New to this, and got some questions if you all don't mind.

[Tetsuoh]

First off, Greetings from Ohio All!

I've always been interested in bow-making and a friend and I have finally decided to take the plunge together.

But before we start I wanted to touch base with some other bowyers and ask some questions have popped up during my study before we start.

So if you all don't mind, we I go.

I have a list of wood from our key intro video from youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWDgNrLYps&list=UU91cRUSzWT0nL66FhKHciIQ&index=25
But I have to ask if there are any woods anyone knows makes good single wood bows that grow specifically in the ohio valley?
We plan to start with whatever we can find locally, hopefully hickory. But I'm hoping to possibly collect other woods for later as well.

I have heard conflicting ideas on what are good woods and what aren't, especially walnut.
What are woods you all suggest avoiding, especially when starting out?

We want to learn string making and fletching as well from a number of natural products, we even hope to gather our own from hunting and foraging.
What are your suggestions on good if not the best string materials?
What are your suggestions on material for arrow shafts and fletchings?

We watched a series of videos on natural string making by a man on youtube going by shinbone5000 http://www.youtube.com/user/ShinBone5000
Now he usually spins strings. But would if not be better (if its even possible) to braid the string?

I'm sure I have more that I just can't think of just yet.

In the meantime, thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this,
~Tet

[Slackbunny]

Sounds like you are biting off quite a chunk for a newbie. Just take one thing at a time.

As far as bow woods go, I don't know what grows naturally there but all of it will need several months to dry and/or season. But don't let that get you down. Find out what you've got, cut a piece or two of the best stuff, and get it drying in a safe place away from the weather and the bugs.

While it dries I would go buy a red oak or a maple board. Get as straight a grain as possible. If there isn't any really straight grained stuff, don't buy it. Go somewhere else and look, or wait for new stock to arrive. Try and build a bow from the board. You will learn a lot and that way you can start on your staves with some experience.

As for which species are good and which are not, do a search on this site. There is a lot of information about different kinds of wood on here. Most of the good ones have at least one or two threads on them.

As far as a string goes, I would personally get some Dacron B-50 and make a few out of that to get the hang of it. Trying to use natural materials on your first one might be quite frustrating, especially if you have a bow waiting to be tillered. Once you know how to make a good string, it will be easier to do it with natural fibres.

For arrows, bamboo works great, and you can get that stuff at most home and garden stores. There is a great buildalong on this site that shows it detail how to make bamboo arrows. Also, hardwood dowels work fine, but they need to be straight and preferably with good straight grain. For feathers you can get them from farmers, craft stores, or you can find sheds. You could also go out and shoot a turkey if its the right season for them.

I know most of this stuff is store-bought, and you are looking to go natural. But while your honing your skills with this stuff, you can be gathering all the natural supplies you need so that when you are ready to start with the real deal there is nothing holding you back.

Thats just how I would do it.

[lostarrow]

+1 . There's over 700 pages of great info here just in the bowbuilding section.. Read a few pages a day focusing on your areas of interrest. It  really doesn't take long and you should find all the info you need plus more. You'll get to know about the guys on here that post regularly and soon find who has the expertise on any given subject and what advice best suits your needs. Probably the best place to find the most skilled and talented bowyers in the world.(well the English speaking ones anyway). A little warning though,...........It's very addictive! If you have a significant other, apologise now.  If you don't .....................good luck finding one after picking up this habit Good luck on your endeavors!

[lostarrow]

Check out the post" can't get started in bowmaking" Pearldrums just walked a new guy through ,step by step. I didn't read through the whole thing , but I know he broke it down pretty good. Bubby also did a great job on a pyramid  bow for begginners in build alongs. That would be a great place to get your feet wet!

[Thesquirrelslinger]

You are not alone. I also live in the Ohio river valley. Black locust is abundant in areas closer to river. There are 4 strand round braids. but it is generally better to avoid braiding bowstrings, because(according to Alina) the fibers wear unevenly.
I have found a hickory tree(i cannot cut it:(), but maples seem common. Try board staves.... cheap but unnatura
Maple is pretty common, but it is hard to find a good clear stave. Try splicing.
Other questions, I recommend someone experiances.
But I have one thing to say- BL is rather tempermental.
Oak is common where i live- but I cannot cut it.
Try finding a nice tree- hackberry will work well, plus it is common. Avoid poplar, sycamore. they might work with very, very wide thin limbs...
Willow is another no-no. I am working on a deflex recurve bow from willow, but I do not think It will work.
I suggest you avoid box elder- it is very soft. it is that tree with green shoots and maple looking leaves.
Ash is good wood, plus it (was) common, it still is in some places.
-Squirrel

[PrimitiveTim]

I was kind of in the same boat as you when I first started out last year.  I wanted to do everything with natural materials down to the string.  I'd suggest the reverse twist.  Braiding is kind of a pain in the butt and you'll need to reverse twist the three strings in order to braid them and that would be a lot of extra work for something that's not really necessary.  Get good at processing the fibers that you're going to use.  Then practice and practice the reverse twist.  Get really good at making it nice and even.  Shoot me a PM if you want to know more about natural bow strings.  In June when I get my head sheared I'm going to do a build along for a hair bow string.  It should be interesting.  If you put a lot of time into it and you're really talented right off the bat you could be shooting arrows with all natural materials in 6 months.  That's a big IF though.  Also, go ahead and start knapping.  You'll want some arrowheads.  There is so much more to primitive archery than the bow making.  Start making friends with hunters who can get you turkey feathers, sinew, and hides.  You could probably get some feathers from chicken farmers too.  Go ahead and start harvesting your shafts and curing the wood. 

As far as wood goes.  Any free wood you can get your hands on take it.  Don't expect your first bow to be very good.  Learn from every bow you make whether it's a success or not.

Ya, if you have more questions about keeping it primitive I can tell you some general stuff but since I'm in the south I can't give you anything locally specific.  As far as tree ID goes, google is your BFF

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Try jute cordage(store bought) on light bows- around 30-40 pounds.
Untwist the cord into fibers, wash them, then make cordage.
That works for light ones. Try buying rawhide(small game(squirrel) rawhide works best for this)  and cuttting laces wet from it, then make a string from several strands. 
I make natural bowstrings for all my friends who do not want to pay $25 for a cheap, cruddy bow string.
They actually shoot better on light bows, according to them.
Walk around wooded areas near you. You may even find cane/bamboo!
Honeysuckle shoots make cheap, fast arrows- I fletch them with leaves or pine needles and then proceed to shoot at random stuff, they are actually accurate(at close range)... but they break if you hit anything(or miss and hit a tree) cause they are still wet and fresh. Dry them out and they are very, very good.

[Tetsuoh]

Thank you all for your replies.

We may indeed spend a bit to get started earlier by buying a few boards first. Looking into it.

In the mean time I had a question we wanted to make sure we asked, as we're getting ready to start searching a bit.

What height do you all recommend a stave be? We've heard everything from the height of the shooter, to cut at your shoulder height, to it not mattering, to it being dependent on the wood.

I imagine its a bit true on every one of those, but wanted to make sure to ask in case we didn't find the answer as I scour these boards before we start.

[sleek]

I have heard conflicting ideas on what are good woods and what aren't, especially walnut.
What are woods you all suggest avoiding, especially when starting out?

Yeah, avoid walnut. <<< Personal bias, I cant even make kids bows from the stuff.

Honestly, many folks recommend boards for new guys. Reasons being, they are dry, you dont have to cut a tree down to get it, and there are good species of wood in board form for bows. I look at it differently, and didnt make a bow of a board for sometime after making several stave bows. Again, here is my bias and why.

Boards require careful selection of grain, and even then, it can be hard to get a good one even when you think everything looks right. You may ( read will probably ) look through over 100 boards before finding a good one. You may not find one for a few days good enough. Then assuming you find one first board you look at, it does all boil down to your ability as to the bow it will make, just like a stave.

The positive to a stave is cutting a tree ( prefer saplings ) is easy, you will have a hard time NOT finding some sapling or tree to bring home inside the first few hours looking. The grain is easy to read ( usually ) by the bark. If the bark looks like it twists around the tree, dont cut it. Plain and simple. The hardest thing is going to be learning to ID the trees for you. So, already, a stave is better because its easy to read them, and rate of success is much higher in finding.

Now that you are guaranteed good grain, the most time consuming part is letting it dry. This is the only place a board can beat a stave. However, while it dries, you do research on bow making. I made my first sapling bow in 2 months from tree to bow. Make strings and arrows in that time and its not waisted. 

So I obviously recommend staves as for the best learning experience. It is up to you though. Either way, good luck!

 

[turtle]

What part of ohio are you in? Im about 25 miles north of marietta and the best wood around is osage.

[Rufledt]

I think a lot of good stuff has been said, and I would suggest taking one thing at a time.  I had half a dozen bows done before I tried string making and more before arrow making.  This way you won't get overwhelmed and you'll still learn it all fairly quickly.

I've only tried walnut from a board once and was quite happy with the results.  I wonder what is causing the difference in others' experiences... either way an oak or maple board is a better place to start, just make sure the grain is straight

[Slackbunny]

Thank you all for your replies.

We may indeed spend a bit to get started earlier by buying a few boards first. Looking into it.

In the mean time I had a question we wanted to make sure we asked, as we're getting ready to start searching a bit.

What height do you all recommend a stave be? We've heard everything from the height of the shooter, to cut at your shoulder height, to it not mattering, to it being dependent on the wood.

I imagine its a bit true on every one of those, but wanted to make sure to ask in case we didn't find the answer as I scour these boards before we start.

Longer bows are easier, at least for me they are. For your first I would try somewhere around 62-68 inches.

[richardzane]

I might have a slightly different approach then some here,
and i teach traditional pottery making the same way.... 
so for what its worth   here it comes
<<<DON'T SPEND MONEY>>> ALWAYS start with what you have. 

What grows around you? study up and get familiar and knowledgeable with all your trees, bushes, grasses (and even domestic varieties)
internet as well! My Wyandot ancestors in Ohio were not "primitivists"..they just knew what was around them and made things
from what they could find and/or trade for.
what tools do you already have? because with those tools... there are alot of other tools you can make.
what can you find by scrounging?  dog chew-bones can be cracked and made into some fine points.
 a temporary string might even be made from using bailing twine fiber. experiment, and hang weights on your strings to see how tough they are.
I agree with sleek...forget about buying a board.. you don't know where that board came from .
cut a 8" dia. straight sapling of hickory or hackberry in about a month, when the buds start popping, quarter it
and peel the bark. look what you have in your garage (get some ol paint or ol varnish) and coat the ends and the back sides
throw em up in the rafters of an outbuilding and let em bake all summer.   In the meantime read up,study the back posts of Primitive Archer
work on making cordage from ALL KINDS of stuff... and cut shoots for arrows ,look around the woods or neighborhood now when the leaves are gone.
wild rose is almost everywhere, red osier, and other shoots can be tried. seal the ends and bundle em. for a couple months
till you can scrape the bark without them splitting on you. start collecting turkey feathers...
but anyway...thats the best way to start in my opinion.
start with what you got

[Thesquirrelslinger]

Willow shoots make good arrows, but they have to be big for the higher weight bows.
WIld rose... Arrows? that is a wierd one.

[Bitterguy]

Check out the post" can't get started in bowmaking" Pearldrums just walked a new guy through ,step by step. I didn't read through the whole thing , but I know he broke it down pretty good. Bubby also did a great job on a pyramid  bow for begginners in build alongs. That would be a great place to get your feet wet!

+1 pearl helped me out with my bow so much. All i have to do now is finish her up and wrap the handle in leather and I'll be done.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,37695.240.html