Flatbow/AFB

[greenbow]

Hi,

I am trying to find information on the various types of flatbow/AFB available on the market and also your opinion on them.

I have tried other forums and google searches for such info but have not had much to follow through.

Please assist if possible.

Cheers. 

[ken75]

greenbow american flatbow is a great and effiecient bow , now go get you some hickory or oak lumber and lets make some , all the info you need on here to get-r-done !!

[greenbow]

Thanks ken75, please guide with some links to get started.

Cheers.

[Pat B]

Greenbow, look in the "How To" section and at the top of the page is George(Jawge) Tsoukalas' website. It has everything you will need to know in the bow building process. If you have any questions just ask on here and George or someone else will have an answer for you. If you take pics of your progress or problems it really helps us help you.
  Have fun and keep us posted.     

[greenbow]

Another question on bows currently available on the market, which would you recommend from the following brands and why:

Falco , Samick , Millenium Canada , BearPaw , Super Woodsman.

Cheers.

[NTD]

I prefer the Danforth brand.

I just looked up the brands you mentioned, they are all FG   Not really a topic we discuss on this forum...but good luck with your search.
If you are interested in making your own AFB or any other bow out of wood, there is plenty of help and build-a-longs here on the forum.  Or if you'd like to purchase a WOOD bow there are a few vendors on here as well.

[greenbow]

NTD:
I am looking for a reasonably priced starter Flat Bow and found the ones listed in my post to be within my budget as a first bow.

You state this forum does not really discuss "FG" bows, can you suggest any alternative forums (if permitted) that would be more open to provide advice to new archers on other types of bows.

You also stated that there are vendors here that sell wood bows, if its no trouble could you suggest how to get in touch with them.

Cheers.

[KenH]

Greenbow.  Please understand.  It's not that we're trying to be unfriendly.  Or not trying to help.  Most of the people here just don't havemuch experience in what you're asking about.  It's obvious you're a newbie and don't understand some of the terminology.  This may help:

Modern Compound Bows are those obscene metal and wheel and cable things that flip non-wood arrows down range

Traditional Archery bows are the sorts of things you're talking about, where pretty woods are melded together with FG - fiberglass - to make beautiful and fast shooting bows (often with thin graceful recurved limbs)  impervious to everything from weather to nuclear fallout.  Often you may not consciously see the fiberglass, but it's there.

This place is called "Primitive Archer".  There are folks here who trade and sell bows, and arrows, yes.  But those bows and arrows are primarily made the Olde Waye - pre-fiberglass - from mostly natural materials.  People here make their own bows by carving them from a section of log, from milled planks, or from bits and pieces of wood, horn, sinew held together with natural glues like fish bladder and hide glue.  Here the "F word" has many more than four letters

Here's a good forum for you to checkout.  They deal primarily with the sorts of things you're talking about. 
piratesofarchery.net/bb/index

[JW_Halverson]

Thanks, KenH for posting such a succint and clear explanation of what we do here. 

Greenbow, for much less than the price of the bow itself, you can get a copy of the Traditional Bowyers Bible, some simple hand tools, and build your own.  Not that the different bowyers out there selling their wares don't make good bows, Lord knows I am trying to make something of a living with the bows I build.  But think of the joy in shooting something you make yourself.  This forum is full of good folks that will lend you all the experience we have at our fingertips to walk you thru building your first (or 400th bow).

Now, in the interest in fairness, I am that little horned sumna-biscuit on your left shoulder with the pitchfork, on your right shoulder should be a little winged feller telling you not to do it, don't start making bows, do not open yourself to this addictive madness.  You are warned.

[greenbow]

KenH
Hi,

I hope you or other fellow members have not misunderstood my previous post, it was not meant to be negative nor am I bitter about any replies.

I was aware that “FG” was referred to fiberglass. I was trying to seek further advice on forums that would discuss flat bows that have a fibreglass lamination and also contacts of vendors on this forum who sell primitive bows.

I have briefly tried various bows (compound, recurve, flat and long) over a period of a few months and feel inclined to initially have a go with FG based flat bows as they seem more forgiving than long bows. I may be wrong but this is what I felt.

I would ultimately like to move on to long bow, and if time permits, would certainly like to try and make my own bow with help from fellow members on this forum which is their passion. I feel I lack the skill at this moment to make my own bow so chose the option to purchase a ready-made one.

Cheers.

[petew]

Greenbow:
 You are at the Ford place looking for a Dodge, but that is OK.
This is a good house to learn lots about the Primitive ways, and building  your own bows, or to learn what to look for in a wood bow if you decide to buy one.
.  I am a beginner here too, and the help available is tremendous. You can learn a lot cruising these threads while you decide if making sawdust and shavings is realy for you.
 It is easier than you think. I started last year and have made 10 good bows, now I am hooked big time.
 That said I still enjoy Fiberglass and carbon, but that is on another forum for discussions about these type bows. Try the Bowyers Den at Trad Gang, or the Pirates to learn about making FG/Carbon. For just information you might go to my home site, www.peteward, I have a lot of reviews on what you are looking for.
 If I had found this place earlier I would have been building bows a lot sooner. Don't go away, stay around and take in some of the great knowledge that is being shared here. There is nothing to say you can't enjoy all types of archery. Heck I think there are people here that are living a dream before the wheel, while they use a computer to tell about it.
 A lot of the principals of FG bows are the same as the all wood bows.
 The diference here is they keep the topics to what this site is about. Primitive, not modern traditional.
  We all know that you can not exist with just 1 bow, so why not start the learning curve here , and get prepared for the inevitable  day you take to making chips fly.

 Pete

[Parnell]

Heya Greenbow,
If you are a patient type of man then you could learn the skills to make a flatbow.  I'm teaching a 19 year old to make one now.  He doesn't have any woodworking experience, but is doing well.  I expect to post pictures of his progress in the next week or so.   Anyhow, if you have access to some basic stuff, you're experience may well pay you back.  Hope you stick around...

Parnell

[Justin Snyder]

Greenbow, most of us have shot bows other than the wood bows we shoot now. But for us the enjoyment of making and/or shooting a wood bow cannot be matched by any other experience in the archery world so we try to share the experience.

Tradgang.com is the forum you are looking for. We would post links for you, but links aren't allowed.

After you find the bow you are looking for, please come back and visit. We are more than happy to walk you through building your own bow which can cost less than $20 and will shoot  great. Not to mention the pride you will feel from shooting a bow you made.

[Lombard]

Second that, build your own. Endless reward, and a great hobby to boot. This forum will provide you all the information you need for a successful build. Come on and join the addiction.

[JW_Halverson]

Don't let "lack of skill" set you back, none of us were skilled bowyers when we made out first bows.  It's not brain science or rocket surgery! 

I walked a 9 year old kid thru building his first English Longbow this spring.  With a nice roughed out stave from Yazoo, this kid had a really serious 40# osage longbow WITH HORN TIPS in under 20 hours in the shop TOTAL.  I guarantee this kid had never seen a spokeshave, rasp, or even a woodsaw before he walked into the slovenly mess I call my shop.