I've been a member of the forum for a couple of months, and it never really occurred to me that it might be a good idea to post about my bows.
I just started bowyering about six months ago when I made a Mollegabet bow for my wife as a birthday present:
It was a 57" red oak board-bow, based on the tutorials by BoarriorBows on Youtube. I tried starting it out with just a small four-way rasp, which got tiring incredibly quickly. I'm not a particularly strong guy, and I also tend to be impatient as hell, so (not knowing any better) I went straight for the power tools. I used what I had, since I couldn't afford to buy anything new: a circular saw to rough out the shape, which was an absolutely terrible tool for that task, and a rotating sander on the end of a drill for refining the shape and taking down the weight. I've learned since then that power tools are seen by some as a no-no, but they did the trick for me.
I put a rawhide backing on it using a softened-up giant dog bone (thanks again to BoarriorBows), and wrapped the handle in black suede cord. It pulled about 45# at 28", and 35ish# at 25" which works well for my wife. It was an exciting first project, and naturally left me craving a bow of my own.
My second project (at least the second
completed project - I broke one bow before finishing a new one) was similar: a 61" red oak board-bow, made with the same process as the first one, but unbacked and a little heavier, pulling about 50-55# at 28". It felt great to shoot, and I loved having my own bow.
In the subsequent months, I took a couple of commissions for similar bows, and got to recoup some of the costs I'd had to pay so far. I had a really good time, and I even started incorporating a bench plane into my arsenal - a good step in the traditional direction.
Finally I'd had enough playing around with this design, so I decided to try something different: I made a 63" pyramid bow from a maple board. I decided also to add slightly recurved tips by a little red oak and mahogany to the back of the tips - I was too nervous about the maple to try steam-bending it, though I plan to try that next time.
As you may be able to tell, the tiller was WAY off the first time I took it out to the range. It actually worked out okay in the end, because the draw was heavier than I wanted anyway, so I fixed both problems simultaneously. Now it's about 50# at 28", and it shoots
beautifully. Unfortunately I'm a terrible marksman, so I don't really do the bow justice. Probably better for everyone that I'm not a hunter. I'd just end up wounding and pissing off a lot of wildlife.
Anyway, that's what I've got so far. I'm really looking forward to trying new things and improving my skill as my knowledge and tool collection keep slowly growing. I'd welcome any advice or tips that anyone might have for me. I've read the entire
Traditional Bowyer's Bible series, but I just haven't had a lot of experience, so I can use all the help I can get.
