Just starting

[adriang305]

Greetings to all,

I have always wanted to make a bow or be involved in some time of camping or hunting activity. My technology teacher (Parnell) informed me about this website and offered his help and you guys help to get started in making my first bow.
I would like to know what materials and what type of wood would I need to make a bow, and any advice or tips that would help in doing so. I have read some posts about bows and I am overwhelmed by all the measurements and bow related vocabulary.

Thank you,

-adriang305

[LEGIONNAIRE]

hey Adrian! welcome.

Well as for the wood, it usually depends on where you live so you can gather what is local and free. But i will offer some bow woods ive used.. Osage, yew, Black locust, ash, mesquite, huzachi, mulberry both red and white, red oak, white oak black walnut and juniper. There are many more that I havent tried like elm, cherry and ipe. As far as vocabulary it is not as difficult as it sounds. Here are a couple of words you will find useful.

Drawlenght- How far the bow is drawn.

Drawweight- the amount of force it takes to pull the bow to its drawlenght. Usually measured in pounds (lbs)

example- when I say my bow is 60# @ 28 it means it requires 60lbs of pull to pull it to the drawlenght of 28 inches.

some acronyms- BBI= bamboo backed Ipe

BBO=bamboo backed osage

the list goes on but im sure youll pick it up in no time.
Anyways welcome and ask questions im sure everyone is happy to help..

Good luck

[bryan irwin]

welcome to pa i think that  a simple bow for your first one would be best you can get a red oak board cheap and make a long bow and you don't need alot of tools to do it .

[Lombard]

Ok who wants to start a pool, as to how long it takes Adrian to be hooked on bow making. Adrian you will find a wealth of information right here http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/board,6.0.html  Welcome to the sweet addiction.

[Keenan]

 Welcome Adriang, Looks like some good advice already given. Find some wood and dive in, soon you'll be on a very nice journey

[Grunt]

A good reference book to help you get started is The Bent Stick. I believe one of our sponsors 3 Rivers Archery stocks it.

[Dane]

Of course, borrow the four volume Bowyer's Bibles, #1 being the most important one for a beginnner. Buy them later, but see if you can get them for free as you try out this new obsession / craft. As you local library to get them for you through the interloan library system.

The most important tools to start are are a hand saw, a small hatchet, a wood rasp, cabinet scraper, some files, and I'd recommend getting a farrier's rasp for fast wood removal. You can find them on line, or in a farm supply store, near the horse tack and nails and saddles. I still mostly use just those tools, as I dont have a band saw, and power tools can wreck you work in seconds.

Dane

[Orkraider]

I second the choice of making a board bow, and red oak is awesome, cheap, and readily available.

I made my first bow with a 6 foot piece of red oak I got from menards for $4.39, and did all the shaping and tillering with a pocket plane I got for 3 bucks.

This is the site that got me started:  http://poorfolkbows.com/oak.htm

I also came across a great set of vintage plans for an american flat bow: http://www.vintageprojects.com/archery/Flatbow-plans.pdf

I ended up mixing these two for my first two bows.

I haven't managed to get my hands on a copy of the bowyers bible, as mentioned above, but the excerpts I've seen from it tell me I need it.

This is a wicked fun and very addictive hobby, and before you know it, you'll be hooked.

[Jay]

Ditto on what Orkraider said. I statred with the same two sources of info. My hardest part is being patient while tillering. I like to shoot them. I'm on my sixth bow. each one gets better.  Have fun!

[Parnell]

Hello Adrian,

Good to see that you are taking some steps to move forward!  Keep reading and we'll get you started soon.  I have some resources that you can borrow and I'm glad to see that you posted to introduce yourself to this community.  We'll talk a bit more about what you can start to do.  Glad to see you registered!

Parnell

[okiecountryboy]

hey adrian,
I'm just starting on my first bow as well. Using red oak board as mentioned. ain't got too far yet, but am getting great teaching from these highlt experienced members here at PA. and by the way......no pool needed on the addiction....It's automatic!!!

Ron