help with 5# - 7# kid's bow

[joshro]

My 4 year old daughter is very into the Chronicles of Narnia movies and she particularly loves Susan, the archer (that's my girl!) She is practically begging me to make her a real bow so here come the questions:

I was thinking of a bow in the 5-7 lb range, so

What are good dimensions for such a light weight bow?
Which wood should I choose?
Should I back it?
What would make good arrows for such a light bow?

Any help would be appreciated, I've never made a kid's bow before!
Thanks,
Josh

[mullet]

 I'd go with hickory. with it being that light I don't think you would need to back it. Hickory tends to bend over before it breaks. You could ose 1/4" dowels and plastic nocks to be safe.

[TRACY]

Hickory would be good, but any wood would work for that draw weight. Like mullet said with 1/4 dowels etc. I made one for my daughter at about that age out of sassafras with a pink and blue string, her choice. Fletched dowels w/ cutdown pink feathers. I found 1/4 field points at 3rivers. Good luck and have fun with it.

Tracy

[joshro]

Great, I have some hickory on hand.
Any suggestions on dimensions?

[RidgeRunner]

I would make the bow about two of three inches longer than your daughter is tall.
Four year old kids grow like weeds you know.  This will give her a bit of growing room with the bow.
Put a 4" stiff handle on it.  Make the handle about 1" wide.  Do not flair the limbs out at the fades.
Leave the limbs 1" wide half way to the nocks.  Then taper the last half of the limbs down to 1/4" tips.
Put some kind tip overlay on it.  Most anything that is hard will work for overlays.  Cut your string grove (mostly) into the overlay
instead of the sides of the tips.  This bow will end up being wafer thin.  So go easy on the tiller.  You will have little room for error.

I have made about 25 or 30 of these. They are fast and easy to make and the kids love them. Parents....  Well, I have learned
to ask before handing them out.

David

[joshro]

Thank you guys for all the help! I'll post picture when I get done.
Josh

[roofus]

Here is a Photobucket with some pics of one I made for my daughter.
Hickory with Cotton Backing and Walnut Accents
Verrrrrry Simple and SOOOO Basic. It is 52" nock to nock and pulls 18# @ 20" Bigger than what your after but the design works.
7/8" Wide down to 3/8" at the tips with a wiped on poly clear finish. Made it in less than an hour after the glue dried.
http://s287.photobucket.com/albums/ll124/roofus5/

[Snake-Jo]

@joshro: I prefer a strip of bamboo, because it is easily done and good for daughters U2. 

Here are the dates:
120 cm, 10,5 lb/18", that means round about 8 lb/ 16"r
45 x 6,5 mm in the middle of limb
grip: apple-tree wood
   arrows:  6 mm, 13 g,length 60 cm

Jo from Germany

[lowell]

Here's one I got done about Christmas time and seemed to work ok.  I backed it with rawhide for extra insurance against any  injury in case  of a break. I didn't expect a 16 inch draw so 14" was in your 5-7# range.   

 http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,10400.0.html

[Snake-Jo]

@lowell: Very nicy bow. I agree with Oldbow: Good craftmanship is necessary whether you build an 8 pounder ore a 40 pounder. Only the effort of material is less.

By the way: How to post pictures in the thread?

[acker]

@Snake Jo:

Quit easy with the pics: - go on Post reply
                                 - scrol down to Additional Options and click
                                 - go on Attach ( Durchsuchen- wie im Fc)
    ( Maximum attachment size allowed 200 kb , per post 6 pics)

Child-bow from european ash 15#


[attachment deleted by admin]

[Snake-Jo]

Boo child bow U2

@Acker: Thanks! 
What about FC, no connection in the moment!



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[Badger]

Lots of choices for kids bows, raw boo has to be a good choice as are branches from any number of trees. You can get pretty fancy with a low draw weight bow. Steve

[acker]

@Snake Jo: They tried to change the server without having any trouble but....
Hope its back soon.

acker