Wonn 'ear 'bowd me log? (Do you want to hear about my log?)

[Caveman_Sam]

Hello all, forgive me if there is a intros page.. I couldn't find it.  Im a 25 year old surfer and guitarist from Cornwall (uk) Every summer season I spend between 6 and 3 months camping about 1 mile from a beach in Cornwall.  Ive always loved Bows.  and I will be tacking up the challenge of making them myself as a new project for the summer, until the foreseeable future.

When I expressed an interest in making one and my girl friend said she would speak to a woodly minded friend and source me a stave for my birthday. (what a babe)  Well we showed up and it turned out to be a freshly cut Log! What Joy!  Its Ash, about 6'5 long and 9/10" inches in diameter.  We got it back home with all the triumph of a small boy/dog who was finally allowed to keep the stick! And what a stick Ive smeared the ends in candle wax and duck taped plastic bags over both ends too.  I was told this should help season the middle at the same rate as the ends.  I was also told that Ash doesn't need to season for a whole year and would be workable by summer, is this the case? My log is a mighty promising start to learning to be a bowyer, but it is very daunting! 

To my estimations I currently have have no tools that could be of much use.  Apart from an assortment of shiny things, magic Pebbles and coloured string.. Ive got a small multi tool, a small hammer and a few screw drivers.  Im going to have to learn how to split the log into staves. Advice on this as well as on an appropriate splitting tool would be very welcomed.   

My research has indicated that i will need a shaving horse and a tillering stick of some sort.  Construction seems simple enough. Appropriate timber combined with an appropriate saw and nails or glue should do the job? Right? Or am I going to have to learn advanced carpentry to make the things I need to make the bow..? That would be hilarious! Well maybe ill get the bow done next summer then, best not to be too hasty about these things! 

Finally Ive never used a draw knife before so I really want some advice on these.  Curved or straight? How long? Angles of handles? etc etc..

Thanks for your time!  Sorry I haven't got any nice photos of bows for you to drool over, maybe in time if you help me I will do!   So just to decipher that quickly for anyone kind enough to reply.

-Is it true that Ash does not need to season to be worked with?
-Advice on Splitting my log and appropriate tool.
-Advice on Home made tillering sticks, shaving horses and the easiest way to join wood and make these as an amateur.  (functional is fine doesn't need to be pretty)
- Advice on selecting a draw knife.

[TacticalFate]

Welcome, and I'm sure you'll get a warm welcome from the other members. To answer your questions--

1. All wood needs to be seasoned before you start bending it, ash is no exception. A log with the bark on and the ends sealed will never dry out, so you should split it and debark it asap if you want to work on it this summer.

2. Ash is very easy to split and you can make wooden wedges for continuing the split, but you'll still need something to start the split in the first place. If you know someone who has an hatchet, axe, or splitting wedge, hit them up and ask if you can use it. Any metal wedge tool will work, though screwdrivers are a bit small for such a log. To split it, simply center the wedge tool on the end of the log, take a large stick or something, and bang on it till it splits

3. Tillering stick= 30 inch 2x4 (or whatever the equivalent in centimeters) with notches cut every inch and a depression on the end for your bow to rest on. You dont particulary need a shaving horse to use a draw knife, I've found a creative arrangement of lawn furniture works for me, but I guess a shaving horse would certainly help. A hatchet is also a good investment, and you don't need anything to use it except one hand.

4. Draw knife- Older is better, look at flea shops, Ebay, etc. I got mine off Ebay, was $25 including shipping, it's fantastic,and it's as old as my grandpa  . Make sure the edge is good though, also the handles. Mine is 8in (20cm) and works fine for me. I'd reccomend a straight blade, as its easier to sharpen. I'd also reccomend a small 6" Surform rasp, here in the States it's about $5, its my favorite for when I'm close enough that using the drawknife is dangerous. The knife on your multi-tool will work for a scraper.

Again, welcome, and looks like you got the bow-bug

[Jim Davis]

Split the log NOW! If it dries much at all in-the-round, it will begin splitting itself in lots of places of its own choosing. Look it over and try to make the splits run right through any visible knots or try to split out staves with no knots if possible.

After splitting, peal the bark off and put the staves out of the weather and wind.

You can work a stave down to an inch thick in the limbs and a couple of inches  thick at the handle, but don't start testing the bending qualities until the stave has dried. It will dry faster worked down in that way. You could also put the worked stave in a closed car and let the sun cook it--do you actually get any sun there? It could be ready finish after three weeks in the car or a similar warm place.

Read all you can on this forum and in books. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible volumes 1-4 are good. Vol. 1 is the most valuable for a beginner.

High hopes for success.

Jim Davis


 

[Del the cat]

Welcome to another UK nut case!
If you haven't seen it yet have look at my website and Bowyers Diary blog.
While you are waiting fir the ASh to season I'd recomend cutting a 2-3" diameter bit of hazel and chop away the belly of it and season it quickly.
You can make a bow in 30 days as Hazel is much easier to work than Ash and it will give you some quick practice.
Google delsbows or bowyers diary (the search facility on the blog is pretty good).
BTW, try to get an old drawknife from a boot fair/junkshop/whatever. New ones tend to be made from unsuitable steel or decent ones cost a fortune. If you spot a well worn old one go for it like a shot, it's a good sign it been used a lot, if it's been used a lot, it was obviously a decent tool!
Del
(A GF who gives you wood, what more can a man ask?)

[WillS]

As Del said, nice to see another UK'er! I'm the same age as you, also a surfer (Bournemouth, so you win that one...) and I teach guitar as my main job!

The replies you've already got are all spot on, but I wanted to add one thing about ash in particular.  That stuff needs to be DRY.  I've had a lot of problems with using ash here as the humidity near the coast is a real problem.  Make sure you split it straight away, try and rough it out mostly then leave it somewhere nice and warm (but not too warm - room with a radiator but not ON the radiator for instance) for a nice long time.  Its hard to tell when ash is ready so take your time with it.

G'luck dude, post pics, ask questions and have fun being addicted once you get going!

[Marks]

I split logs often with 2 hatchets and a hammer. In fact one is just the head off the hatchet. My handle broke a few weeks ago.  Remember, Always wear protection is good advice that applies to more than just the ladies. If you go with hammer and hatchets then wear ear protection. You'll be glad you did when you are old and can still hear. My uncle is learning this the hard way right now.  With that size log you should get several staves out of it. If you are like me you may need more than one to get the job done. My last one broke. Seems like roughing it out and then letting it dry would be a good way for you to go, however dont get in a hurry. You might could rough out one bow and then rough out some more while that one is drying.

[Caveman_Sam]

Hello!! A great thanks to you all! Im both happy and staggered with the response I got, I really wasn't expecting such a reception.  Your replies have given me some brilliant insight and certainly raised my confidence!  I didn't realise I could play with it so soon.. and there really only is so many times you can watch videos of people making bows on youtube n that before you have to ask a few questions.  Where I had a bit of a confusing mental hurdle, now I can now see the next steps I need to take.

It seems I have completely underestimated the value of a good hatchet! Although I have somewhat of a problem with my current lack of tools, it does afford me the advantage of being able to build my toolbox from scratch.  Is it worth getting a straight bitted carpenters hatchet, as opposed to a woodsman style one that curves back towards the handle?  Is there a possibility that the straight bit of a carpenter hatchet could fill in for a draw knife?

I'm back at my parents for another week but ill get onto splitting it asap.. once i've got a hatchet sorted and made a few wooden wedges no doubt! Ive heard about people 'steering the split' is this a thing?  Ive not got experince with a piece of wood this long. I do have experience of splitting small, short wood burning stove sized logs for fires, but they sometimes came apart in one whack, and if they didn't you could pick up the log with the axe imbedded in it to strike it against the block andthrew. Even then the objective was to just get pieces a rough size as it would be burnt, accuracy wasn't important. The grain of the log is very straight and there are few knots, as it was selected by the tree surgeon for bow making.  How many pieces should I look to get out of it? 4?

I'm not in a big massive crazy rush to get on to tillering before its ready. Im definitely willing to give it the time it needs to dry, I just wanted to know more about the properties of Ash and get some second opinions about the time frame i'm looking at.  I love Hazel, I dunno why its just lush, all springy n that.. + there is always a bush of it!  Taking some doesn't kill it  (I don't think) which is always nice.   Im definitely going to try to make a bow with hazel, thanks for that idea.

Ill check out the bowyers bible.  As I will not have internet in the caravan a decent book will be very helpful. 

Lol yes hello to U,Kers (see shat i did there.. ) and hello to every one else. Im fluent in imperial too so don't hesitate to say inches etc to me.. In fact id rather you'd stay with what your comfortable with.. I made an african harp where an American had translated the measurements into Millimetres, the poor guy got a bit muddled and we had to do some guessing!

@WillS lol surfing Bournemouth you must be mad!  Although i can sympathise with HAVING to surf, wherever I was. Fortunately I have recently proclaimed myself king of my own life and as such chose to be in cornwall!   (for Americans who may not be familiar with our coastline, Cornwall is the very south west of our island.  Bournemouth is a good way up the English channel which generally acts as a kind of massive natural harbour, which is why, for any Italians I always laugh about Caesar losing all his cavalry trying to cross the channel! lol Romans were dreadful sailors )    IF your actually getting paid to play the guitar your beating me though mate! lol On an imposrant side note do you have any experience with RSI? Ive had problems with unusual weakness in my arms and shoulders but just this week had a bad onset of pain in my left wrist as a direct result of a high amount of playing.

@Del Cheers for the hazel Idea, I will check it out.  and LOL that made me chuckle for ages.

I coudn't find hardly any arrow heads online for sale, I was shocked.  What do you gents do for the heads of your arrows?  Also I can only think of One goose near me.. and one have experience fletching seagull feathers? lol

Thanks again to everyone, such a massive help.  Ill keep you all posted!

[WillS]

Yeah I've had a lot of my students come to with RSI issues actually (this is getting off topic, sorry!) but to keep it short and sweet, look at your wrist position when you're playing barre chords. You want it as straight as possible.  Its actually a lot like shooting a traditional bow - you should be able to do it even if you had a ruler strapped to your wrist keeping everything in line.  It tends to be a shoulder and back position issue more than a hand position issue though.  If you stand up while playing, ensure the guitar is no lower than it would be when sitting down.

Back to the matter in hand... Regarding arrow heads - are you planning on shooting on your own or at some point looking to join a club?  If on your own you can use whatever you want as an arrowhead, provided it weighs the right amount (affects the dynamic spine of the arrow so weight is fairly important - common point weights are 100 and 125 grains).  However, if you're planning on shooting in clubs or even just at club targets for fun, you'll need points that meet requirements which generally means going online and picking them up.  Most places do 12 points for a fiver, or near that.