All I make is fire wood

[dshull]

Ok can somebody out there help me I keep tring to build bows out of Hickory boards and all I get is fier wood, is it easier to build out of a small log. My wife says the wood is smarter than me(ha ha ha) Ido have access to about any wood that grows in Indiana. Any help would be a blessing thanks
                                                                       

[billy]

Unless you know how to read the boards, your chances of making a bow out of them can be risky because more often than not the grain is violated in some way.  Hickory is super strong and is almost impossible to break, IF the grain isn't violated.  If you make bows out of a tree, you know what you're working with and you know the way the grain flows.  When you get a sawed board, well, the saw cuts often violate the grain.  Some boards do follow the grain and board bows will work, you just have to know how to make them.  I personally have never made a board bow, but I know people who have.  You may want to try making a bow out of a tree...then you can try another board bow once you get a few bows made.

[sulphur]

i have made lots of board bows from hickory and ash.  i have only had one break that was made of hickory, caused by a knot that i missed when inspecting it.  maybe you could post some pics of a failure or give some more details on how you are making them.  there is enough info and talent on this site to figure out your problem.  How many have you broken??  where are you getting your boards?  what design are you using? etc. 

[Pappy]

I never made one from a board but I would suspect that if you don't know how to read the board it would be easier from a log,just strip the bark and there is your back,Man needs fire wood to.
   Pappy

[Joe M]

I've made several hickory longbows from boards and have had good success, though I have backed them with maple, and have done just the opposite and made maple longbows and backed them with hickory.  My favorite combination of a laminated longbow has been; Hickory with an Ash core, and Maple backing...  It all comes down to reading the wood, and moisture content of the wood.

If you don't have them, I would recommend getting the series of books; The Bowyer's Bible... 

Good luck, and don't give up.  It'll all come together one day if you stay with it.  Read, study, and apply what you learn.

[TRACY]

I have not built any board bows, but started with several failures from staves. I used the bowyer's bibles as reference material and eventually figured it out(visual learner). Where in IN are you from? There is the Heatland Jamboree in Morgantown, In. next month that will have several bowyers and a lot of collective knowledge to learn from if you're interested. Check down in primitive gatherings. Maybe that will help out.


Tracy

[TreyNC]

I make board bows. Usually I try to select the best grain I can find and then back it with something. I use deer raw hide and tightbond, only because that is what I have available. Be sure to work in the limbs slowly, no pulling it back too far before it's ready.

Trey

[George Tsoukalas]

I agree that making a bow from a board requires a fairly straight grained board. There's info on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/archer.html

[Joe M]

I agree that making a bow from a board requires a fairly straight grained board. There's info on my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/archer.html

I would say that if you haven't checked out George's site, you are missing out.  It is full of good information and well
worth a "lot" of visits!

[dshull]

Thanks  for all the info I found a ash log that was going to be used as a bed post (I kind of borrowed it for a while) it has been in a buddy's barn for about a year I think it will work,it has no knots and the bark is straight so here we go again.

[Rich Saffold]

Dshull, In addition to getting the right information, right tools,wood,having patience, persistence is you can use this thread to find either a club, or someone in your area who is skilled at making wood bows to help you.

You live in Northeast Indiana, and perhaps someone here will either PM you or chime in here. If there is a local bowhunting club I'd look there as well. All one has to do is see this and a few other forums to realize the bowmaking talent in this country is abundant.

Rich