kids bow

rmorris · January 17, 2011, 05:39:00 PM

Hello Everyone,
I have been making glass laminated long bows for a little over a year now but I want to make a kids bow. A few weeks ago my niece moved back to New Mexico from Japan. She is 6 years old and I want to make her a longbow. I have a few ideas but I need some help. Here is what I am thinking but I know you all know best. I would like to make 2 bows at a time using 2 in. wide glass and cutting the final glue up in half getting 2 bows about 3/4 to 7/8 in. wide. I would like to make the bows 45 in. from nock to nock with a slight reflex deflex . Now here is what I do not know, I think the bow should be between 10 and 20 lbs so I am going to aim for 15 lbs. With 2 in. glass my choices are .040 and .050 and I will be using maple veneers (.025 in) for my core. I can also cut bamboo for my core if it will take to many veneers. Does anyone have any experience with kids bows and know what thickness of glass I should use and what the total thickness of the needs to be to get around 15 lb. The riser will also be 10 in. from fadeout to fadeout. Thank you all for your help.

hova · January 17, 2011, 07:27:00 PM

youll get some help . someone just did 5 kids bows for christmas. there's lot of glass on here for kids.

-hov

jess stuart · January 17, 2011, 08:54:00 PM

I have built several kids bows just like you are considering. I did make mine a little longer at 52". I used two inch .040 glass and split it with a straight edge and utility knife. I use .280 total thickness with twelve inch riser and got 15# at 20". Yours would probably be just a little heavier as it is shorter. Here is a picture of the bow

rmorris · January 17, 2011, 09:39:00 PM

Jess,
That bow looks perfect. I did not think of splitting the glass to make a bow but I think I will try it your way. By the way what is the width of your riser?

jess stuart · January 17, 2011, 10:37:00 PM

It is just a chunk of 3/4" (4 quarters) zebrawood that was leftover from some other build. It is about one and three quarters from back to belly. I cut the sight window in about 3/8". I just build these on a old 62" longbow form I don't use much anymore, simply flush up on one side.

1oldbowguy · January 17, 2011, 10:53:00 PM

Sure looks good to me.

JamesV · January 18, 2011, 08:33:00 AM

Another idea for an inexpensive kid's bow.

I start with a 1/4" IPE slat 1" wide 48" long. Split 2" glass, will make 3 bows from one piece of glass. I pre-taper my slat but is not necessary, just helps with tillering. Glue in your reflex or make a straight profile bow, shape the bow and tiller to weight. Mine usually go 10-15lb# with a 10" riser.

James....................

jsweka · January 18, 2011, 06:01:00 PM

Another option you might consider is contacting Mike at Maddog Archery. I was going to build my 6 year old daughter a real laminated bow, but then got to thinking about the cost in materials and building a new form. I talked to Mike and he glued up a Maddog Pup longbow blank for me. My daughter and I did all the shaping and finishing. Cheaper than a a finished bow and gearing up to make a glass laminated kids bows, and my daugher and I still got to work together on it.

jess stuart · January 18, 2011, 10:20:00 PM

JamesV those are some cool kids bows. I might have to try one like that one of these days. I don't have a readily available source for Ipe. May have to try and find a good source. I like to keep a kids bow around in case a young man or lady should show interest.

Osagetree · January 19, 2011, 05:25:00 AM

I've never seen a kid not interested, better get on it!

Bow-n-Head · January 19, 2011, 09:59:00 AM

Jess; I did it w/osage hhb & ash. I named the ash "half-ash", cause that what it was but shoots well after 8 yrs.

JamesV · January 19, 2011, 09:41:00 PM

Jess............

I have built this same bow using hickory for the core. IPE is used in a lot of hi-end decks, Your local lumber dealer could tell you where to look. I pay $30 for a 1"X6"X10' IPE $6 BF

James.......................

JamesV · January 19, 2011, 09:43:00 PM

Jess.............

That kids bow in the pic is on PowPow as a giveaway now, sigh up if you need one and good luck

James.....................

hova · January 19, 2011, 10:09:00 PM

i can tell you from experience that james' bows are very gorgeous.

very generous person too...

-hov

jess stuart · January 19, 2011, 10:28:00 PM

No I don't need one but that is a wonderful thing you are doing. Maybe more of us should make a kids bow and give them away. I have given several away have never charged for a kids bow.

JamesV · January 19, 2011, 10:43:00 PM

That little bow had a twin brother, a lefty to be given away at the same time. I posted a thread sometime back asking if I could splice the glass. Well NO. Finished the bow and it looked fantastic, shot good, so I built a new string and left it strung on the couch while I watched Judge Judy. The splice in the glass gave away and it exploded. Never again LOL

James........................