As the topic stated, has anyone ever made a bow and got it in one? I want to make a board or self bow but I have minimal tools. I am currently trying to save up for the essential tools. I just want to know how hard is it to get it right.
Really pretty easy if you live close to someone who can show you how. Steep learning curve on tillering if you have'nt watched someone do it.
i am just beginning , and i only have the tools that people from this great place have donated to the cause. a couple rasps and files , and a pocketknife are all i really have.
i broke a red oak board trying to tiller it , made the mistake of buying wood from lowes without really knowing what to look for.
my best advice is read on here , and find a local sawmill or large lumber yard that has a good selection of hardwood. good wood so far makes all the difference...
other than that , as long as you follow a build along , and post as you go on here , theres no reason your first bow couldnt be a masterpiece...
-hov
My first couple of board bows and stave bows came out OK, then I broke half a dozen in a row. Now I break a few on occasion.
mark
I broke 3 bows before being successful w/ #4 --- for tools I started w/ a saw, a Nicholson 4-way rasp, a Stanley trimming plane, a round chainsaw file and a pocket knife.
1st one made it,hickory and overbuilt.looks a little crude though.
I made a shooter on my 7th first try...
Posted that before I got finished. One thing, however, that I think would have helped a lot is if I'd known about the 'gizmo' that Eric Krewson (or somebody) came up with. It's basically a straightedge with a built in pencil (you can do a search) to help you see where you're bending... and where you're not. I really think this would have helped me out...
Make one of these and don't get too aggressive with your wood removal, your first bow should be a success.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001047
My first came out a shooter (overbuilt none the less) thanks to the "gizmo". I only used info from this site and came out with a couple of winners.
yeah im workin on getting one together this week. im not so worried about a tillering tree , but the gizmo seems like its an indispensable tool.
that and a cabinet scraper...
-hov
cool! thanks guys, I am just wondering about floor tiller? why would you floor tiller if you are going to tiller it on a tree/pully anyways?
My first attempt at a laminated longbow turned out shootable. After making several more, I look back at that bow and think "Man, that thing is a club."
My first attempt at an all wood bow was a BBO blank from Dryad. It turned out nice - not nearly in the same league as those finished by Mike and Jason, but good for my first wood bow attempt. So after that I thought I knew what I was doing and I tried a hickory backed ipe. Well after three attempts, I ended up with only one light weight bow. So I went back to making laminated ones. In my opinion a laminated glass bow is much easier to build than one from all natural materials.
floor tiller as i understand it , is to get the taper and profile to where its all starting to bend. on my first board try , shaping the taper of the sides didnt really allow it to bend , so i had to remove a buttload from the belly till it started to bend a little. after that i tossed a string on it , and just tried to even the removal out. the whole thing split up the middle due to crappy plainsawn wood from lowes. after googling quartersawn , and riftsawn , i saw what it is that i was looking for.
start with good wood is my main reccomendation.
My first was a laminated take down, shoots great, took a pig with it the first year!
An easy, inexpensive way to get hickory is to buy a wheelbarrow handle at your local hardware store --- just sort through the stack to find one w/ straight grain and strip the finish off.
I can't believe you get a friggin wheelbarrow handle to bend even close to resembling a bow...
I demand proof!
-hov
Man, I can't second Eric's advice enough. The tillering gizmo is a true gem of the bowyer's tool kit. That little thing will bring about a finely tillered bow better than just about anything else I know! Thanks, Eric, for sharing.
My first two were a pine flat bow 75 inches long, and 2 1/2 wide, (no gizmo) hinge broke it. Used hackberry(after harvesting the tree) and a knot got me. Switched to fiberglass laminations and got a pig killer the first time.....no looking back now....
Oh yeah, after Erics Gizmo, made my first 48" red oak d bow for the grandkids, 22# at 18"
Mike
My first was a shooter thanks to 4est's buildalnong I still go back and learn something from it now and than. Than I broke a red oak and hickory whick was a stupid mistake it shot well was the sad part... Now I have 4 ready to go and am working on a black locust sapling. Want to make one of those tillering gizmos too. Just curious could I use the gizmo on my sapling?
My first board bow is still shooting. It only pulls 25 pounds but it actually thumps em pretty good. Learned a butt load, and made a second one that pulls 55#. Every single bow you will learn more than just one thing I assure you. But the only way you will really learn it, is to do it.
I broke my first but it was a stave from hickory. I have not tried since because of work. But once I get settled here. I plan on having my wife mail me some stuff and try try again.
I made five before I broke one. I'm still about every fifth or sixth one will fail. Only two have really blown
I was not successful on the first try. I paid my dues in full. Beginners these days do not realize how good they have it. There is so much more info available. There were no bow building sites when I started in'89 (the last century. LOL) . Where I could go to ask a question. I did have Bob Holzhauser, the best osage selfbowyer, I have known to ask a few questions and he was a good help. :) Jawge
I built bows for many years before I broke one but 75% of the bows I did build were badly bent!!! When I did finally break one(ERC English style longbow) it blew in a spectular fashion.
Like George I started building wood bows many years ago, even before George!
I have only made one glass bow, a Bingham Project longbow. It blew before I ever put a string on it. Now, that's hard to do!!! d;^)
My 1st bow was a success for........for about 50 shots. It was a birch stave bow. It was the coolest. I was real proud of myself. I made my wife come watch the first arrow. I missed the target with the 1st old arrow i had handy which had a broadhead on it and burried into the shed that was on the proerty of the place we stayed. It was real cool. It lasted about 50 shots then fretted severely and broke.
My first four or five made great kids bows, LOL
Just read all you can here and start workin some wood everyfailed attempt will teach you something new.
the first one I thought was gonna be a shooter popped when I got it to full draw, My wife was standing and I started laughing. She said she could not belive I didn't come loose. I just smiled and told her something I learned here.
"If you ain't breakin' You ain't makin'"
Stiks
Yes my first worked out great..second and third .."not So" ... I learned to take your time and "NEVER" put more pull when checking bend/tiller than your final bow weight GO SLOW !!!
My first bow was a shooter, but I had an expert bowyer lead me through it.
My first was a shooter. 67" 60# @ 28" made of an osage stave. I can't say enough about the the fine people at O-jam and Mojam. If you are attempting your first bow I sugest one of these events. lots of graet experinced people and a good source for staves.
I failed the only one I have tried to make but I rushed things. Not many boards to choose for around here and still waiting on my staves to cure. It will not be long until I can start again.
My first was a bamboo and glass string follow longbow, 85 pounds at 26". The most accurate, quiet, and shock free longbow I have ever shot. It was faster than my 89 pound pre Craig Big Five and slower than my 64 pound Schulz hunter. Every laminated bow that I have done were better than average shooters and very steady. I have a pignut that I keep reworking, it must be good wood because everytime I work on it, it gets better.
I have had three failures, osage all three, always wanted an spliced osage longbow and a yew longbow from a spliced stave. I shot a 90 year old yew one day that was still being hunted with, magical. For me to succeed with these I think I would need a perfect stave, pre spliced by someone that knows their stuff.
Yes my first bow was a Hickory flat bow 66" 42# I built about 18 yr's ago. I still pull it out once in a while and shoot it. It has more string follow than I like but it didn't blow up.
I still break'em. Sooner or later the piper will be paid. He will not be denied. I see more and more newcomers taking tillering short cuts. like not even using a t stick to tiller for as bad as they are ( a rope and pulley is better) they are better than nothing. :) Jawge
I did! It was a 66 inch white elm flatbow at #55 and 26inch draw
My first and only so far(want to start again)turned out to be a great shooter. Hickory now backed with rawhide, I made a shelf and worked the grip to my liking and she shoots just fine. 66" 54@28 I would do a few things different next time. I want to make lam. bows now
First bow I tried was a Pacific Yew longbow turned out it was more American longbow than English longbow but that wasnt a big concern. The final draw weight was a little low, I was trying for 50+ pounds but after I shot it in I had a 38# bow. It threw an arrow exceptionally well and after I was satisfied that it really was a bow I started hunting with it and killed a nice Iowa 7 point that year.
just finished my first bow earlier this month. it shoots good, tiller appears to be pretty good. had a great teacher. stayed patient, didnt continue when i felt unsure. loving this bow. 68"(66" ntn) shoots 45# @ 28". just picked up a piece of yew. being a native oregonian, feeling the desire to make a bow historic to these parts. heres a few pix of the process.
bow making (http://s878.photobucket.com/albums/ab346/sadiejane9/bowmaking/)
Hova, and others get a pair of scissors from the dollar general and take them apart. They work great and easy to sharpen or just get another pair.
Of course it was a shooter!
Osage stave with rawhide backing. 61" NTN with about 20" of handle and fade. Stacked badly at 22" draw but I forced it back to 28" countless times. Sprayed arrows like a lawn sprinkler and I could not have been prouder.
It now hangs in a friend's man-cave.
Quit worrying about "success". Other people should not define the outcome of a personal effort.
Make one. Shoot it or break it. make another, shoot/break. repeat.
LEARN from every effort.
Like Teddy Roosevelt said - "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
My first was a red oak board bow and it shot good just not very fast. Theres a chapter called building your first bow in the back of Traditional bowyers bible vol4. It will walk you right through it. Patience is the key.
My first was made from "vine maple", a local wood here; almost impossible to break! It springs back up after driving over it and scraping it with a bull dozer. Took lots of set, but wouldn't break. That was about forty years ago - once in awhile I'll still make one out of it.......
I am finishing up a hazelnut bow that so far is still in one piece. It is drawing to 26" and I am working on getting it to 28"....got my fingers crossed.
My first was in 2005. A 32" Osage selfbow from a stave. It was for my 5 year old son. It survived him for 3 years and now has survived my youngest son, who is now 5, for 2 years. I consider that a success.
I didnt have any knowledge of this site then, a friend of mine told me to follow the grain, and no violations to the growth ring on the back.
Didn't try another till this year.
My first attempt at an adult bow was kinda successful. It still shoots to this day. But only 30# @ 28". It is now my oldest sons.
My second was not successful. Red oak board bow, osage riser handle. Backed with camo cloth. 75 - 100 shots in, just had to take one more shot, and BAM! @ full draw. Was going to hunt with it two days later. Oh, well. Lesson learned.
Have 2 more board bows started.
Trial and error not always fun at time of error, but the trip yields great knowledge. And the guys on here are a great source of knowledge and support. I can't say enough about this site!
I built a Bingham Longbow in '90, in the summer. It was my first of 2 fiberglass bows I've ever built. That fall I killed a deer with it. Still my longest shot at a deer with any bow, 32yds.
I've been building bows ever since.
My first selfbow was from hickory. I was making it for myself, but, it weighed in at about 20 lbs. It still shoots, but it's a tad bit overbuilt.
I have attempted over 75 builds (board/laminated/self)and have yet to be able to make a bow that didnt break..I realized I just suck..if I had a good teacher, Im sure I would have a shooter...one of my goals that I hope to conquer one day
My first and only is an oak board bow. I hadn't shot trad for many years and wanted to start light with something easy to shoot.
It turned out pretty well at 66" NTN, 35# @ 28". I built it using the info I found here with much of it from 4est's build-a-long.
I hope to do a couple more this winter and make a heavier poundage hunting bow. I'm a displaced wood worker with no shop at my current location. I did much of the work in my family room with some power tool usage in the old barn.
Yep
I did by used a BL fence post off a farner I hunted on and sinewed it. Don't reckmend going this way for a first bow. At the time did'nt know any better. Just knew indians used sinew.
Back in the mid 80's no one in my area ever did or knew anyone that made a bow. Only had a boy scout pamplet was'nt any internet or books that I knew about. I only got laughs from my hunting friends. Then I gave my recure away and started useing it. But I got laughs 6 years before when I throgh away my compound and picked it up.
But they soon stoped laughing. 9 Bucks in 6 years. Killed a 3 point the first year with a dogwood arrow and a 2 blade ZWICKY head. With my 62"59# bow.The laughing stopped. Now 4 of those friends shoot recurves. Couple tryed but there still to scared to take another step backwards and stay there. Just won't give up the speed and distance.
My very first bow worked well and is STILL in one piece :)
Sadly I wanted a 50# bow and ended with a 20# bow *lol*
Same here. First bow was a success. It flung arrows, but ended up 15 lbs less than what I wanted. I was still as happy as I could be. Now, I look at it and it looks like a 5 year old built it.
My 1st is a redoak boardbow. It has so much handshock that it rattles my fillings so I dont shoot it. Maybe that is why it has survived. I have broken several and had several that turned out good/. Just build them, some will make it some will not.
1st broke, 2nd was a shooter a BL sapling 57#@27". 3&4 both broke, 3 was a black cherry board bow, and 4 was a mulberry stave bow, as Pat B mentioned about his experience with the ERC bow, when it blew it was quite exciting and left me with a knot on the head. My success rate from there is slightly above 50%. Just remember one word "Patience".
Dan