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Author Topic: First starting out building bows  (Read 2745 times)

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Offline bow101

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First starting out building bows
« on: April 28, 2013, 01:08:44 am »
What was your biggest drawback/drawbacks that hindered you to complete a well tillered shooting bow..?
For me it was pulling beyond my target weight and busting them.!!!    :o
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Offline JackCrafty

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2013, 01:25:04 am »
I broke a lot of board bows when I first started, until I found ipe.  My first really successful bows were made from the best, straightest grained ipe boards I could find. They were all self bows with no backing. I still have some of those boards.  Some are over 10 years old. :o

The biggest obstacle was probably getting over the habit of demanding too much from the wood.  I wanted to make 80lb selfbows 48" long, 1" wide with 26" draws.   ::)
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Offline Joec123able

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2013, 01:30:24 am »
Biggest draw back for me was not having any patience !!!
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Offline JonW

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2013, 01:38:15 am »
Thickness taper first and second probably thickness taper. ::)
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Offline paulsemp

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2013, 01:51:23 am »
trying to rush though them. always have a couple at different stages . so when I get sick or fed up with one I stop and go to another .  haste makes waste
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Offline AH

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2013, 02:04:10 am »
Whippy tips.  >:(
I don't know why, but every time when I mess up a tillering job, the messup is too much bending in the outer area, near the tips. I'm constantly playing the "how thin can the tips get" game. I almost always have less bending going on nearer the handle.
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Offline crooketarrow

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2013, 08:18:26 am »
  PATIENCE
  THE NEED TO SEE THAT FINISHED BOW.
  SLOW DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2013, 09:14:49 am »
Not seeing the difference between straight/flat and bending. Seems so simple, but so hard to see for whatever reason.
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Offline osage outlaw

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2013, 10:27:33 am »
Tillering with the long string for way to long.
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Offline Pat B

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2013, 11:54:02 am »
Lack of info. When I started there were  a few books but other than that I was on my own. It probably took my 10 years and many ruined pieces of wood to get a bow I would be comfortable to hunt with. Probably the second hardest part was learning patience. When I started tillering with a scraper from floor tiller stage I began to build real bows and not just bent sticks.  ;)
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Offline Grandpa Bill

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2013, 11:58:58 am »
Not staying focused on the job at hand....thinking about all the other things in my life except what I was working on.  Also, rushing to get it finished so I could start another one.  Took a year to learn to slow down and let everything else go while I am making sawdust....otherwise, go inside and take a break.

Grandpa Bill
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Offline bushboy

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2013, 03:36:24 pm »
Taking on advanced builds and not having the slightist clue as to where to start!
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Offline Weylin

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2013, 03:41:03 pm »
I think my two biggest problems were nailing the thickness taper and being paralyzed with hesitation. I had my first bow floor tillered and then I sat and stared at it for over a year before I found someone to help me finish it.
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Offline twisted hickory

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2013, 04:03:25 pm »
I have a habit of having the bow too stiff after floor tiller and getting the limbs out of the fades to do their share of work. ::) I may have gotten it now as I have a hickory bow that only has 1/2 of set after finishing off.  ;)
Time will tell me after the summer is over and the bow has been shot a thousand times.
Greg
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Offline DavidV

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Re: First starting out building bows
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2013, 06:18:04 pm »
1. Not enough tools for the job.
2. Little paience
3. Unsatisfactory finish.... I know, maybe not that big a deal. But it's a pride thing.
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