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Bill Skinner Forum Moderation Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 3292	Re: Ski bow Reply #15 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 12:44pm This is a guess but I'm betting the bow will be very powerful. It has laminated beech or birch or possibly ash at the core with two layers of fiberglass. And it's probably around 6mm thick? I have a bow like that and it draws about 80 pounds. Then again, that's just a guess and I could be so far off it's not even funny.
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Kick

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Re: Ski bow
Reply #16 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 2:40pm

These were cheap skis so I'm not entirely sure of the construction. The cross section seems to show some folded middle section. I can post up a picture in a bit. They do have a fair bit of flex. I'm attaching them at a much greater angle than my first attempt so they won't be quite as bent back so I imagine won't be as powerful on this new riser than they would have been on the old one but I'm not the strongest person ado that's probably a good thing Cheesy

I'm still so annoyed I messed up the drilling the first time. This time I'm going to really take my time with out and make sure everything is as aligned as possible. If only I had a drill press...

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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923

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Bill Skinner Forum Moderation Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 3292	Re: Ski bow Reply #17 - Apr 19^th, 2017 at 7:02pm You have power tools? I generally make my bows with a hatchet, a draw knife and a rasp and an old pair of scissors that I took apart to use as scrapers.
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Kick

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Re: Ski bow
Reply #18 - Apr 20^th, 2017 at 7:28am

Well the drill is the only power tool I'm using (and the only one I have...). So far I've been using the hatchet I posted in the Survival Round Robin thread, an old (very blunt) Swiss Army knife, a (not as blunt) Leatherman multitool, a saw that was rusted to hell from potentially 20 or so years in a wood shed in the forest and sand paper. I actually still don't have any files which is a problem I've been meaning to fix for a while.

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You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Ski bow Reply #19 - Apr 20^th, 2017 at 9:07am Bill Skinner wrote on Apr 19^th, 2017 at 7:02pm: You have power tools? I generally make my bows with a hatchet, a draw knife and a rasp and an old pair of scissors that I took apart to use as scrapers. Huh? I always imagined you sitting under a tree with flint flakes...
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Kick

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Re: Ski bow
Reply #20 - Apr 21^st, 2017 at 11:32am

I got the holes drilled and threw on a piece of string just to check everything is in line and looking like it's going to function and it's perfect! I even managed to (completely accidentally) balance it perfectly. I still want to take some material off and pretty it up a bit more so it might not be as perfectly balanced in the end but for now at least it's pretty darn good Cheesy

The "To Do" List:
Slim down the riser
Enlarge the arrow rest a tad
Make some indents for the nuts
Sand it some more (a lot really)
Oil the riser
Clean up the nocks (need to finally get some files)
Make the bow string
Get some arrows
Shoot the damn thing

Let's hope I can get this done fairly quickly. I really want to get out and use it!

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tumblr_oorlzzaI0W1uh6ke8o1_540.jpg (43 KB | 50 )

You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy
"Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Ski bow Reply #21 - Apr 21^st, 2017 at 5:50pm Have you drawn it at all? Any idea where you're at draw weight wise?
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walter Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 2453	Re: Ski bow Reply #22 - Apr 21^st, 2017 at 9:55pm Nice looking bow! Skis; who knew
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Kick past-moderator Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Ski bow Reply #23 - Apr 22^nd, 2017 at 2:04am I drew it back very carefully, not wanting to push it too far on its first outing, and I got it back to the level of my mouth or so so I think it should be pretty usable. I've really got almost no experience with bows so don't have much of a guess I'm afraid.
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Bill Skinner

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Re: Ski bow
Reply #24 - Apr 22^nd, 2017 at 6:50pm

Hey Morphy, I actually have used flakes to make a bow. Really. You can ask Mas, he's seen me work on one. Cool

Note that I said ONE. Grin

Actually, chopping is chopping and scraping is scraping. The biggest problem with using stone tools is getting one the correct shape. I might knock of 6-10 flakes before I got one the correct size and thickness. And as the closest source of knappable stone is close to 50 miles away (90km), and it involves sitting neck deep in a creek while feeling for stone under sand. Then loading up a bucket and hauling them to my truck. And I would go through a lot of rock to get the correct tools.

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Morphy

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Re: Ski bow
Reply #25 - Apr 22^nd, 2017 at 9:29pm

Thanks for setting that straight. You almost completely destroyed my mental image of you. You know, the grizzled marine/philospher that works staves with flint and plants 200 year old corn in his spare time.

I have to admit Ive never used flint flakes. I love my assortment of hand tools too much. I have a rasp I bought from Dean Torges that is wonderful for bowmaking. That and my cabinet scrapers, drawknives, and spokeshaves and terrorism be damned, all is right with the world.

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Kick past-moderator Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Ski bow Reply #26 - Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 12:41pm Talking of rasps, I just got a pretty cheap but perfectly functional set of a flat, round and half round. Man, has it sped things up. The riser is now almost (almost!) finished as far as working the wood goes. A tiny bit more sanding and then sorting out the nut indents then oiling. I need to start working on the string
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Kick past-moderator Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Ski bow Reply #27 - Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 1:51pm In my quest for a bow string, I found this video which seems pretty good. No jig, no tools and fairly easy: just what I need https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UrWcpyiG6c
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Kick past-moderator Offline Posts: 4451 Finland	Re: Ski bow Reply #28 - Apr 23^rd, 2017 at 3:02pm Sorry for the stream of comments but I realised I never showed off the finger tab I made. I actually made this before I had even started working on this bow. What can I say? I was quite excited to get going with this project
Back to top	tumblr_nxk1i0nnwX1uh6ke8o2_250.jpg (27 KB \| 43 ) tumblr_nxk1i0nnwX1uh6ke8o1_250.jpg (22 KB \| 43 ) You are a great guy Kick but also slightly scary at times. - Morphy "Nothing matters, but it’s perhaps more comfortable to keep calm and not interfere with other people." - H.P. Lovecraft, in a letter to Frank Belknap Long, 7 October, 1923 IP Logged

Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Ski bow Reply #29 - Apr 24^th, 2017 at 7:15am Wow your first attempt at making a bow sure does put me to shame. I think I used bailing twine for my first bow string. Let's see bailing twine ,serrated kitchen knife, green crepe myrtle limb. Ya you got me beat by a mile. Can't wait to get a video of you shooting it.
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