Crack and Twist...

[Ifrit617]

The most I've gotten for a board bow is around $100. Just my personal limit for red oak, since it is so finicky. Never had any problems though with mine.

Jon

[PEARL DRUMS]

$100 each would keep you hopping busy and you'd be making plenty of money off other enthusiasts like yourself. What goes around comes around. Someday you might need some garb and somebody may just give you a heck of a deal!

I agree with fritzy, cool pics!

[Cameroo]

I'd think the best way to determine the value would be to pretend you are purchasing a bow, and look around at different bowyer's prices.

Some people are under the illusion that board bows are somehow inferior to stave bows (and therefore should be cheaper).  I think in many cases these opinions are misguided.  Some backed board bows, if they are made from the right wood combinations and correct grain orientation, can potentially out-perform and out-live a self bow.

My point being, don't sell yourself short.  Do some research and price your bows accordingly.  If your work is up to snuff, people will pay for it.

[Wooden Spring]

Well, I've sold one bow so far... It was a hickory backed jatoba (sorry, no pics, but it's exactly like the bow I'm holding in the first picture above) and it was to the manager of my local office. I didn't know what to charge him, so I told him that I had around $50 in materials, so he handed me a $100 bill. I was thrilled! But, looking back, that was only $5.55 per hour for the labor. So I thought that maybe $150 would be a fair price going forward.

I've paid as much as $250 for a board bow in the past, but that was from Mr. Boswell at Rudderbows, and I still brag about that being a wonderful bow, and I don't regret the money one bit. (Mr. Boswell, if you read this forum, that's still one of my favorite bows!) And, it was a bamboo backed hickory laminate, so it had more work put into it. 

[wood_bandit99]

im am not under the "illusion" that they are inferior. they are just easier to make and not as problematic. if you put less work in to something and it isnt as character ridden and specialized to that certain piece of wood, i think you should charge less. i think it should be 125-200 dollars ONLY if they are quality. i spend at least 24 hours on each one unless it is a super easy stave. the rest are all personalized to who ever im making it for, where board bows tend to be more for the general public, like fiberglass bows but no to that extreme. i personally would rather see tons of people with true primitive bows that are custom beyond imagination. thats my goal with bows that i make. your bow should be a companion that you have done all the work to and have seen the log and took it from a tree to a bow. the only exception to this is if you have to make mass bows or dont have bow wood around you. then board bows are the only way to make a bow with out spending tons of $$$$$$$$ on a stave to get it shipped and stuff.

[Wooden Spring]

Thanks for all the responses. I really admire you guys who are able to make beautiful bows from staves. I'm nowhere NEAR good enough to do that yet, but I think that board bows suit my brain a little better... I was trained as an architect, so my brain thinks in dimensions and precision tolerances - trying to make a bow that looks almost freeform from a tree limb that isn't straight by any stretch is a little out of my comfort zone!

[Cameroo]

Edit: The comment that was formerly here was removed after my better judgment kicked in

[Wooden Spring]

Edit: The comment that was formerly here was removed after my better judgment kicked in

Awww, come on, we shouldn't let our better judgment get in the way of a good chuckle... 

[Joec123able]

 Cameroo, board bows are inferior to stave bows in my opinion and should be priced much less than stave bows because of a few reasons. Board bows are much less work and effort, board bows are boring there is no character like each self bow has and most board bows I see are much to blocky for my liking. Again just my opinion youre entitled to your own

[Wooden Spring]

Cameroo, board bows are inferior to stave bows in my opinion and should be priced much less than stave bows because of a few reasons. Board bows are much less work and effort, board bows are boring there is no character like each self bow has and most board bows I see are much to blocky for my liking. Again just my opinion youre entitled to your own

Meh... I'm too utilitarian minded to care what something looks like.

Sure, the stave bows may look pretty, but my 60 pound, hickory backed jatoba board bow that I spent just 9 hours on can put meat in the freezer every bit as good as a sexy, osage stave bow.

Here's the difference - if my first shot is less than perfectly placed, then I wouldn't have second thoughts about casually unstringing my bow and using it as a club to knock the snot out of that deer until he dies of blunt force trauma.

[Cameroo]

Cameroo, board bows are inferior to stave bows in my opinion and should be priced much less than stave bows because of a few reasons. Board bows are much less work and effort, board bows are boring there is no character like each self bow has and most board bows I see are much to blocky for my liking. Again just my opinion youre entitled to your own

An opinion is a lot more meaningful with some type of reasoning behind it (other than personal preference).  I'd love to hear all about why board bows are inferior to stave bows.

The point of my original comment was not that board bows are worth more, which seems to be what you are implying.  The point was that as far as pricing a bow is concerned, the materials used and time spent are just a couple of many factors that determine what a bow would sell for.  There are people that sell exceptional bows made from board lumber for $600, and some that sell stave bows for $100.  There are so many factors that could affect what a bow could potentially sell for that it is just flat out wrong to generalize and say that board bows are inferior and therfore worth less.  Other factors are would the quality of work, experience, reputation, supply and demand.

Wow, this thread went way off track.

[Wooden Spring]

"Wow, this thread went way off track."

That's OK, I post in religion forums elsewhere, I'm used to discussions taking rabbit trails. 

[Joec123able]

Ok thanks No one said you had to agree with me

[Cameroo]

Ok, I won't   

I really should just keep my mouth shut, but you board-haters make me cranky sometimes. Now that I've vented I feel much better. 

Carry on gentlemen!

[osage outlaw]

If you got a good bow from rudderbows you should count yourself lucky.  He is one I'll never do any business with.