Idea to keep bowmaking in college.

[ionicmuffin]

So J05H just posted a thread about a mini red oak board bow that he made, I was wondering if this would be a good way to keep tillering bows even if i don't have time for full scale bowmaking. Maybe I would improve my skills and still keep learning about woods and tillering or would it just be a waste of my time?(guessing the answer is no) I know i would have time for small bows.

[Slackbunny]

I've been exactly in your shoes. Personally I opted for making full-sized bows when I had the wood, even if it took me a lot longer. But I've made several "kids bows" and I have to admit they are fun, and are great learning tools, and I've always been pleasantly surprised at how well they shoot.

I've never made anything quite as small as what J05H did though.

[bubby]

not that you cant make small bows, but there is an advantage to taking more time to build a bow muffin, gives you time to think about what your doing, I'd start a full size bow, don't matter if it's a board or not, and work on it as you find time, most college kids find time to party some I imagine you could find an hour or two here and there to make some shavings, bub

[J05H]

I'm in a similar situation which is part of why I made my mini bow. I'm on the road working with my dad and I only have a few tools and limited wood with me. That being said, I recommend doing as much full size bow making as your time allows. I made the mini-bow out of a scrap from a full size bow I'm working on. I will say that tillering is much more challenging in small scale. Above all, have fun. That's what its all about.

[ionicmuffin]

im well aware that making full scale bows is best because its the closest to what my final goal for ability is. The truth is that I really dont have time for many hobbies in this school, I spend most of my time working on school, the rest is taken up by building friendships, there would be a bit of time i could used for mini bows here and there but not much, which would allow for a more accomplished feeling, and i wont stop bowmaking i just wont be doing it until the summer and winter breaks.

[DLH]

Does your college have a woods lab? Mine does and I didn't know about it until my junior year. We have two wood working classes one of which you get to choose your project that may be an option to check out. Also if you don't want to pay for extra hours ask the shop teacher if they are ever in there and if you could tag along. If you could take a class and pick your project that would be 3 hours a week you could have also my college costs the same if your full time so 12 hours and 18 hours worth of classes is the same cost and I wasn't out of money and had electives I could take.

[bubby]

dude it takes the same amount of time to work on small kids bows as it does a hunting bow, same ol' muffin ask for advice when you have your mind made up

[ionicmuffin]

i wasnt talking kids bows, thats why i referenced J05H because he made a micro bow, im talking micro bows so i can avoid any major amount of time spend and i wouldnt need to work on finishing, this is not an ideal situation. Sorry bubby, i didnt mean to seem like i ask for advice and then just disregard it, Ive done that before and it doesnt work.

[J05H]

i wasnt talking kids bows, thats why i referenced J05H because he made a micro bow, im talking micro bows so i can avoid any major amount of time spend and i wouldnt need to work on finishing, this is not an ideal situation. Sorry bubby, i didnt mean to seem like i ask for advice and then just disregard it, Ive done that before and it doesnt work.

I spent right at an hour on that bow and it ended up hinged, with a massive set, and it didn't last long. Only difference with a small one is the tools you use and the amount of wood.

[ionicmuffin]

eh idk then i probably will during thanksgiving?

[DLH]

You in a dorm or apartment? That can limit you somewhat too.

[ionicmuffin]

dorm. I literally have no space and our college is focused on the liberal arts so it has no woodworking ect

[Mo_coon-catcher]

I live in a dorm too, and I can't turn them out as quick as when I'm at home because of a lack of time. But I am actually about to get number 2 done this semester. I build a vise holding system that sits in the bed of the truck so I can do the heavy cutting out in the parking lot with my draw knife and tiller using either the back glass of the truck as a mirror on nice days or I work inside on other days. Then just vacuum when I'm done. I still have to shoot in this bow and then decorate with carp skins, I just gotta decide to glue with knox or TB2.
I spent the entire semester working on this bow, spending about 30 min to an hour at a time on it when I get time. Even though you don't have a lot of time, you'd might as well give it a shot and turn out 1 full sized bow in the semester as apposed to none.

Kyle

[Aussie Yeoman]

If you have time right now, what I would do is get a few staves and reduce them to rough dimensions before going to college, then essentially just finish-tiller them there.

If your layout is good, and you can cut out accurately, then the tillering will be minimal. With a bow already cut out, tillering can be done in just a couple of hours, and finish/polish in one or two more. Even for a busy socialite, I reckon you could spread that out over a week or so.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,43044.0.html

If you have a full day at home, you could spend half a day looking for timber, and the other half of the day cutting out staves. You'd have a few to take with you to work on throughout the semester.

I used to take a bow out to a picnic area at university and clamp it to a picnic bench and work on it there.