First Bow - Red Oak Board Bow

[webrx]

Hey y'all,

A little intro, Names Dave, haven't shot a bow in 35 years until about a month ago when my youngest expressed an interest in getting one.  So a little craigslist action resulted in a Bear Cub compound for him and a Beak Kodiak II Compound for me.

Well, after perusing the web and reminiscing of the old Bear 76er I used to own, I picked my boy up a PSE Snake recurve to learn on while I went about building a board bow for me.

I found two boards at the local HD, on 2.5 by 3/4 by 7 ft and one 1.5 by 3/4 by 7ft red oak with decent grain patterns.

I had seen a lot of plans for various bows to make out of the 2.5 inch wide piece, but also had stumbled upon a set of vintage plans for an american longbow with dimensions that were applicable to the 1.5 piece, since I figured it would take less material removal for the ALB, that is what I started with.

I had most of the tools, including a 4 sided rasp, but did not have a good two handed rasp so I bought a stanley, picked up some sand paper, and said what the heck......

Started the bow on Friday night, got it on a tiller tree on Saturday, and this morning I made a bow string for it and my son and I spent about an hour in the back yard (in between the rain drops) and I shot a good 50 arrow off my new bow.

I did my roughing out with a belt sander (60 grit), as there was not a lot to take off the board to begin with.  Tilling was done with the rasps and a palm sander with 80 grit on it, followed by 220 grit to smooth things out.  My tilling string was a piece of bailing twine, and my testing string was made from kite line (details below)

Total out of pocket cost for this project
$9 board
$15 Stanley rasp
$5 serving string
$5 sand paper

Handle wrap was some pseudo leather string my wife had around the house in her craft stuff and a piece of high density foam I had around the house, the shooting ledge is a wooden golf tee, and temporarily, a 6 inch piece of mossy oak vinyl tape for the arrow pass.

pics below:

On the tiller tree


at 25" with a long string


Ready for serving string


Son shooting Dad's longbow


Dad's Longbow and Son's Snake - With arrows shot from 10 yards


I made the bow, string, string loops, and added the serving myself, first time, pretty proud that I didn't break it (well at least not yet).

String is 20 strands of 15lb kite string, loops are served with 30lb fly line backing material (it is what I had around the house at 6 am this morning).  I did make it out to get some real serving material during the day and put that on the string for this afternoons shooting.  I will pick up a 67" bowstring tomorrow and a couple brass nocs so I can have a real string, but my makeshift got me shooting today.

One thing I found out was that you don't want to shoot the long bow (with arrows that are too heavy for it - I had a couple old aluminum gamegetters) and then switch over to the boys center cut without first taking a few shots close to the target to get your head right about how the arrows are gonna fly - I bounced one off the RV gate when I did this.

Hope you like it, I'm hooked and will be making the other board into something, just not sure what yet.  I sure would like a recurve, but I am thinking I need something other than red oak for that one, maybe a pyramid bow for the next one, with a center cut arrow pass.

Thanks for the teaching (I read everything I could find on building a board bow before I started)

Dave

[Newindian]

That very good for your first go at it

[webrx]

Thanks, now I just gotta figure out the right arrows for it.

The gamegetters are for a 60# compound with a 30" pull, and this one is 45 at 27" I'm pretty sure the ones I have are too stiff, but my sons arrows for his 30# are too light.

Dave

[bubby]

congrat's on getting a shooter right out the gate, now for a little constructive critiqe, it's doing most of the work in the handle area, on the next one leave about 18" in the center of the bow until you get the rest bending good, then work back to the handle, check out the tillering gizmo on the how to pg, it's right at the top, that will help you get a more even tiller, like I said nice job and keep making, Bub

[webrx]

Thanks for the feedback, I had to work through a hinge and chase a twist (got one side thicker than the other), and being my first bow it was a little trial and error to get it straight.  I did use a tillering gizmo, but the plans I had said work the handle area first, then thin the tip section, live and learn I guess, I will heed your advice on the next one, and start the bends from the tips.

Dave

[bubby]

don't start the bends at the tips, just start scraping 9" to 10" from the center on each limb, I usually leave the last 6" of the tip alone till the bow is mostly done,  Bub

[BOWMAN53]

Big 5 sells cheap arrows 30-50# @28". I make my bows around the same weight and they work pretty good.

[webrx]

Bubby, - got it.

Bowman53 - What is the name/type of the arrows that you reference?

Thanks

d

[Parnell]

Congratulations on your success!

[Eastman]

Congrats on your first bow! Now, the journey continues...

[George Tsoukalas]

Congratulations on your first bow and yes, you need  to work mid limb to tips on the next. Jawge

[webrx]

Thanks all, went out to day to get a string, and had the bow pull weight measured, guy at the store said it was about 30# at 27 inches, so I have a question, since this bow is working, and a little long for my son, and a little light for me, would it be possible (from a bow making standpoint) to shorten it from it's current 70" noc to noc to something shorter to increase it draw weight? Or would this just be a waste of time?

I was thinking like 66" noc to noc taking a couple inches  off each end, or just shortening up the nocs an inch or inch and a half on each end - do you think this would make any significant difference?.

Your thoughts?

Dave

[randman]

If you cut 3" off of each tip You'd have a 64" that would have at least 10-12 lbs more draw weight and you could still get a 27-28" draw out of it after a slight retillering. As long as you get those tips bending around more (leave the middle alone). Good job on your first. You're hooked now (it's hopeless - you can never stop thinkin about 'em now - Just go with it - sweetest addiction you'll ever have).

[webrx]

Randman,

Thanks, I didn't have a set of grooves for the stringer, and my brace height was at 7.5, so I went out and cut two new string grooves, shortening the bow by 2 inches - I have a flemish string I bought today, so I am pretty sure I can twist it enough to make up the difference (being that brace height was high already).

and I think your right, I feel kinda hooked - been thinking about whether the bow could be shortened enough to gain a few lbs on and off this afternoon 

I have another board in the garage already this one is 2.5 wide by 3/4 thick by 7 feet long - thinking pyramid bow, but not sure yet - would really like to get a 45 to 50 lb bow.

I would like a recurve, but I don't think from what I read that red oak is the right wood for a recurve.

Thanks again,

d

[webrx]

Been shooting the bow for a couple weeks now, seems to be holding up pretty well, even after shortening it, got it to 37#s at 28".  Thinking about taking another inch off each end, kind of making a 3 nock board bow to stiffen it a bit more, probably gonna have to do a little more tillering from midlimb to tips for this so it bends a little nicer, based on the feedback I got on the bow.  Maybe have my wife take a pic at full draw so I can get more advice on where to tiller.

What are your thoughts?

d