Making a bow

[Dogote]

My latest project is a bow along with arrows (eventually, if the bow is actually completed!)

i dont know anything about making them. i dont know the terminology AT all.....
my cousin and one other friend have made them.. friend's is a traditional English Longbow. mine isnt quite that tall.... its nearly five feet..... that is to say, i am 5'2" and the end reaches my nose.
one person suggested i make the height come up to my chest. and thats all he said. not a word about designs or anything.

so to get to the point... if anyone has experience with making bows and arrows could you please please please give me a step by step lesson in it?

i'm limited with my tools and equipment but i know how to make things work when i want them bad enough.
i have a brand new Dremel, and a set of wood carving tools. i dont know if my husband has any clamps in his work shop. i'll have to ask later....

i keep hearing contradictory ways in making them.. some say heat boxes, special glues, some buy the wood and use belt sanders to get the shapes they want....

no. i went outside and found a hickory sapling about two inches thick and straight as can be. i shaved off all the bark and got rid of the nobbly twiggy knots. and am in the process of shaping one end.... but i stopped there to look for some help.

now what do i do next



:?:

[M. Demetrius]

http://www.woodbows.com/
I'd suggest you start with one partly finished, that comes with instructions. You can save yourself a great deal of trouble, if you consult with people who have already done it and learned how to overcome some of the obstacles. A bow that breaks under stress can injure the archer. Sharp wood splinters that close to the body/face are not friendly, and there's quite a bit of energy in the bow when it is drawn.

After you have a working understanding of how the bow works, how to carve and split the wood, how to match the arrows to your bow, then you can be more confident in making a bow like you want. At least that's my advice.

[Dogote]

well as much as i dont like it, you are right. (i dont like it because i am determined and dont like projects interrupted) but i hadnt considered any potential danger such as you mentioned, and you were the only one to point that particular danger.
the last time i shot a bow my only concern was the bowstring grazing my arm.. or sore fingers.

however i have just purchased a book about traditional archery and bow making.
Thanks!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I'll have to put you in for STOP card of the week Demetrius!
Excellent advice!

[jvrjenivs]

I second that making a bow isn't the simplest thing to do, and make sure it's strong enough and you've used a lot of bows, so you know how it has to feel. As is told already, you can get serious problems if the bow breaks when trying to shoot with it.

A friend of mine make bows from one piece of wood (carved) and does everything on his feeling. (Does it feel right, no, take some wood away, till he feels okay), but he has done a lot of wood carving and shooting before he started making his own. For more professional multi-layered bows he still go to the shop, as that's to difficult he told me.

[Dogote]

Thanks for the advice

my biggest annoyance with this project is i cant work side by side with someone like i would prefer. i have never been good at following guide books. i need to get my hands on things to figure them out.

the one friend i talked to who has made a bow and actually uses it lives all the way across the Atlantic and well... thats no help at all, is it?

lately working with wood has been fascinating for me and i've already done a few projects. i guess i got over confident lol

[M. Demetrius]

Thanks, GJC...I think... :lol:

[Buggnkat]

Thanks for the advice

my biggest annoyance with this project is i cant work side by side with someone like i would prefer. i have never been good at following guide books. i need to get my hands on things to figure them out.

the one friend i talked to who has made a bow and actually uses it lives all the way across the Atlantic and well... thats no help at all, is it?

lately working with wood has been fascinating for me and i've already done a few projects. i guess i got over confident lol

Dont give up. Check the local archery shops and tournements. There are always a few intrepid folks that make their own bows.

Go to the IBO site and check there too. I belonged to the IBO for years and enjoyed it, met some really cool people and gained tons of knowledge.

I too do woodworking and shoot archery. I find them a good release of tension. Archery is the most relaxing thing I do. You are braver than I, I dont think I would try to make my own bow. Good luck and when you master it can we get a discount?

Greg Lee

[P. Clodius Secundus]

My latest project is a bow along with arrows (eventually, if the bow is actually completed!)...now what do i do next

:?:

I'm suprised Auxarcher (Dane Donato) of LEG III CYR hasn't seen and responded to your inquiry. He's our resident expert on archery related topics. He can get you headed on the right direction whether you're making a one-piece self bow like the longbow, or a compsite bow like the Romans used. I'll have him join this thread.

[AuxArcher]

Hi Gin, and thanks Randi for pointing out this thread.

I make bows, and would be very happy to help. The first thing I would recommend you do is join Primitive Archer's forums (primitivearcher.com). Free and some of the best wooden bow makers are there from around the world, and are all very happy to help beginners and experienced bow builders. Maybe someone near you can also help you in person.

Borrow or buy The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Vol 1 - 4, but Vol 1 is the best one to have first. everything you need to know, for wood selection and tools to how to tiller, finishing wood, making strings, etc is covered in that book.

As for tools, you can keep it very simple. A hatchet or axe or machete, some wood rasps and files, a cabinate scraper, and a saw is all you need in the way of tools. A workbench is nice, but not necessary (I use an old table and wooden handscrew vices). I also use an antique draw knife and a spokeshave for most of my work, but minimal tools will get it done just fine. The only power tool most bow makers use is a band saw. One day, I wnat one, but am fine if I never own one too.

You are not exactly carving the wood, but instead, think of it as shaping the wood so it bends in an arc. That is what tillering is. A 2" hickory sapling is fine to start with, but starting with a hardwood board is also a great and inexpensive way to begin to learn bow making. A trip to Lowes or Home Depot etc. and a red oak board is how most folks begin learning.

There are two sides to to the bow, the belly and the back. The belly is the side of the bow facing you, which bends in toward you as you pull the string. The back is the side facing the target. The "secret" of making bows is to not violate the grain of the wood on the back. So, when looking for wood, you want straight grain running the lenght of the future bow. The back you leave alone, and work only the belly side.

If you want to try the hickolry sapling, you have to dry it first. Sealing the ends with yellow wood glue or white glue or varnish, etc. prvents checking as the wood drys. You want about .5% to .8% humidity in the wood. If too green, the wood will take a lot of set (will stay bent when you are done shooting), and if too dry, will break while working it. How long it takes depends on the humidity where you live, and other factors.

Once the stave is dry, you want to debark it, and that is done with a cabinate scraper or even a pocket knife. Dedice how wide you want the bow to be, and then shape the sides and handle (all this is covered nicely in Traditional Bowyers Bible, Vol. 1).

And more if you are interested in hearing. There is a lot to learn at first, but it is all realtively simple work to make a basic wood flat bow or long bow. Oh, as for length, your height is a good basic rule of thumb. I'm 66" tall, and make mine around that tall. A short bow is something a bit more complicated to do, but keeping it simple is a good way to begin ( and continue going, too).

Making a wooden bow is not that difficult, and very addictive once the bug bites you.

As for bows breaking and huring you, that can happend, but in almost all isntances, if the bow is going to break, it will happen during the building process. I have not had one break, but have had one destring under full draw, and it was a bit unnerving, but I and the bow were fine. Traditional archery is probably far safer than football or skiing. Ask my leg that, lol.

Feel free to contact me, as well. I wont begin to discuss composite bows, an entirely different beast, one I am wrestling with now. Although we havent found any all wood bows used by Roman troops, it seems to me they probaby did have them for practice and other purposes. the all wood self bow is ancient, perhaps 14,000 years or more.

[Dogote]

I too do woodworking and shoot archery. I find them a good release of tension. Archery is the most relaxing thing I do. You are braver than I, I dont think I would try to make my own bow. Good luck and when you master it can we get a discount?

Greg Lee

lol was that a pun? :lol:
and if i figure out how to do this then SURE discounts for anyone who aks crafts are a hobby for me, not a business, i dont mind sharing as long as its appreciated.

AuxArcher - thank you so very much for the all of the info! i wish i had been back here sooner, that reply would have been a great Christmas present

the book i ordered is called Traditional Archery by Sam Fadala i cant remember why i bought that -almost got the bible -
and over the holidays i was going to buy a bow but ... ha.. they're out of season! :roll: around here all they have are compound bows.. i want something a little more old fashioned.

my cousin came to visit last Sunday and took advantage of my backyard wilderness to restock her arrow supply. my job this week is to collect feathers from my ducks for fletching.


anyway i'll be in touch with you soon about this - again i wish i had someone close to home i could work with. maybe i can find someone in those website thanks again everyone!

[AuxArcher]

My pleasure, Gin, and feel free to keep in touch with me. I am not the world's expert, but I will help as I can.

Compounds, what I call borg bows, easy to learn to use but yuck, I would avoid those unless you want to kill a deer. You will find when you go to an archery shop and ask about wooden bows, you will be treated like a Martian. Might as well go in kit to add to the effect

There are a number of great sites that cater to traditional and primative archers. Three Rivers Archery is a great company, fantastic service, and that is where I get much of my materials, such as arrow sharfting, fletching, tips, etc. They also carry some modern reproductions of Asiatic bows, which may be what Roman auxiliary archers used. I have one, and it is a fun, fast little bow. Three rivers also has a great selection of books for learning to make and how to shoot bows.

You cant go wrong by acquiring at least vol. I of the Traditional Bowyers Bible, and primitivearcher.com is a great resource full of friendly people who will go out of their way to help. Paleoplanet is another primitive bow place to hang out and get help, and they also have sections of the website on atlatls, fire making, etc. All things ancestral, so to speak.

Oh, the other key tool I love and use all the time is a farrier's rasp. That will make your life easier, and can be found on line or in a shop catering to horse folk.

Happy new year,

Dane

[Dogote]

my dad is bow hunter - i think he prefers that to guns honestly - i dont know how many different types he has but the borg is the popular one. he used to have a few simple long bow types... but they were plastic(i think.. they were green, pink and blue!) those were the ones he gave to me and my sisters to practice with.
that was so long ago i wonder if he still has them and if they are still any good.....