Where to start?

[Jevans1985]

Just joined the forum, found it last night looking up info on wooden bows. I'm interested in learning about how to make them, but everywhere i look the information is a bit to advanced for me. Where should i go to learn the basics?

[RidgeRunner]

Hay, welcome abord
You have come to the best place I know of.  Ask any question you would like.
If you could fine a bow building/shoot get together to visit you will learn more in one day than you could by working alone for a year.
Where do you live?  Who knows, you just might be somebody's neighbor.

David

[jeduffey]

I have to agree with comments that I have seen several threads across several forums, "If you can make a small one, you can make a big one."

In this case I am directly referring to is the micro or 1/6th scale bows. Some call them minis, but mini is closer to the kid size bows. I made my first bow close to 17 years ago. But then I didn't try making another one until Summer of 2006. By that point I was a bit nervous about making a mistake on a $45 stick. When I saw a thread on a scale bows, over at Archery-Interchange, that was the answer I needed.

All that to say, if you want to chase growth rings, get yourself a few branches 18" long and proceed as if it were a full size bow; split, season, layout, cut, and scrape. If you want to make a board bow, head over to the local lumber supply and get a few pieces of scrap. Do your layout. Will it be ELB, AFB, yramid, or other? Now that I'm making these bows as well as the full size variety, I hardly throw away anything. You'd be surprised at how small a piece of horn or other material can be used for strike plates, and overlays.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Jevans1985]

Heh, i live in the fort lauderdale- miami area of florida, and i guess the thing is Jed, that i honestly didnt understand much of what you said. When i say starting out i mean even the bear basics. I know nothing about this kind of thing, but i'm absolutley fascinated by it.

[tom sawyer]

Get a book called The Bent Stick by Paul Comstock.  Its as good a place to begin as I can think of.

We do get caught up in the performance details of bows here.  Sometimes its hard to remember what is considered basic to a beginner.  For myself, I actually just went out and bought an oak board with decently straight grain and made a bow.

There's also a couple of websites, one by a guy nicknamed Ferret (Mickey Lotz) and one by a guy nicknamed Jawge (George Tsoukalis).  Might have misspelled that last name.  Google those guys and see if you can't find their websites, both are geared to beginners.

[JackCrafty]

J,

The first thing you gotta do is learn the terminology.  Find a glossary of archery terms and start memorizing.  You need to know at least the basic terms like tiller, the bow's "back" and "belly", brace height, and draw weight.

Or you can skip all that and begin like most of us (when we were kids) and just get a branch from your back yard and put a sting on it.  Whittle down the tips a bit so it doesn't bend too much in the middle, buy some cheap arrows and start shooting.   

[david w.]

here are three very good buildalongs

heres one by kegan
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=507120&page=12

http://www.geocities.com/salampsio/index.html

http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html  Jawges sight is great with many buildalongs

[Jevans1985]

Heh, all i know is from the shooting end. I shoot a 70 pound 30' draw Osage Orange bow, but was looking to make something with a stronger draw weight. I've seen the traditional bowyers bible, would that be a good place to start?

[david w.]

those are great books. i own the first one. that has all the necessary info but i want to get the other 3 because they are such good books

[Jevans1985]

Keegans build along is great, Just need to get the wood and i can start, but there's a question, where should i go to get wood?

[Kegan]

Keegans build along is great, Just need to get the wood and i can start, but there's a question, where should i go to get wood?

Home Depot or Lowes. Also, if the grain is perfectly straight, you can skip the the paper backing and it should be fine. It should save you a day of waiting.

[RidgeRunner]

Where should you go to get wood??

I noticed that you already shoot an Osage bow.  If you got it from someone you know then they may be able to supply you with a bow stave.
A store bought board of Oak, Hickory or Maple should make a fine bow.  And they are dry.  You can start making you bow today.
There are quite a few bow staves sold on E-bay.  Type bow stave in and see what comes up.  If you buy an Osage stave make sure it is dry.  They dry slow.
If all else fails grab an ax and go chop a small tree down that is what most of us do.

David

[tom sawyer]

Go to the Primitive arechery home page at the top of this page.  Then look on the left for the current advertisers.  There are several that sell staves.  I like Pine Hollow but theres quite a few to choose from.

[Pappy]

Welcome Jevans,you will like it here,all the above is good advice.Just get some wood and start making shavings,ask anything you want and you will learn.Every piece will teach you something
new that a book just don't cover.You will soon learn what you can and can't get away with.
I guess that is what I like about it,every piece of wood is different and it seem to be one
problem after the other to solve and then all of the sudden you have a bow.Sometimes
you have fire wood but don't get discourged we have all been there and I am sure will be
there again.Good luck on you first and stay in touch.
   Pappy

[snedeker]

the Bowyers bible has four key chapters that will get you started.  These include info on the different woods and their characteristics, how to harvest, store, adn cure, different bow designs and the dynamics of bending wood, tools, bow roughout and tillering.  It all looked so strange to me when I read them in 2001 that I had to go over them repeatedly.  I jumped right into a lot of wood harvesting, which has paid off over the years, but I also rushed green wood in some of my early bows and ended up with duds and wasted woods.  Thats why the guys are suggesting Lowes wood.  A red oak bow that bends through the handle would be a great starter. then ask a lot of questions. Everyone loves newbie questions on here.

Dave