WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE

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THE DOW C HEMICAL COMPANY WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Volume 26 Issue 7 July 2013 Longbow maker William Lawler WOODWORKERS GUILD OFFICERS FOR 2013 President: Tim Sabo VP: Peter Leavens Treasurer:

1 THE DOW C HEMICAL COMPANY WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Volume 26 Issue 7 July 2013 Longbow maker William Lawler WOODWORKERS GUILD OFFICERS FOR 2013 President: Tim Sabo VP: Peter Leavens Treasurer: Jeremy Noblitt Newsletter Editor: Tim Sabo Librarian: Open Raffle Manager: Open Webmaster: Richard Dell Program Committee: Jim Stevens Charles Given Pell Sherman Jim Kirkbride Wayne Scholz John McCormick David Webber William Lawler loves the outdoors and hunting. Sixteen years ago he purchased a handmade longbow for what was a fair price. But the design intrigued him and since he is very mechanical decided to make one himself. Since then he has made dozens of longbows for both himself and for sale. If anyone is interested in trying to make one themselves there are plans and specs found online at sites such as: Bingham Projects has plans for all styles of recurve and longbows along with kits and supplies to help you complete the task. There is help for calculating draw strength, how to properly place the riser, and what materials make the best laminations. There are even instructions for making the string and arrows. William brought with him a few of the bows he s made over the years. They are quite handsome. He also brought the jig used to position the laminants during assembly. A two part epoxy is needed for construction because yellow or white glue wouldn t be able to holdup to the shear stresses applied when the bow is fully drawn. The jig fits in to a curing box. It is lined with reflectant material and is equipped with a heat source and timer to properly cure the epoxy. When dried the arms are trimmed with a bandsaw and rough sanded on a belt sander. The dimensions are checked before the final sanding and finish applied. For flexibility the wood used to laminate the arms are straight grain only. As a rule thickness equals 1 pound of draw. Adjustments to the rule are made depending on the length of the bow. Some of his favorite woods are bamboo, walnut, bubinga. Between the wood layers is usually either a strip of carbon fiber and/or fiberglass. He explained that because of the typical grip of one finger above the arrow and three below the lower arm is approximately 1/4 shorter than the top. By definition straight (longbow) and recurve bows are considered traditional or primitive bows. A compound bow would be considered a modern bow. The difference between a recurve and straight bow are: A recurve was originally designed with straight limbs with the tips curved away from the archer. The string on a recurve touches the arm below the tip. A recurve stores more energy than a straight bow. A recurve could be made shorter than a straight bow which made it ideal as a weapon while on horseback. Today, engineers have improved the designs so that straight bows have slight curvatures and recurves have been tamed enough that they aren t quite as noisy and hard to use. Typical draw weights used in hunting range between 30lbs and 60lbs. For target shooting the range is considerably less, 15lbs to 35lbs. Thank you William for sharing.

2 Page 2 WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Bow maker William Lawler

3 Volume 26 Issue 7 Page 3 Show & Tell Rich Dell Jeff McCambell Sean Rankin David Webber

Page 4 2013 Meeting Schedule Guild meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month. All interested persons are invited.

Upcoming Contest 5 x5 x6 blocks of Sapele were handed out during last month s meeting to anybody interested in participating in a turning contest. This is a free style contest.

4 Page Meeting Schedule Guild meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month. All interested persons are invited. Our upcoming meeting is: August 21st Topic will be: Kayak making by Tony Albano 7:00 PM Woodcraft 166 South DuPont Highway New Castle, DE WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Treasurer s Report 08/2013 The guild s financial information will be not be published in the newsletter, but will be available for review during the monthly meetings. Please see either the Treasurer, Vice President or President to obtain this information. Upcoming Contest 5 x5 x6 blocks of Sapele were handed out during last month s meeting to anybody interested in participating in a turning contest. This is a free style contest. There is no design criteria. Time to show your creativity. All entries are due August 21st for judging. Judging will take place during the normal guild meeting. 1 All questions should be directed to one of the members of the Program Committee. A jig used to cut spiral rifling in a gun barrel Photos courtesy of Tony Albano

5 Page 5 WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Classifieds The classified section is open to any paid member. Have your classified information to Tim Sabo by the first of the month to be included in that month s newsletter. your information to: TSabo@Dow.com John McCormick has the following for sale: call (302) Dewalt #788 Scroll Saw Excellent shape! Type #1 printed on motor, lamp is attack as well as the easy lift installed to hold the arm up. Stand is included. Asking $ Woodcarvers of Delaware club The Woodcarvers of Delaware club meets every Monday night (6:30-8:30), while school is in session. We meet at McKean High School in the old woodworking room. The meetings are informal. People bring and work on their projects at the meetings. Experienced woodcarvers are available to help you master the art of woodcarving. If you would like to add a new dimension to your wood working skills, come and check this club out. For additional information contact Roger Earley (president) at Chuck Skelley has rough sawn Walnut for sale: Random widths, Randon lengths. Air dried. $3.00 per board foot. contact Chuck at Tony Knisley has the following for sale: sknisley@comcast.net or aknisley@ci.willmington.de.us Cast iron scroll saw missing the treadle Will take best offer Randal Wimberley has the following for sale: Euroshop 20", 3 hp 230 volt 1 phase bandsaw. used very little, excellent condition, $1, Performax Supermax 25 X 2 drum sander, model 613G01, excellent condition, $1, Craftsman 16" scroll saw, near new condition $75.00 Makita HM 1242 heavy duty rotary hammer, takes 3/4 hex tools, clay spade included, used little, $ contact Randal Wimberley, wimberley31@msn.com,

Woodworkers Guild of Delaware 38 Jay Drive New Castle, DE. 19720 WE RE ON THE WEB www.delawarewoodworkers.

6 Woodworkers Guild of Delaware 38 Jay Drive New Castle, DE WE RE ON THE WEB Open to all woodworkers novice to experts Woodworkers Guild of Delaware Benefactors of the Guild Please keep these friends in mind when you make purchases: Woodcraft Lee Valley Veritas

WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE

WOODWORDS ON THE BRANDYWINE Volume 25 Issue 11 November 2012 Dealing with dust with Mike Okner WOODWORKERS GUILD OFFICERS FOR 2012 President: Peter Leavens VP: George Hoffman Treasurer: Jeremy Noblitt