Old Bow Build

[Marc St Louis]

I don't know how many have seen this but this was posted on the internet many years ago, I think it was from an old Popular Mechanics article on how to build a bow.  I thought it was interesting enough that I saved the pages as images.













I have no idea why the pictures are so small here.  If you go to my imgur folder you can actually read what it says.  The article is of a take-down build.  Don't ask what boam is as nobody could ever figure it out

[Hrothgar]

Interesting old article Marc, thanks for sharing. I see where the preferred woods are osage orange and boam--not sure what boam is.

[bjrogg]

Always interesting looking at old popular mechanics magazines. We should have all been flying to work in our hovercars decades ago. When I was at Marshall this past summer Bruce showed me a crossbow that their 4-H kids built. I believe he said they got the plans from a old popular mechanics magazine.
Bjrogg

[Hrothgar]

After doing a little research I see where the question about boam had come up earlier (see June, 2014 post in PA). I wonder if it could be hornbeam?

[Eric Krewson]

There was a set of Popular Mechanics encyclopedias that had the same bow making instructions in one chapter. As a kid in the 50s I remember we had the set in my  house.

[ksnow]

Wow, that is a neat article.  I have a few lemonwood blanks in the shop, maybe I will have to use this as inspiration.  That case at the end is awesome.

Thank you for posting this.

Kyle

[Hans H]

thanks for sharing this Marc
Hans

[DC]

That's quite a draw knife! I remember these Popular Mechanics articles from when I was a kid. They always had tools that I had never seen. In this one they used a band saw, milling machine and metal lathe. Their motto seemed to be,"What's the most expensive way we can do this."

[ksnow]

That's quite a draw knife! I remember these Popular Mechanics articles from when I was a kid. They always had tools that I had never seen. In this one they used a band saw, milling machine and metal lathe. Their motto seemed to be,"What's the most expensive way we can do this."

That motto has not changed much in some circles.  Modern woodworking magazines and shows all have a dizzying variety of tools, most singular in purpose and very expensive.  And yes, that drawknife is massive.

Kyle

[Hawkdancer]

Neat article.  Posted it to my favorites.  Don't have a big bandsaw, got to put a new blade on the tiny one, and it is probably too small to handle a stave, I prefer hand tools anyway, that's what I learned with, at least for fine and/or finish type work.  Sanding and grinding are a different matter, though!
Hawkdancer

[Philipp A]

cool article, I enjoyed reading it Thanks for sharing Marc!

[Marc St Louis]

You are all welcome.  I posted another one in the flightbow forum

[Knoll]

WAAAYYYYYY back when I was kid, Dad made me a target as Christmas present.
He musta got his mitts on this article because it was made very close to the one detailed here!
When interest in bows was replaced by interest in girls, Dad incorporated legs into a piece of furniture he made for my sister. Use it or lose it . . . . . .

[Hawkdancer]

Very interesting!  Never heard of "boam " as a tree, or hop horn beam, for that matter!  Apparently they are the same according to what I see.   Baum(boam) is an Frisian/proto-Eoropen worm for beam, everything else is a w.a.g., but it makes some sense, as hhb, is native to the eastern US, as far west as Wyoming and north into Manitoba, Canada.  Probably saw them back in Missouri and Kansas and caled them something else.  Now, to find some in Colorado !
Hawkdancer

[neuse]

I think it is cool that so many pictures from that era show people in white shirts and ties doing shop work.