Main Discussion Area > Horn Bows

antler

(1/2) > >>

bigfish:
can antler with sinew back make a good bow

stuckinthemud:
Which type of antler, and what cut of the antler? Antler is made from a very different material to horn - think teeth (antler) rather than toe-nails (horn).
The main branch of antler is very stiff but interrupted by the tines and other branches, and the thickness of the wall of the antler is variable: as the tines/sub-branches grow out of the main branch the wall thickens locally but if you cut across these branches then there is a hole in the centre where the blood vessels passed through.  If you cut a plate across a palmate section, the same thing happens but although the wall is reasonably thick around the circumference it reduces to almost zero at the centre of the palm.

Having said all this my experience with antler is very limited, with smaller species, not elk/moose, and is as a carver not a bowyer. It seems to me strips of palmate antler are very springy, perhaps too springy, but when antler dries beyond a certain point it becomes extremely brittle and can break without warning. In addition, cutting strips of a decent length and thickness can be a challenge.

I stand to be corrected by someone with more experience but I cannot recommend it as a material suitable for bow-making.

JackCrafty:
Yes.  I think "IndianGuy" has made at least one.  (Eric Smith)

stuckinthemud:
I just searched the forum and Indianguy has reported making several antler/sinew bows using elk, so I guess I stand corrected, although I did point out I only used the small stuff....... :)

mikekeswick:
There used to be a series of how to videos on youtube about making an elk antler bow.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page