# Natural Build Log



## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Seems that everyone loves pictures and a good build log so I am starting another one today.

I have had this Sydney ******** fork sitting inside my BBQ for about 4 months now. Sitting in the sun all day, it's now very dry indeed.

Not sure of any particular shape or style yet, Ill just see how it goes as I start cutting it up.

More pic's will follow as work progresses.


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

Excellent!
I like a good, picture extensive build log.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

That has potential written all over it....


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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

This will be interesting ..........


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

cant wait!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Band saw and belt sander make quick work of cutting it down to size and revealing the near perfect timber inside.

Decided to turn this into a 'Natural Dragon'.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Bit more band saw work and bit more sanding, it's starting to take shape


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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Updates less than hour apart. Great!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Hehe thanks. Next time I'll consider doing a live build on Skype or something


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

It's coming along nicely mate!
I am loving these build logs.

Keep them coming!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Pattern drawn on and starting to take final shape


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

this build almost seems to quick! hahahaah


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Got it to the final shape, some really nice grain pattern is starting to show through.

Now time for some serious loving on the belt sander to get it to a usable thickness.


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Sweet, will it have a linseed bath ?


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

e~shot said:


> Sweet, will it have a linseed bath ?


Nothing but. I'm considering adding some red or blue food die to the oil mix to give it a bit of colour.


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## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

Hrawk said:


> Hehe thanks. Next time I'll consider doing a live build on Skype or something


Now that I'd be interested in!


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## riverman (Nov 26, 2011)

Great post. It's really interesting to see how someone else works through the process, much different than how I approach a similar fork. It looks fantastic.

RM


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Finished sanding to required thickness - 18mm

Time to bust out the router and round those edges!


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

That is incredible! A natural fork board cut ..... I am slack jawed.


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

keep it coming


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Thanks man!

I originally wanted to do a traditional natural, but as it started to take shape, combined with my love of the Dragon, I just had to do it.

Can't wait to see it after it's linseed bath.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Routed with round over bit and band grooves cut


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Only 15 minutes in the linseed oil and the grain has already jumped up and punched me in the face.

Can't wait to see it after a couple of days!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

So . . . Is it a board cut or a natural ?


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

awesome build ! shes a keeper .


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> So . . . Is it a board cut or a natural ?


I have been trying to decide what to call it myself .... No idea. Lets just call it awesome.


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## cedar hunter (Dec 31, 2011)

NaturalFork said:


> So . . . Is it a board cut or a natural ?


I have been trying to decide what to call it myself .... No idea. Lets just call it awesome.
[/quote]







Great work Hrawk!


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## rosco (Jan 10, 2012)

Wow...hybrid vigor.

...you got skills


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> So . . . Is it a board cut or a natural ?


Hrawk, that's a natural. No boardcut would match the grain pattern that makes that one stronger than any board. What a fantastic job!


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## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

So nice. I need a router...


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## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

That looks great


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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

The linseed really brings the grain out nicely.
looks very nice.


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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> So . . . Is it a board cut or a natural ?


It's a very pretty, well executed boardcut.
All boards start out as round pieces of wood at some point and are sawn down to size, just like you did. Not that I'm trying to knock it (after all, why would calling it a boardcut be an insult?). The work is exceptional and the results are great! I particularily like the grain rings in the finger-support grips.
And it's most definately _yours. _How many of us can say we really made a boardcut?
Hrawk:"Hey, check out this slingshot I made"
Interested party: "Cool! Where did you buy the board?"
Hrawk"No, no mate, I *made *this slingshot!"
Great work and a very good post as well


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## newconvert (Dec 12, 2011)

sweet work hrawk


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## jskeen (Feb 7, 2011)

Excellent! I love taking a big fork and turning it into a slingshot shaped the way I want it. Some of the very first frames I made were shaped from a board cut out of an oversized fork, and I still make them. I consider them a hybrid, as "boardcut" to me implies that the grain is all parallel or at least close in the wood. One of the first slingshots I saw on here that really grabbed my attention was a natural that one of the other Dan's (ZDP) had shaped extensively to fit his hand. He called it "The UnNatural". I liked the term so much I did a bunch of searching and while a couple of people have used it, I believe he was first. I have since used it (with his permission) for any slingshot that I make from a board I mill out of a forked piece of wood, to differentiate them from one that I cut from a piece of straight grain lumber.

YMMV of course. Whatever you call it, It's very cool and I bet you will find it shoots even better than your "normal" dragon, (even if the difference is just in you head) after all, a very large part of any shooting sport is mental, and if you THINK a frame is going to work better, there's a good chance it will.

Enjoy!


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## MrTriscuit (Oct 10, 2011)

Its a natural board cut


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## cedar hunter (Dec 31, 2011)

I've got to get me some linseed oil.


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## wombat (Jun 10, 2011)

whoa! you hit the mark with that one!!! and IMHO it's a 'flat natural', you won't find a commercial board with that sort of grain.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)




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## Knoll (Nov 10, 2011)

Crap! Vid is blocked on account of some cockamainy copyright grounds!


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Knoll said:


> Crap! Vid is blocked on account of some cockamainy copyright grounds!


Bummer, must be the audio track. Works fine in AU & NZ.

Guess I'll have to re upload another version with some royalty free music









You could always connect through a non US based proxy to see it.

Screw you Warner:

* As a result, your video has been blocked in these locations:*

American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, United States Virgin Islands​


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## HungaJungaESQ (Jan 4, 2012)

That is rad Hrawk! I really want to see the difference between 15 minutes in oil and a few days. That's one aspect of the linseed oil finish that I haven't tried yet. I've soaked it over night, but that's the longest.

This is just really really really awesome. Good lookin'.

-Bob


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

It wont look all that much different. Soaking for a few days does help with colour a bit, but mainly allows the oil to soak right to the core adding additional strength and a bit of extra weight.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Alternate audio version - should be ok worldwide


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

That is a very nice piece of work. I really appreciate the step-by-step build log. I think either of the phrases "board cut natural" or "natural board cut" are appropriate ... not sure which I prefer! This certainly inspires me to look at forks in the wild in a whole different way. Now I will not worry so much about absolute symmetry of forks, and I will be taking a close look at the big chunky buggers that I would have previously dismissed. As has been mentioned by others, using a fork as the basis of a board cut gives the finished frame much greater strength because of the way the grain runs to the forks. Excellent job, and nice presentation.

Cheers ...... Charles


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Board cut with natural wood grain strength. Beauty!


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## Jim Williams (Jul 6, 2011)

You have just given me the motivation to cut the cherry tree down in the garden that's dead, I'm hoping some of the wood is still useable. I will make a build log too if all goes well.


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## cheese (Nov 16, 2011)

its a board cut natural/awesome!


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## f00by (May 18, 2010)

I really like this. We are always grabbing oak and stuff for the fire and have logs ripe for the taking. I may have to try this some time.


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

hrawk brilliant job that wood is beautiful!


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## Xidoo (Aug 14, 2010)

I am confused. Is this a board cut or a natural?? Either way it came so nice. I am very impress with the whole process. I would love to have one of this slingshots. Natural and boardcut at the same time. Great work Hrawk!! Saludos







.


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## Chepo69 (May 1, 2010)

I like the record sequence.

I think that having been reversed would have ended with spiky hair ... lol!

Excellent use of a fork giant


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## JLS:Survival (Dec 8, 2011)

when you say that you had this natural in your BBQ, did you have the BBQ on or off


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Lol, who runs their BBQ for 4 months ?

It's a large black covered BBQ that sits in the sun all day. If you check the temp gauge around midday, it's often 50-60 degrees Celsius inside.


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## JLS:Survival (Dec 8, 2011)

Sweet, so its a natural, natural cooker


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## pop shot (Sep 29, 2011)

what's calsius?
oh wait, i'll start a thread on that.


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## Karok01 (Jan 26, 2012)

Wow, you managed to cut that knot on the left fork out pretty well, I was worried from the first few photos that it was a fracture point. Looks great, and I do love me a step by step post.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

I finally got around to finishing my 'Natural Boardcut' before it goes off to it's new owner.​
Sanded to 400, quick dip back in the linseed oil, 3 days to cure, sand to 600, hot beeswax finish and a hand rub.​
Leaves a nice matt gloss finish that is very tactile to the touch.​
If anyone is ever worried about a slingshot being too smooth or slippery, have a try with a pure bees wax finish. It almost feels rubber coated when done properly.​








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## Danny0663 (Mar 15, 2011)

ohhh... wooow!
Thats beautiful.


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## Sean (Nov 17, 2011)

This is just a great thread. A wonderful design and fantastic piece of wood brought to it's best state with skill and know how. Well done.


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## Dr J (Apr 22, 2013)

Stunningly outstanding! My vocabulary is inadequate to describe this work of art. You are indeed a Master craftsman.


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