I have been thinking about trying to build my own take down recurve. Are the kits from bimgham a good way to go on this? I don't have a lot of woodworking experience or tools. Would my investment in the kit and tools needed cost me more than ordering a new bow from someone that already knows what they are doing? Thanks for any info
Binghams is how many folks get started. You can't go wrong there.
Would your investment be worth it? - If you are only going to build only one bow, it may not be worth it. However, if you build one, you won't be able to stop and it will be worth it. Building my own bows has made archery a year round hobby for me.
Thanks for your reply John. I started making knives a couple years ago so I understand the addiction factor involved. I may just have to save some money and take the plunge. Thanks again.
I have been doing self bows out of osage staves, one board bow and a couple of bamboo backed bows out of 1/4 sawn boards. I think I am ready to try a recurve and am thinking of trying the Bingham kit too. Thanks for the vote of confidence John.
WoodsyDave
Bingham is where I got my start. That was almost ten years ago. Very Addiciting! Since then I have expanded and started to design my own. It is a very rewarding venture. Good luck
I just finished my first build using a Bingham's kit. I really enjoyed it and it was easy to follow. ONE WARNING: It can become addicting. Already starting #2. The second build I am tweaking it and all I did was call them and told them what I was thinking and they helped me out as far as the limbs to reach my goal wieght. Biggest Tip I learned: Patience> Don't be in a rush. You cannot put what you sanded off back on.
Binghams is GOOD but if I were gonna do a Longbow I would get KennyM's plans.
I've also been thinking about making the leap to glass on wood longbows and I'm eyeballing the Binghams hybrid R/D longbow kit. I think I need to buy the whole ball of wax for my first one, then once I get that under my belt I'll know how to order the glass and lams for the next, and the next, and............well you know.
I'm alot like Woodsy Dave, I've got a bunch of selfbows under my belt, a handfull of bamboo backed osage bows but never made one with glass over it. I've been ready to take the next step for quite some time now but just can't seem to pull the trigger. At a little over $300 bucks it's kind of hard to take that leap of faith, but I know that I'll more than get my money's worth out of the form, hose, and other hardware plus the experience. Who knows, I may just take a few guys up on their offers to buy a bow from me when I feel confident with my work? I wish I had $100 bucks everytime somebody asked me to build them a bow.