Composite bow trial run.

Thimoslav,
I think you would end up with a better bow if you chose a certain style and stuck to it. Here are some pictures to give you an idea, I hope Yokhua doesn't mind me using them.
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The biggest difference seems to be that your siyahs are huge, yet they have almost no recurve to them.
Second, you want to put the handle on the back of the bow, the belly should be flat all the way across, or reflexed like a Korean or Tar-Tar bow. The horn strips should meet at the center of the bow. [/list]

Thankyou for the pointers. Yes i do realise all the flaws. This was just an experiment to see how too get close to shape. At the moment I am making a core in the traditional method with fishtail splices. And yes the handle will be on back. I enjoy the challenge of this type of bow and have loved it's design since the first time I laid eyes on one.

Again thankyou for your critque. :)

I will post the process I go through on this site, as i welcome and need all the help anyone cares to share. :D

HERE IS A PIC OF THIS BOW UNSTRUNG. Handle is in wrong place.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/t ... A-AH-1.jpg

Tim; There are older Asian bows of this design and joinery, without fishtail splicing. Stephen has posted several. Without a teacher one would have to experiment with prototypes. Forge on. -j-

Thanks Jack

Here is a pic of the beginnings of my next core. Any suggestions before i glue the splices?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/t ... -sin-1.jpg

Tim; Cannot make out your joinery from the pic. My understanding of Hun/ Magyar type bows would have the bulge of the grip on the belly side and the limb and tips continuous. Stephen's Khotan bow had the horn also making the bend and continuing up the tips adding to the depth of material.

The second bow has a nice resting curve. Have you shot your first bow? Those tips may need a serious weight reduction. Study origional construction. -j-

That 1st bow, shoots even worse than it looks.

Here is a pic of how the splice is done on 2nd core.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/t ... rnee-3.jpg

This is where I have gotten too on Bow#2. The siyahs are laminates of mulberry and dogwood. Fishtail spliced. I'm waiting for a friend to send me sinew glue in post, before binding siyahs and attaching horn, then sinew back.

1 question: Cand horn be done in splices????

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/t ... rnee-2.jpg

Thimoslav,
Horn can be laminated to cover the entire belly. But you need to take some things into consideration. The horn splices cannot be in a part of the limb that bends a lot. You can put a seperate piece to cover the belly of the handle. Then two more to the side of that which do most of the bending. And then another 2 at the ends to go to the base of the siyah. I would suggest making the joints as smooth as possible and wrap them with sinew.

Ok. This past week I attached the horn to the belly. I was able to use single peices comeing off the fade at each end of the handle, and then a peice spliced in for handle. This morning I applied the sinew. I used a very strong sinew-n-tendon glue too attach both horn and now sinew. Then wrapped entire area of both limbs up into the base of the spliced siyahs with glue soaked hemp.

Here is a pic with reflex prior to sinew begining too dry. I am going to tie down the bow belly down at the handle and reverse brace it as the sinew cures. How long should I leave it alone at this stage?

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c39/t ... site-1.jpg