Took a year of failures, finally made a working bow

Great job, and a good inspiration. I have been working on my first handmade bow.

a reply to: borracho

Thanks a lot. Keep at it, don't get discouraged. Don't be afraid of messing up.

Beautifully done on your bow .. another way you might try using to make one with is bamboo .. may take awhile as have to use layers to build it with but well worth the effort ..

My grandfather was a highly renowned archer, and happened to make (most) of his own bows, as well as his own arrows.

He would always use a layer system in his bows. Sometimes of entirely different woods/materials, and sometimes out of the same type but different grain directions/areas of the tree/etc.

He did have one bow that was his competition bow, and his favorite. I wish I could remember the specifics on it, but all I can remember is that it was a 60lb pull and that it was made of three different woods (one for the core, one for the blades, and one for finish iirc). Id love to show pics too, but some family members have a bad habit of selling things that are not theirs.

a reply to: Serdgiam

At some point I would really like to try and laminate two pieces together for the back and belly. The yew tree does it naturally, but I don't have the skillz to try a piece of yew.

I'm really in love with the simplicity and functionality of the medieval English Longbow. Until I get better, I'm going to try to make one of those. But it probably won't be laminated.

That's a pretty bow. You did a great job. I found a video on youtube on how to make a Flemish twist bow string if you ever need it again.

a reply to: ZeroReady

That is really awesome. Such a great skill to have, and it's sad it's been lost to most of us. How difficult do you think it would be to apply what you have learned out in the bush with limited tools? Do you think you could make a bow that way?

Somewhat related: You should maybe consider going into business with these. If you could hone your craft enough, I'm sure many people would be willing to pay you for a handmade bow. Might turn into something where you could make some cash doing something you enjoy!

a reply to: DeadSeraph

When I first got into it I was interested in the bushcraft side of bow making. This was my very first attempt at a bow, before I knew anything about them, using only the tools pictured and general bushcraftery.

This is the tree I cut after I removed bark at dried it. It had a good natural bend in it.


The only tools used





Very simple nocks


Dabbled in primitive arrow making for a bit. But arrows, in my opinion, are way harder than bows, you have to make a bunch of them, and they have to be perfect.

This is a shaft I straightened and an arrowhead I cut from a spoon and sharpened. Pic is not of finished arrow of course. I did manage to bind it with twine and pine resin mixed with charcoal.


With this bow I was able to put a few homemade arrows on target at about 20 feet. Pretty cool for first time, but looking back and seeing what I know how to make now made me realize what a journey this has been

Cool...

Supposedly if you have a heat gun, it's relatively easy and inexpensive to make a 30-50lb draw bow out of PVC pipes. (Look up "backyard bowyer" on YouTube.) Also if you don't have a heat gun, it's also possible to heat and re-shape the material with an aluminum foil funnel over a BBQ, but controlling the heat is a lot harder that way.

Yet it's pretty neat that you managed with more traditional materials. Not many can say they did that. It must have taken a lot of research. Also your bow is less likely to shatter or snap in cold weather vs. the one made with easy/cheap modern methods.

Now if only you can make your arrows from scratch with locally sourced materials.

a reply to: ZeroReady

Awesome job.....But I do think it will break if I was willing to guess about 2-6 inches from either side down.

a reply to: SubTruth

Thanks! I know now that the arrow rest and handle design were not the best choice for this type of bow. The two I was working on before this one both broke while tillering, one right where you described on the handle and the other in the middle of top limb where the grain was bad.

I really really wanted to carve that handle though, because I think it looks awesome. I tried and tried and couldn't get it right til this one. So I'm happy with it even if it wasn't a good design choice.

But I don't think this one will break. I've been shooting the hell out of it for the last few days and it's holding up well so far. I think the backing was a good idea and is probably the main reason it's holding together at the handle.

a reply to: pauljs75

I've seen the backyard bowyer stuff. I like the ingenuity involved with making a PVC bow, and I'm sure they perform well, but I really prefer wood just for the simple fact of the pleasure I get from working with it. And I absolutely cannot buy any more tools. My wife will kill me. I'm committed to wood at this point.

a reply to: ZeroReady

I would suggest sealing up nice and tight......moisture and the lack of it are your enemy.

a reply to: SubTruth

I've put 3 coats of Minwax sealant on it. I may do a few more, because why not right? But that stuff is pretty good so should stay nice and dry.

I made a bow a few years back that is really similar to what you made and I had an absoulute blast! Very time consuming and does require lots of patients. I definitely almost quit a few times since I was using all hand tools and I never thought id finish! took me a good 5-6 months.

I did used a blog I found online and it trouble shoots alot of the problems you may run into google "poor folk bows" and it will be the first link. Once I have a garage Im going to attemt a recurve but they look alot more time consuming and complex and looks like there are alot more areas where you can go wrong but they just look too beautiful when they are done not to give it a go

a reply to: Stuprimori

I think poorfolkbows.com... is where everyone ends up when they start making bows. It's an excellent resource and got me started.

Reddit also has a fantastic sub r/bowyer.

That is a beautiful bow! I love archery and shoot every chance I get. You wouldn't happen to be able to show us a video of you shooting it, would you? I would like to see it in action.

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originally posted by: jeramie
That is a beautiful bow! I love archery and shoot every chance I get. You wouldn't happen to be able to show us a video of you shooting it, would you? I would like to see it in action.

I'll try. Stand by

Great job.
I am trying my self.
so I know how hard it is.
when I get good, I will make a yew bow.

I paid for one
so I can learn to shoot.