I was once an avid archer. I practiced vigorously and enjoyed it more than anything else. Rather than the Western style, I practiced a bastardization of the Eastern style, mostly using the obscure thumb-release method, which typically uses a thumb-ring for drawing the arrow with the right hand while resting the arrow on the left thumb which holds the bow. Western style nocks the arrow on the left side of the bow and typically rests the arrow not on the thumb, which would be near impossible, but on a built-in part of the bow known as the shelf, which for a right handed archer is on the left side of the bow, or more specifically, the riser. Eastern style nocks the arrow on the opposite, or right side and there is no shelf on the bow. While this is a vague and superficial description of the differences between the two styles, suffice to say the differences are drastic. And it is this style and only this style that appealed to me.
This lead me to conceive a modern bow, using the ILF system, but with an ambidextrous no-shelf riser. So I made one, sort of, from a large and heavy chunk of cumaru. If any wood would accommodate an ILF riser, cumaru would be a top contender. I was able to get the basic shape and structure pretty well, but I was thoroughly unable to manage the details. The details involve very precise holes, dovetail cutouts for the limb mounting hardware, possible lateral limb adjustment holes, and end-cuts with specific angles that cannot tolerate much error.
The unfinished cumaru ILF riser sat on my bed for months, then on the floor, then on a shelf, then back on the bed and so on. I contacted every machinist I could find in Bradenton and Sarasota and they all refused to help. The ultimate goal was, if the wood version was successful, to proceed with a T6061 aluminum version. But nobody would touch the idea. That is, until recently.
A couple months ago I met a fellow with some machining experience and equipment, whom I offered to pay to help with the riser project. I stated that I couldn’t pay much, but would certainly exchange at least triple the time in labor as compensation. He said he might give it a go just for fun. Considering that due to two primary reasons I had abandoned archery, one being my poor health, the other being that I could make no progress with what at the time was an extremely important project to me, this seemed a hopeful prospect which might even compel me to resume practice.
During our first meeting and conversation the subjects varied far beyond machining. I had mentioned that as a hobby, I make wood art, primarily kitchen utensils lately. Upon departing, I expressed my gratitude for considering the project and reminded him that I have many tools and ample time to return the favor with. He said, “maybe a really nice spatula”.
I cannot say whether I’ve accomplished that or not, but below are some images of my attempt at “a really nice…” cocobolo ” spatula”.
Focusing on the lower portion of the spatula, there seems some spalting, which can do some pretty amazing things to wood, visually. As cocobolo goes, this was a piece of upper medium density, but definitely not of the hardest pieces, which are usually without the wild color variations. The wilder and more magnificent the colors, I have found, the more brittle the wood can be. Sometimes, a balance of such colors and hardness are both present, and this can make for a special product with both aesthetics and ruggedness. I think this is an example.
I had originally intended an more elaborate, 3d-ish, layered style end loop for hanging, but chose to keep it simple, probably out of cowardice. The sapwood on inner wood makes a charming contrast, especially when it occupies the extremities of the item, in my opinion.
The spalting mentioned, can be seen also on the rear, but isn’t terribly apparent in the image above.
This is an example of the types of piece I tend not to make when selling is the objective. The time and efforts put in to this, as with others, simply exceeds what they could be reasonably sold for. I could do better, specifically with the sanding, but I’m not one to pursue perfection where unnecessary. But I do put a lot of time and effort in these. I hope it qualifies as “a really nice spatula”.