random pattern. But I was worried as the splice had to be in the middle of the limb, where it bent the most. As the project did not have a good start, the side plates on handle and siyahs was just made of hicory instead of horn or bone. I had some doubts at this stage.
[external image]
I had made the core thicker than it was intended to end up, to keep it stable during gluing. Now I worked it down to about 2.5-3.0mm before putting on three layers of sinew, maybe 2.5 mm. The horn belly was then worked down to a little less than 3mm. A piece of horn was glued into the gap between the horns in the handle, and in the gap on what was to become the upper limb. After filing down, the splice on the limb was secured with a sinew wrap around the limb. Finally the bow was backed with rawhide from spotted wolffish. The joints then wrapped with linen thread. For safety the butt splice on the limb was also wrapped on the outside.
[external image]
After giving the sinew three months to dry, it was "opened" over tepeliks, and left overnight. Its a understatement to say I was very happy (and maybe a little surprised) when it held together. As I was a couple of days later when I shot it for the fist time. It has now shot a little over hundred arrows. Btw, it ended up at 42 pounds at 28 inches.
[external image]
Probably just on around 27 inches of draw here.
I think of it as made of glue and information technology! Thanks again all of you!
First, thanks to everyone for all the help I have found here. I am a new user on the forum, but have been reading it for some time. The info here is the main reason I have now made my first hornbow. It started nearly a year ago when Kviljo, here on the forum, a couple of others and I, got together for a weekend to share what info we had on hornbowmaking. None of us had made any hornbows. I decided to start with a (modified) Moshcheveya Balka design. (special thanks to Andrew Hall for the drawings, a great help!)
Since it was to be my first hornbow, and the main purpose was to get experience, I wanted to reduce the strain. I would aim for a moderate draw weight, the setback in the handle ended up at about 8 degrees (down from20) the siyahs was shorted (from 10" to 9") and siyah angle reduced (from 40degrees to 30). The core was made from lumberyard birch with standing growth rings, siyahs from a steam bent ash log, glue was hide glue in pearl form. The core was finished before we met for the weekend. It was steam bent in the handle, but siyahs was v-spliced. During the weekend we worked and talked, the horn was sawn and rasped.
[external image]
![[external image]](http://www.anlaugjakobsen.net/bbilder/at-horn1.jpg){kind=link}
Now I got a major problem, the horn twisted sideways, out of the core. I decided to cut it and glue it on with a small gap, and put in a small piece of horn in a butt splice later. And just go ahead to get experience of the process, even if it should break. The wood and horn was sized with 7 or 8 coats of thin glue before final gluing. The rope method was used for clamping, and I think the glue line looked quite good. I did not make grooves, but scraped wood and horn in a random pattern. But I was worried as the splice had to be in the middle of the limb, where it bent the most. As the project did not have a good start, the side plates on handle and siyahs was just made of hicory instead of horn or bone. I had some doubts at this stage.
[external image]
![[external image]](http://www.anlaugjakobsen.net/bbilder/at-horn2.jpg){kind=link}
I had made the core thicker than it was intended to end up, to keep it stable during gluing. Now I worked it down to about 2.5-3.0mm before putting on three layers of sinew, maybe 2.5 mm. The horn belly was then worked down to a little less than 3mm. A piece of horn was glued into the gap between the horns in the handle, and in the gap on what was to become the upper limb. After filing down, the splice on the limb was secured with a sinew wrap around the limb. Finally the bow was backed with rawhide from spotted wolffish. The joints then wrapped with linen thread. For safety the butt splice on the limb was also wrapped on the outside.
[external image]
![[external image]](http://www.anlaugjakobsen.net/bbilder/at-horn3.jpg){kind=link}
After giving the sinew three months to dry, it was "opened" over tepeliks, and left overnight. Its a understatement to say I was very happy (and maybe a little surprised) when it held together. As I was a couple of days later when I shot it for the fist time. It has now shot a little over hundred arrows. Btw, it ended up at 42 pounds at 28 inches.
[external image]
![[external image]](http://www.anlaugjakobsen.net/bbilder/hornbueskudd-2009-10-27_09.jpg){kind=link}
Probably just on around 27 inches of draw here.
I think of it as made of glue and information technology! Thanks again all of you!
Brilliant, Lurz! It's good to have you here!
It has been really exciting (to say the least!) to follow this bow from start to finish. By the way, I think Lurz is the first person in Norway to make a shooting horn bow, for at least 500 years! The latter probably being horn crossbows.
It has been really exciting (to say the least!) to follow this bow from start to finish. By the way, I think Lurz is the first person in Norway to make a shooting horn bow, for at least 500 years! The latter probably being horn crossbows.
Hi lurz, welcome............
..........glue and information are making the hornbow- world actually around....that?s it.
Great to read your description and explanations of the making of this nice bow, well done.
Horns are always twisting, one horn grows to the right , the other grows to the left, horn will never forget anything, so it is a must to use a right and a left horn for a hornbow, so the twist could be balanced.
Go on like that, Michael
..........glue and information are making the hornbow- world actually around....that?s it.
Great to read your description and explanations of the making of this nice bow, well done.
Horns are always twisting, one horn grows to the right , the other grows to the left, horn will never forget anything, so it is a must to use a right and a left horn for a hornbow, so the twist could be balanced.
Go on like that, Michael
WOW!!! Great job. That looks like a great bow. Weight sounds perfect. I envy people who can make a bow like yours.
Thanks all!
Since making this bow I have read Adams book, and I begin to understand how many errors I have made. First, I don't belive the bow will live very long if I continue to shoot it, with the buttsplice in the horn, in the middle of the bending part of the limb. But I suspected as much.
Also it is not very fast, because of little set back in the arms and siyahs. There is also too much weight in the siyahs, and the draw weight is only 42 pounds. (it cronoed to about 136fps btw)
All the same I think it was quite a succesful experiment as I learned quite a lot from making it. And the bow has held together for, I would guess about 200 arrows, more than I had dared to hope for.
Now the bow will be retired, and only used to try out strightening an balancing with heat and such things. ( after all it was my first hornbow, and I want to keep it )
I'm starting a couple of new bows soon, and have some questions for a new thread.
Since making this bow I have read Adams book, and I begin to understand how many errors I have made. First, I don't belive the bow will live very long if I continue to shoot it, with the buttsplice in the horn, in the middle of the bending part of the limb. But I suspected as much.
Also it is not very fast, because of little set back in the arms and siyahs. There is also too much weight in the siyahs, and the draw weight is only 42 pounds. (it cronoed to about 136fps btw)
All the same I think it was quite a succesful experiment as I learned quite a lot from making it. And the bow has held together for, I would guess about 200 arrows, more than I had dared to hope for.
Now the bow will be retired, and only used to try out strightening an balancing with heat and such things. ( after all it was my first hornbow, and I want to keep it )
I'm starting a couple of new bows soon, and have some questions for a new thread.
Lurz; The Shilustei sum Mongol bow has 4 splices in the two limbs, just not in the center of the limbs. It looks like it held there also. That bow is posted as a Mongol bow in "General" discussion.
Thank you! Very interesting thread! I might be tempted to shoot it a little more, just for fun!