Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: upstatenybowyer on January 15, 2017, 10:58:48 am
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Hi friends...
I was wondering what other PAs do when they feel discouraged. I've actually been pretty inspired lately, but the pendulum always swings the other way, and I want to be ready when it happens. Here are some things I do...
-think about how far I've come
-try a new design
-forget about bow making for a while and go out and shoot some of the good ones I've made
-look for a pattern in my mistakes
Thought this might make for an interesting topic
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Definitely good to take a break here and there. Step back from it if you're feeling discouraged. For me, it's a fun hobby, so when it stops being fun, it's time for a break.
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I worked on wood bows for 10 year before I had someone else to talk to about building wood bows. I did have books I could read but reading comprehension has never been my strong suit. I screwed up lots of good bow wood but knew I wanted to learn how to build wood bows properly so I stuck with it. It wasn't until I got a computer and found PA and the great and generous people associated with PA that my bent sticks became a viable bow.
If you really want to be successful at building wood bows then, then be a successful wood bow builder. Don't just try to win BOM or look for kudos from your contemporaries, build every bow for yourself.
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It's a Hobby and is supposed to be fun. Sometimes you need a distraction from one hobby so add another.
If you have an assortment of "hobbies" when one starts to become less fun just switch to another project.
Between bow and arrow making, knife making and leatherworking (plus a 15 year old daughter ::)) I have plenty to "distract" me...
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I think shooting is the best thing to do. When I'm making bows my shooting suffers because I don't do enough. When there is a lull in the making I practice practice. You can also make arrows. I find it's different enough to constitute a break.
There's also the honeydo list, ya wanna keep on top of that ;D ;D ;D
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I think shooting is the best thing to do. When I'm making bows my shooting suffers because I don't do enough. When there is a lull in the making I practice practice. You can also make arrows. I find it's different enough to constitute a break.
There's also the honeydo list, ya wanna keep on top of that ;D ;D ;D
Bingo!! Also start builsing other parts of your kit, quivers and such
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I have many hobbies, but for some reason, I don't really get discouraged with bow making like I do with other hobbies. It is also the hobby I have failed most at. I started making bows when I was about 10. Let me restate that. I started breaking sticks at 10. I had no direction at all, no help, no books. Thinking back, nothing about what I was doing was right. Every "bow" I started, I just assumed it would break, but how far could I get the next one to go. So I think that mentality has stuck with me. Prepare for failure, but plan to succeed. Every bow I start, I just assume that it just might not make it, but as time has past, the ones that make it have grown while the number of bows that break have shrunk. But I guess tonsay I don't get discouraged is a lie, so when I do, I stop making scrapings and do something o can't fail at, like strip sinew, maybe start a new one.
Eric
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I worked on wood bows for 10 year before I had someone else to talk to about building wood bows. I did have books I could read but reading comprehension has never been my strong suit. I screwed up lots of good bow wood but knew I wanted to learn how to build wood bows properly so I stuck with it. It wasn't until I got a computer and found PA and the great and generous people associated with PA that my bent sticks became a viable bow.
If you really want to be successful at building wood bows then, then be a successful wood bow builder. Don't just try to win BOM or look for kudos from your contemporaries, build every bow for yourself.
Lovin' all the comments. I can particularly relate to this one. For me it was a 100% independent endeavor (about 10 years also) until I found PA. My ability has since improved a lot, but there was something very important about that decade alone... it was learning perseverance. At the end of the day, the only reason I was doing it was for myself. That's something worth remembering. ;)
DC, I can relate to what you wrote as well. It's fun to make um AND shoot um!
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I remind myself that I just like working with wood and that it is the journey that counts. Jawge
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Jawge, I think your quote says it all!
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its easy to think postive when your bows are turning out great,, you have to think postive when you have a set back,,
you are learning something every set back, that is very positive,, I study what went wrong and what I can do next time to improve,I take note and document what happened, I will get out all my books on bowmaking and read,, something always speaks to me,, then I remind myself to have fun,, just get back on the horse and move forward,your effort will have a cumulative effect in the most postive way and your success rate will continue be better and better,, I seek advise from someone that has work I admire,, most guys that are really great at making bows are happy to share and get you through a bump in your bow making confidence,, but mainly I try to keep a positive attitude about the bow making process, and set backs are learning part of that,, :)
ok I am rambling a bit but want share with you my most discouraging set back,, once a long time ago I made a bow for a tv outdoor host, I flew all the way to Argentina to appear on the show and present the bow to him,, with the cameras rolling he drew it for the first time,, and it expoded,, wow,,,feeling bad does not describe how I felt,, talk about discouraged,,, I ended up making some really nice bows for him after that,, and wow did I give them a harsh testing before I ever gave a bow to anyone ,,and still do to this day,, so when someone thinks I am a bit conservative on how long or wide a make a bow,, you know why I am a bit paranoid,,, and usually err on the side of overbuilt,, :) :) :)
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I really have been focusing on shooting my glass bows lately in preparation for making and shooting self bows. A couple buddies got into shooting and the has been a blast getting back into it. I even pulled out my hoyt ultra elite and knocked the dust off it just so I had a wheelie bow for them to start on before they went out and bought one. I really find myself getting away from shooting bows when I start making them. I shoot em just enough to get em shot in before they head out the door.
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Before I came here I came from a back ground of furniture & cabinet making so I was pretty used to making mistake , dusting off and starting over , I rarely get discouraged but when I do I take a break and go do some thing nice for my wife,family, or friends it always gets me out of my head & I come back with a new perspective , also I have conversations with forum members out side the threads and enjoy what goes on in there lives , I think to make bows you kinda have to be a little obsessive compulsive , so doing other things mentioned gives balance , I really like what Pat B said about doing it for your self !
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I gave my head a shake I must be in the wrong room............ >:D
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Be your own worst critic upstate.As far as durable viable bows over a long stretch of time.Testing them extensively.There is always room for improvement.That'll keep you coming back to the bench.Pleasing yourself first.
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The level of workmanship and performance has reached a level that doesn't leave a lot for improvement when keeping things relative. When a lot of us started 20 or 30 years ago we had a lot of room to improve, a lot of styles that had not yet been so refined etc. A lot of these challenges are what kept us motivated. I have lost a lot of the passion I once had just because I don't feel I am making much progress. Every now and then I will try something new and figure out its not really knew after all. The motivation may not be quite the same as it once was.
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Thanks Badge. :)
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That may have sounded kind of negative but it wasn't meant to come off that way. Very small improvements today are appreciated at least as much as very large improvements 30 years ago. The mine may have been worked past commercial viability but there are still plenty of nuggets left for us with gold fever!
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Nice. I wasn't seeing your thoughts as negative at all. In fact, it made me look forward to another 20 years of making bows!
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I guess I didn't finish my post...but I like to mix it up to keep things interesting. If one of them bows is discouraging you just move into another....a lot of times coming back to one u started with fresh eyes can help too.
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Once I feel I've got as good as I can get at anything the drive to keep doing it ebbs away from me. For me the fun is doing something new, the unknown being the interesting part. Doing the same thing over and again teaches you less and less - that's when things get stale for me. A lot of my drive for making wooden bows has gone. I've learnt a lot along the way and the journey was fantastic but now my focus is on hornbows and what I can get out of them. When I get sick of bows full stop I go climbing. Climbing never gets boring for me as there is always another cliff, another route, another move, more training, different techniques etc....a World of 'unknowns'
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I'm with Mike, I thrive on challenge but consequently my failure rate is really high (like 1 in 3). I think its about balance - too much of any one thing will always get boring, but, if a project does get me down, I put it in the rafters and go do something else instead - when I am in the right frame of mind I'll come back and have another go
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I don't really get discouraged with making bows. I find it to be relaxing and relieves stress. Yesterday my phone self destructed in my pocket on the drive to work. This morning my car battery died when I made a stop on my way to work. I'm counting down the hours until I put a piece of osage in a vise tomorrow and pick up a rasp.
Sometimes I'm not able to focus because I'm tired or something else is going on. When I get like that I don't do any tillering or other detailed work because I'm likely to make a mistake. Instead I start removing the bark and sapwood off of staves. My brain can shut down for a while and go into auto-pilot. It doesn't take much concentration to rip sapwood. When I worked night shift I ripped a lot of sapwood.
It doesn't hurt to switch things up every now and then. I'll take a break from bow making and work on knives or something else for a few weeks. I feel that recharges my bow making batteries so to speak. I'm ready to get back to it and finish a few bows.
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I don't really get discouraged with making bows. I find it to be relaxing and relieves stress. Yesterday my phone self destructed in my pocket on the drive to work. This morning my car battery died when I made a stop on my way to work. I'm counting down the hours until I put a piece of osage in a vise tomorrow and pick up a rasp.
Sometimes I'm not able to focus because I'm tired or something else is going on. When I get like that I don't do any tillering or other detailed work because I'm likely to make a mistake. Instead I start removing the bark and sapwood off of staves. My brain can shut down for a while and go into auto-pilot. It doesn't take much concentration to rip sapwood. When I worked night shift I ripped a lot of sapwood.
It doesn't hurt to switch things up every now and then. I'll take a break from bow making and work on knives or something else for a few weeks. I feel that recharges my bow making batteries so to speak. I'm ready to get back to it and finish a few bows.
I love roughing out staves, very relaxing.
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These are great responses. I just thought of another thing that refocuses/re-energizes me... Cleaning and reorganizing my work area. Professional chefs have this thing called "Mise en place." It's a philosophy where everything is in it's place prior to cooking. Easily translated to bow making. :)
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To quote with carpentry language here there's a great value in being a good frame up man.Bringing them all inside to dry out well.Every stave to me is still kinda like christmas yet.Ya just never always know what's underneath sometimes.
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When you start feeling guilty for not building bows, you know you have a problem :). That's where I have sat for months now. NO desire to even think about working on a bow. I have my reasons, good or bad depending on who you talk to.
I have shifted my interests to other things for a while. Rabbit hunting with dogs and guns and fixing my horribly deteriorated shot with a metal riser and carbon limbs. I still have a passion for wood bows and always will. When it starts feeling like work or I have to force myself to go to the shop, its time to step away, so I did.
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Perspective changes. If it doesn't we are stupid. Lots of good thoughts above.
It will seem negative, but as Solomon said, "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity." Lots of us here have a certain view of life that recognizes things that are not empty, and sometimes, the empty things are useful to take our mind of the heavy things. But we need to keep seeing the big picture and live accordingly.
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So far it's fresh and relaxing for me. I'm still learning so much. I love to start and end my day with a rasp in my hands. It helps me get ready for the work day and unwind before I go home. Like Osage said it's just relaxing to me, and if my brain isn't in high gear I don't do the fussy stuff. I always have some red osier shoots to work on, or stone to knap. I string my bow and shoot a few arrows. If it's nice out I go for a walk and collect some arrow shoots, bow staves or pine pitch. I play around with some hides. Lately I've been playing around with some writing. If it gets to where it's work, then I'm sure I'd put it down for awhile till it was fun and relaxing again. In all honesty it would not be the first hobby I put away for a time, but so far it's still fresh for me. I still have goals to reach and people I want to make bows for.
Bjrogg
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I'm with asharrow and osage outlaw. If even a hint of discouragement starts creeping in I just focus on what is really important.
The wife just called and said her battery is dead too.
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everyone has a different level of interest,,
I get excited just looking at a stave,, I dont have to make a better bow everytime,, just a good bow,,
they are all so beautiful to me,,,that I dont get discouraged,, I just enjoy making them,, and one of the reasons I never get tired of making them,, is my passion for shooting,, I love to shoot archer,, so it goes hand in hand and I stay very passionate about making a bow,, like others,, sometimes my life gets in the way and I have very little time for it,, but when I do , I enjoy it, ,and try to live in that enjoyment,, :)
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It seems that everyone has a different take on discouragement. We've gone from stop and have a cup of coffee to, "Screw this, I'm going to become a nun!" For me it rarely gets much worse than taking a couple of days off. ;) ;)
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Being a nunn might be a great occupation for bow making... lots of spare time, access to tools, no spouse to nag you,... ;D ;D ;D
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It took me 3 years and 14 tries to get a shooter...so I tend to not get too discouraged when a bow breaks. :)
Jawge
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It took me 3 years and 14 tries to get a shooter...so I tend to not get too discouraged when a bow breaks. :)
Jawge
I just broke one and it didn't phase me a bit! Well, maybe just a little O:) :laugh:
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Ah see, upstate. It's the journey that counts. :)
Jawge
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I surely don't build as many as I use to, I would go to bed thinking about what was the next step and wake up wanting to get back at it, not so much anymore but I still love it and am very involved with other builds. It is not really a hobby for me, more a way of life and all the other projects I work on fit right in with the same life style/ I will rough out bows for a while which is my favorite part for some reason , then may work on knives/horns/arrows/pine pitch glue/bird houses or just some other wood project but bows and shooting/hunting with them are always in the back of my mind and not far away. Been that way for over 40 years and I really don't see it changing. I do get more frustrated with my self rather than discouraged when I have one break but have learned that is part of the game, I try and learn from it and move on. I have seen a lot come and go over the years and it always seems to surprise them when they show back up several years later and I am still at my work bench doing what I have been doing for years. ;)
Pappy
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Reading all of these different perspectives has been eye-opening. Each one has its own character built upon different experiences. It's like the bows we end up with. No two are exactly the same. :)
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Reading all of these different perspectives has been eye-opening. Each one has its own character built upon different experiences. It's like the bows we end up with. No two are exactly the same. :)
Upstate I think that's one of the things that draws me to this so. It's not just woodwork. It's bringing the materials back to life. Some bows I have been very attached to, almost like giving up my first daughter for marriage when I gave them away. I know they love them too, but it's still hard to watch them go.lol. I have to tell myself I'm not losing a bow, I'm gaining a primitive shooting partner.lol. I guess that's one reason it does hurt for me when one breaks, but I don't dwell on it and when it happens the quicker I start another the quicker I get over the other.
Bjrogg
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I use it as a learning tool. Or a sign that I am trying to push too hard.
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I get enough of facing discouragement in daily life; mine, my patients', and others', that bowmaking is a treat when I get the chance, no matter what. Even the minutes I get to spend here; typing, thinking about it, remembering my own learning process, helping the next guy, etc. might be the best part of my day, or nearly. Breaking or ruining a bow ticks me off at that moment, of course. It feels like personal failure sometimes, but in the grand scheme of things, it barely makes my radar. There is more wood in the garage.
I've never cared about having a bunch of bows, nor making the BEST bow in the world, or "beating" the other guy's bow. MAKING them, never making the same one twice, always trying a new process, messing with and designing tools, and learning are their own rewards.
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^ I hear ya Springbuck, 100% ;)
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This is a really interesting and it's really neat to hear everyone's perspective on this. It's seems like most people here don't really got all that upset when a bow breaks. There is something different about this hobby, and I don't know what it is. With other woodworking projects that fail, I get pretty pissed. Maybe with bow making, it's 99% about the making, and 1% the outcome. And when your finished, it suddenly becomes 100% about what you have made. But who knows
Eric