A couple weeks ago I spent seven days at an event near Taft, CA (west of Bakersfield). Chance for boredom was high so I took some red oak boards, my bow bench, and the tool bags to see if I could convince anyone to try making their first wood bow while they visited the event.
I got one taker, a young woman named Lexi who was there with her family. Although Lexi had never used hand tools before she dove right in with a will.
While I did help a little bit when time got short I can honestly say that Lexi did the balance of the work herself. She did final tillering on the last full day of the event and I made a string for her new bow the following morning right before I left to come home. I think next year I'll have to bring a board for her brother.
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A couple folks were interested in making a bow but couldn't get the time for it due to other activities at the event. Amanda arranged to meet me a week afterwards at a monthly gathering of bowyers and old skill enthusiasts at a Pasadena, CA archery range.
Amanda wasn't familiar with hand tools either but she didn't let that stop her and she went at the board with a will.
The bow didn't quite get done that day. We got to the point of evening out the tiller on a long string before we ran out of time. Amanda and I will be meeting at another event this coming Sunday to finish out the bow. I'll make another string and she'll be all set.
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I'm really proud of both of these women. They listened well, learned fast, and did great work.
Add two more to the list in the clan of bow makers!
Guy
Good to see the girls interested! Looked like great fun and thanks for sharing. Too cool!
Did you introduce them to the TG Bowyer Bench?
Joseph, I found the plans for the bench in a past issue of The Bowyer's Journal. It was perfect for me since it uses dimensional lumber and it breaks down easily so I can pack it in the truck with my other gear. I've generated a lot of interest with it by working on bows at various events I attend.
Guy
Yes, the bench you made is nice! But, I was talking about this web site....
Ah, gotcha. I wasn't thinking in that direction.
Well, Lexi is so new that everything here would just be way over her head. If Amanda keeps at it I'll let her know about resources like this that are available and see what happens.
Guy
Awesome! I am currently working with a couple people "guiding" them in the bow making process and one is also a young woman. She is in my archery club (new there this past summer) and showed an interest in building bows so I jumped right in to help. She has just finished her first board bow backed with Linen and although on the light side it came out pretty good. She has some staves drying at the moment too. I hope others will try to mentor women into this as I see it as a great hobby for all! Kudos!
the first young lady looks like she is in a group called the SCA, is that true? Also I would like to know where I can find thoes plans. That Bench looks like something I would like. Thanks.
Ryan
Just gotta say it.
That bench is awesome!
Who would have guessed your bowyer's bench would become a "chick magnet".
Good eyes, Ryan. It was the SCA event Great Western War XIV.
Guy
well that is awesome.
This is so cool. Love to see young women getting into traditional archery. I'm glad my girlfriend has taken a liking to it. We don't do any bowyering, but I would love to give it a shot sometime. So would she.
It's always cool to find other women building bows. This kind of thread catches my eye cause there are so few of us it's nice to see more of "my kind" involved with my obsession.
I didn't see this thread in Oct. My obsession changes a bit to whitetail hunting and I gravitate more toward the Pow-wow forum for a while.
I'm starting to think more about bow building now especially since I have a bow to finish before Christmas.
Thanks for everyone's comments.
I'll give an update since this has rolled back to the top.
Amanda finished her bow at another event a week or so later and shot it for the first time. It's no rocket ship but it works and she's very happy with it.
I met Amanda this past Saturday at Pasadena again so she could get going on bow #2. She's more familiar with the tools and the procedure now so even though we had less time she got more done. We're meeting again on the 18th and I'm pretty sure she'll have it done that day. She doesn't know it yet but when this bow is finished I'll teach her how to make Flemish strings, too.
After watching Amanda make her bow another woman is getting ready to take the plunge to making her own.
This is gettin' fun!
Guy