The Men Behind The Bow

[Swatch]

Hello, I am new to Primitive Archer. I have been building bows for a long time, since I was 10 or so. I am now 60, but I wouldn't say I have 50 years of bow building experience!  I started out with green birch limbs and didn't really understand much. I made arrows from rose, willow, and currant bushes. They were pretty crude. My folks bought me a bow at 12 years old. It was one of those fiberglass Scout bows (youth bow) and it kept me busy for many years. Then I got into the compound world. I started shooting league archery and bowhunting. I became disillusioned with the "Wheelie" world and started making bows again. I have made many longbows from Bingham Projects, which is located nearby. Now I am finding that the attraction of trees and self bows is taking down a new road. I have built a bowstring out of sinew for my juniper bow, which broke the other day as I was tillering it. I am getting ready to start over with another one now. I live in Northern Utah, in a yurt that I built last fall. I am currently unemployed and looking for work. I have enjoyed the forum and was disappointed in the showdown thread. I hope it is the last that I read of that sort of thread. It wasn't your fault.

Thanks for all I am learning on this forum.

PS  Please help all us newbies by spelling out some of the acronyms in use here. For example for the longest time I thought that HHB was a tri-lam bow with a hickory belly, a hickory core and a bamboo back!!!

[Crogacht]

Hi Dor

I'm Ben from New Zealand, 26 years old. I've been bothering everyone on the forum for awhile, but only just started my first bow a couple of weeks ago, a 60 inch elm stave. I'm about done building my tillering tree, so soon I will get a long string on it and start bending

I think my case is terminal, I even have a favourite limb on my elm bow which gets more attention than the other Oh well, it's a good way to go 

[Badger]

   When I saw this thread I thought it was interesting. Bow making has had a profound affect on many of us, mostly in good ways but sometimes not in good ways. I thought it would be interesting to interview guys all the way from the first year to the guys with over 20 years on all the aspects of bow making and the impact it had had on their lives. On the surface it appears it would only be of any interest to a small percentage of us bow makers but in reality it could apply to any number of hobbies and interests that we tend to become passionate about. Years ago I read a book called the "Epitaph of a Peach". It was just a simple story about a farmer who was trying to develop a white peach. When I got done I couldn't help but feel like I just read a book about bowmakers. I don't mind at all when someone on a thread like this takes the long winded approach and tells us all about his bow making experience.

[Onebowonder]

Hello Dor - Welcome to PA.  As others have already assured you, the pissing match over on your other thread was in no way your fault.  Don't feel bad about it at all...

I am Eric Fors, II - aka - OneBowWonder.  I got started in bowyering through a class offered by the Missouri Conservation Department many years ago that taught how to build a long bow to teachers and youth leaders with the thought that we would pass the things we learned on to our charges.  I have since made a couple hundred bows with and for kids.

I am "onebowwonder" thanx to my brother who nicknamed me that early on in my bow making career.  Soon after my initial training class, our church men's group needed a men's group activity and I got nominated to train the guys in what I'd learned in making bows.  At that point I had only made a handful of successful bows myself, so my brother thought that was a funny handle and it stuck.  We broke more than we made in that class, but everyone had a blast!  Now I'm just OneBow, but that's where the name comes from.

I enjoy building bows.  There's just something about the creative process of turning a piece of timber into a functional weapon that really resonates with my soul.  I suppose should spend more time shooting my bows or learning more about using them to hunt, ...but generally, I'd just prefer to start making another one!

My time to engage with this hobby is limited by a demanding career life, I work in information tech for banking, but when I have the time to invest, ...this is the thing I enjoy the mostest!

OneBow

[tom sawyer]

I'm Lennie from Hannibal MO.  I've been making bows for something like a dozen years or so.  I don't make as many as I used to but I still love cutting bow wood and I keep a nice hoard of seasoned hedge and other woods, also have the stuff to make bamboo-backed bows.  I like collecting drawknives too.  I make the occasional blank for people who want to try their hand making bows, and once a year we journey to the center of the state for MOJAM a bowmaking/rockbreaking extravaganza.  I usually get inspired and tiller a bow during the festival.  I intend to retire in a few years and spend more time on all my various hobbies.

[George Tsoukalas]

Lennie, welcome back!
I'm Jawge and have been makin' and breakin' bows since '89.
I've been shooting bows since 1956. Yup. I'm 65.
I am a retired chemistry teacher and loved teaching quantum mechanics to sophomores in HS.
arachnid, I mention that because you said you were a science teacher.
Jawge

[Bogaman]

Lennie, I think you started showing up at Mojam about the time I quit going. The heat and humidity got the best of me.  Rumor has it, that you break a pretty mean rock ;^)

[Peacebow_Coos]

Hi Arachnid, and greetings from the USA.  I'm from Oregon, an environmental studies student at UofO and have been making and breaking as George said for about 12 years off and on.  I have a fiancee and two daughters and we're all Native American so we enjoy making things and trying to perpetuate our culture.  I teach bow classes for my Tribe, the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, and I teach at the craft center at UO.  I think this is a great thread.  I know a lot of folks on here know each other, but I haven't been able to go to any of these gatherings, and I'm not mobile so...good idea Arachnid.  Starship Troopers kicks butts btw (By the way)

[Badger]

  Hi I am little Badger, I started making bows when I was one, my grampaw won't let me use the real draw knife so I am still working on the same bow and I am 3 now. I hope to post it soon.

[Bogaman]

You've got me beat on that picture. I have on of my grandson when he was 8 years old at Mojam one year making his first bow.
I like the mini shaving horse!

[PatM]

  Hi I am little Badger, I started making bows when I was one, my grampaw won't let me use the real draw knife so I am still working on the same bow and I am 3 now. I hope to post it soon.

  They don't let you use a drawknife?

[George Tsoukalas]

I only have a grand dog. Jawge

[wcdurand]

Hi Dor, I am Willem from South Africa. Pharmacist and need hobbies to keep me sane. So I am building cane fly rods knives and recently started building bows. In six months build about twelve laminated bows and then decided that all wood trad bows is more interesting. Ive build oak, mulberry and of course got me some osage from the states and finished one osage recently. The forum is my source of information. Thank you to all. 51 years old, married, three daughters and lots of places to hunt over here. Regards

[Danzn Bar]

  Hi I am little Badger, I started making bows when I was one, my grampaw won't let me use the real draw knife so I am still working on the same bow and I am 3 now. I hope to post it soon.

Badger
"That's Priceless"  ...............That is about the cutest thing I've see in a long while.
DBar

[Crogacht]

  Hi I am little Badger, I started making bows when I was one, my grampaw won't let me use the real draw knife so I am still working on the same bow and I am 3 now. I hope to post it soon.

Looks like he's making better progress than I am! And he's got 23 years on me... Maybe by the time I get around to visiting your side of the world he can teach me how to make a proper bow