First Pyramid Bow

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Jon McGinnis
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:59 am

First Pyramid Bow

#1 Post by Jon McGinnis »

Giving a pyramid bow a try.
Bow length: 68 inches
Width at the thickest spot: 2 inches
Fades: 2 Inches
Tips: 1/2 inch
Bow wood: Maple (tips too)
**Right now my woods at 8% moisture content, but I'm storing it in the bathroom to raise the moisture to 10-12%**
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1 John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world"

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Greg Felty
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Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 5:32 pm

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#2 Post by Greg Felty »

Looks good Jon. Thanks for sharing.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jamesh76
Posts: 2019
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#3 Post by Jamesh76 »

grain looks good. I hope you don't intend to back it with that FG tape on the corner of your bench. It does not prevent breakage, only adds weight and slows cast/performance.

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Jon McGinnis
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Re: First Pyramid Bow

#4 Post by Jon McGinnis »

Going to back it with Rawhide
1 John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world"

Jamesh76
Posts: 2019
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#5 Post by Jamesh76 »

Jon McGinnis wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 8:42 am Going to back it with Rawhide
excellent.

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Jon McGinnis
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:59 am

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#6 Post by Jon McGinnis »

Quick update (no pictures yet). Got the bow floor tillered, backed with Rawhide, and just got the tillering string on it this afternoon. First time using rawhide. Found it to be pretty easy to work with and it looks great. A couple of questions...
1. I want to heat treat the belly. Should I tiller it first then heat treat it. (I'm assuming so)
2. How much will the heat treat up the poundage? I really am shooting for a light bow so my wife and kids can use it (somewhere around 30-35lbs).
3. Finally, What are your thoughts on shooting from the knuckles vs. putting a shelf in. I've never shot from the knuckles.

I'll work on it more over the next few days when I have time and will post some pictures.
1 John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world"

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Greg Felty
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Re: First Pyramid Bow

#7 Post by Greg Felty »

This is good stuff, following .James should be able to answer your questions.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jamesh76
Posts: 2019
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#8 Post by Jamesh76 »

I usually heat treat 4" short of finished draw. You can assume 2.5# per inch on draw to estimate finish weight. Heat treat for me has been difficult to estimate, I have seen a gain of 3-8#. Each board is different though. Here's the deal, I only heat treat if I miss poundage. If you hit your goal weight, I wouldn't heat treat it. I have only made 1 maple board. bow. I gained about 4#. Obviously you may have to re-tiller after heat treating. Be cautious with your backing as heat treat will likely loosen the glue. That being said, I would recommend heat treat as a last chance to get goal weight. As far as knuckle v shelf, I prefer a shelf being glue on, cut in or floppy leather. If your arrow are tuned good, you can shoot off the hand. However with youth or spouse shooting, put some sort of rest on it. They will likely shoot the same arrows but draw length and paradox /tune will be different resulting in raw spots on the hand.

Hill billy
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Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2019 9:20 am

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#9 Post by Hill billy »

Very nice ! Good luck and thanks for sharing

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Jon McGinnis
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2021 4:59 am

Re: First Pyramid Bow

#10 Post by Jon McGinnis »

CRAP! I'm such an idiot. Just made my 68-inch bow a 61.5-inch bow. Got too impatient and tried to take too much off. Ripped a chunk out of the tip when I was tillering. The bow's going to be salvageable...but not what I wanted. Lesson learned. Going to try and finish it up early next week. Pictures coming soon.
1 John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world"

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