Roughing out with handtools

[Blaflair2]

What's everyone's method. Wish u had a bandsaw :0( is there an easier way than just rasping away forever?!?

[Pappy]

I use to use a ax, to really rough it in, then draw knife to get closer, then farriers rasp to get real close then files and scrapers from there to finished. took a little longer than a band saw but I never figured it to be a race anyway. 
 Pappy

[Slackbunny]

I used to spend a lot of time with the drawknife reducing large staves down to near net shape. But lately I've been forcing myself to get more aggressive when splitting staves out so that I have as little material to remove as possible. This sometimes means I screw up and waste some wood, but it also means that sometimes I get more staves out of the same log than I would have if I'd have been more conservative. Its a give and take.

Anyway, Once I've split it down as far as I dare, I take to it with a drawknife and hatchet depending on the stave and my disposition at the time.

I've never liked the rasps I have, but I'll admit they are cheap and probably not made for heavy wood removal. If I invested in a better rasp, that might change my strategy. 

[Pat B]

Except for the ax I do as Pappy does. Most of the grunt work was with the draw knife then a farriers rasp, then a #49 rasp then a scraper. I was soooo happy when I got my band saw. 

[Badger]

    If you are working with osage a draw knife will get a raw stave where you want it fairly quickly. You need to get a method going with it.
    The method I use is to first just clean up all 4 sides of the stave. I chase a ring on the back and then I can see how the grain is running. I draw out my bow leaving extra room and take the sides down to match it. When I go to the belly of the bow I have found it faster if I roughly get it down to one ring and then take the wood off 1 ring at a time.

    Using an axe fatigues my hands too quick, a draw knife doesn't seem to tire me out. It does take practice and the only way you can get practice is to put in the time it takes to become good with the draw knife. It only takes a minute or two to remove a belly ring. If you have 15 rings to remove it might take an hour or so. I would recommend you put the time in and learn the tool.

[Blaflair2]

I guess I mean the handle and fades more specifically, my Ferreira rasp has saw better days. Hammer and chisel?

[Blaflair2]

I have no problem roughing out the limb profile. Every time the handle drives me nuts.

[Pat B]

I have a big, old half round rasp that I use around the fades. Half round works better in curved areas that a flat rasp.
You can use a hammer and chisel but be careful. Get it just close and work the rest with a rasp.

[bubbles]

In the past i have made little kerfs maybe 3/4 of an inch apart with a hand saw, and then hacked with my cold steel bushman, it worked pretty good, and the kerfs keep any splits from running too far. The lighter weight of the knife is easier to keep from running too far into a fade area

[bubby]

Around the handle/fade areas i use my Bellotta farriers rasp and an old half round Nicholson that i have, i can have that section ruffed out in 5-10 minutes

[Wooden Spring]

I start by ripping laminations on the table saw, glue on a backing strip held on by spring clamps, rough it out with a bandsaw, true it up with a belt sander, and tiller it with a random orbital sander.

I onle use a hand tool if I can plug it in, and I LOVE it that way!

[Blaflair2]

I enjoy scraping on a bow, but since my bandsaw took a crap it's pretty much a pain lol

[Johnny K]

No hand tool, but I think the tool I used most ("Used" because I've only ever really made one or two bows...) is a variable speed belt sander clamped upside-down to a table. When set on low speed, it makes for fairly accurate wood removal, and it's remarkable how quickly you can shape a handle with a fresh 36 grit belt... with 50-80 grit it makes a great tillering tool as long as you hold the bow square...

[bradsmith2010]

i use the "Pappy" method,,, not that much slower than a band saw,, and easier for me not to make a mistake,, cause I have more time to evaluate the stave shape,,

[alwayslookin]

Machete all the way sometimes a hatchet I get more control with the machete though