Monday 5 January 2015

Reinvigorated

I agreed to go up the club yesterday to take some leather up for one of my mates. It looked mild outside, but when I went out it was freezing and foggy... but it was great!
The course had been re-laid since I last shot with a good few new targets, I was in good company, my feet were dry and despite chilly hands I shot rather well a couple of shots thudded home exactly where I was looking at the target.
I only needed 3 arrows on a couple of the small targets.
One of the best targets was a big tiger across a pond. V difficult to judge the range, I went point onto the target and then just elevated a little, the arrow slipped away and I though "good line" then completely lost sight of it. I thought it was over the target... then I heard a satisfying thud, when we walked round the pond it was an inch above the kill zone.
Going round once (18 targets) was plenty for me, but a breath of fresh air certainly reminded me how much I enjoy shooting.
Getting back home after some re-heated chilli con carne and a cat nap I looked over my staves. I'd been contacted by a guy from Norway interested in a Yew primitive with some character and he didn't mind billets or whatever I came up with... Exactly the sort of commission that sparks my interest. Now I don't export, but this chap regularly visits relatives in the UK so I can ship to them.

I've also been working down the re-spliced Yew longbow stave. Usually I work on one bow at a time but I feel like getting several roughed out so I can then finish them when I feel like it.
One project is a Hazel warbow, and if I rough off the belly from each limb on the bandsaw, the offcuts may form limbs for a 35# Hazel experimental flight bow, I might rough that out tomorrow.

the pics show two views of the staves and a couple of features of the spliced longbow stave. A buried knot which forced me to adust the lay out of the bow to try and loose it off one edge and the weird heart wood sapwood boundary where it goes sap heart sap heart.

I'm excited about flight bows and succumbed to the temptations of the web by clicking "BUY" on a laser rangefinder, (about £90) that takes care of the Christmas money from my Mum!
The flood plain where I could shoot is about a foot deep under water at the moment but it will dry out eventually, and hopefully by then I'll have a couple of bows to try out.

2 comments:

  1. Ey up derek, all the best for the new year. My hazel and elder is ready for work and i will be starting my first bow soon. i am looking forward to seeing how your hazel warbow turns out. Best wishes and keep up the good work. Rgds Adrian

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  2. Good luck with bow and the new year... remember when it doubt stop and have a cuppa!

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