New Bowyer With Question About Tools?

[George Tsoukalas]

Hatchet, 2wedges, drawknife, surform, 4 in 1 rasp, tape measure, and pen knife will go along way. Jawge

[Slackbunny]

I'd be lost without my drawknife and hatchet. If I had to pick two tools and throw out all the rest, I'd keep those two.

I used to use a spokeshave quite a bit, but not so much now. The drawknife has almost completely replaced it.

Also the scrapers were a great investment. They allow for very minute adjustments and you don't run the risk of tearouts.

I also really like to use a coping saw for cutting out my nocks, then finish them with a round file.

I don't use rasps all that much, mainly just for shaping tips and handles.

[wood_bandit 99]

my favorite tool is definitely the draw knife. it can be used as a scraper too, if you hold it the right way. it is my axe and my scraper. if i had to choose two tools and that is all i could use, i would use the draw knife and my sandpaper. i have made whole bows with a drawknife, sandpaper, and a rasp. a yew bow im working on i am only using a drawknife and some sandpaper. really, all these tools hace special uses. i mainly use a drawknife and scraper for roughing out and getting it floor tillered. a rasp i use to shape the handle.

[TimBo]

Lots of good info here, and obviously some variation from bowyer to bowyer.  I have most of the things listed above, and second the Stanley Surform - I like it better than the farrier's rasp, although I suspect my FR is not that great.  The main thing is to have a fast removal tool (hatchet, drawknife) and a sloooow removal tool (scraper, Shinto or 4-1in-1 rasp, etc.).  Good luck and enjoy!