Hello from George Town TAS!

Hi all :)

My name's Ruth and since we moved to Tassie a few years ago, my husband and I FINALLY have a shed!

I do a bit of turning on my lathe (rusty old Dynalink, I don't even have a jaw chuck so I'm doing it oldschool, turning between centres - suits my ancient Sorby chisels :sweatdrop:). I make jewellery (bentwood rings, solid timber earrings with my bandsaw etc) and I've got some work lined up to make interior house fittings to be distributed through a local business. Current side project - spotted gum longbow.

Cos I'm self taught I always have questions and I've only just found this awesome forum. Prepare to have your brains picked!!! :D

Seriously though I'm really excited to be able to access such a wealth of knowledge and practical experience. I apologise in advance if I ask dumb questions :)

So, hello! :bye1:

Welcome Ruth.

welcome aboard

Howdy Ruth,

Welcome to the forum. I'm an newbie here myself, and I've been to George Town... albeit some years ago now. I met some lovely people while traveling through there... despite my trip not going at all to plan.

An aspiring bowyer? You might want to read the thread from my own quirky introduction, as it discusses archery. The link is below.

Anyone seen the movie, "Fight Club?" (explained in thread, even if you haven't)
Anyway, are you planning to make your longbow a decorative piece or an actually functioning bow? Don't be surprised if the first attempt ends up as a decorative piece. Tillering is best done very carefully and slowly the first time, and the wood choice and overall grain of the wood(s) in question can literally make (and break) a bow.

Let me know if you have any questions. I've been doing Archery on and off for most of my life. I shot (and regularly repaired) a timber flat bow for about 15 years as I was growing up... and more modern variants since then.


Good luck, and feel free to "pick my brains" if you have the need.

Hamish.

Welcome to the forum Ruth.

G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Ruth"....
There are a good number of members in Tassie plus the rest of the country.....
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you show off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP [Work In Progress] photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.....
Cheers crowie

Ooh thanks Hamish! I will definitely not be surprised if my first bow is decorative - although I'm so impressed with my husband, his is really effective! Feels completely different to the recurve, although he has a much higher draw weight than I'm planning on making mine to. His turned out accurate, powerful and he hasn't had any structural issues using it as of yet!

I'll take a look at your link, thanks so much!

Hi Ruth, welcome to the forum. Always remember there are no dumb questions. One of the good things about this forum, is when someone asks their "dumb questions" quite often the replies from some of the worldy members give me information I didn't know.
Rgds,
Crocy.

Welcome to the forum Ruth.