What do I NEED??? rookie questions!

[Chris Shelton]

Hey guys,

I am thinking of jumping into the world of building bows. Nothing huge, just want to build myself a bow or two(or three:) ) And I was looking on Bingham Projects website at their suggested products for the first time bowyer. I was wondering if all of those components were necessary. For example a thermostat for the heat box?

I have basic understanding of the bow building process, just haven't had the money before to jump into this. My tools are basic, we have a cordless drill, a belt sander, a table saw, and I am going to get an oscillating spindle sander. I also have access to a band saw and possibly even a drill press.

Also my first quest is going to be strait for the big fish, I want to try and build a take down recurve. Is it silly of me to think I can build one on my first go??

Thanks

[rogers]

My first was a t/d recurve and it turned out fine. Just go slow and make sure everything is always square and even and you'll be fine.  I wouldn't go tryin to invent the wheel or anything on your first one, keep it simple and fuctional.

My first bow I only had a drill press/drum sander and a band saw.  Since then iv added a 1" belt sander which I cant do with out now and a jointer.  Thats all the power I need the rest is done with rasps and lots of sand paper.

I personally wouldnt use a heat box without the thermosat.  It keeps the box between 150 and 180 degrees for a proper cure.  To much heat is a bad thing.  Smooth-on will cure without a heat box but it takes 24 hours or so and iv heard that without a heat cure the epoxy is not as heat resistance but iv never done this to know for sure.

[Apex Predator]

I've never used a thermostat.  Experiment around with different wattage bulbs until you find what works for your set up.  During the cooler months use 4- 100w, and during the summer I step down to 4- 75W bulbs.  It takes mine around an hour to get up to max temp, which will stay around 140-160 deg.  I use a cheap light timer and set it for four hours.

[Dick in Seattle]

I use a thermostat now, but for quite a few bows I didn't.  I just stuck a meat thermometer through the side of the oven and watched it.   If it got too hot, I changed out light bulbs for lower wattage.  In no time, I knew what to expect from the bulbs.  I monitored it every hour and could turn it off for a bit, or open the lid for a couple of minutes.   Now I have fancy thermostats... and I still monitor it!  I trust myself a lot more than any "automatic" mechanism.  I recently did my first air hose/heat strip cook... with thermostat.  Only took 45 minutes, but I was there and knew what the temp was for every one of those minutes!  As my grandpa used to say, "Trust's a good thing, but always cut the cards."

[JamesV]

Lots of guys don't use a heatboX and build some very nice bows that hold up over time. I use a heatbox now with no thermostat, here is how I did mine. I have 6- 100 watt bulbs on a simple dimmer switch so I can adjust the heat and it don't vary over a few degrees either way. My range is 0-215 degrees. I have since installed a small exaust fan in my box to pull out the moisture I was getting in the box. With the fan running my heat range is 0-175 degrees. Hope this helps