http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyV8tZGJtE

parents showed me this
its pretty neat

only problems are we don't know where to get a bowstring or cheap arrows

Probably wouldn't last very long. But it's works good.

Very interesting video. Thanks

any ideas as to where to get a bowstring and cheap arrows??

Buy a roll of B50 bowstring and some 11/32 field points and cheap pine shafts from an archery supplier. You can make easy fletches with duct tape. A hacksaw blade snapped into three parts and taped up side by side is a perfect nock saw. There are loads of videos about making bowstrings from B50.

I wouldnt bother with pvc pipe, get books one and two of the Traditional Bowyers Bible and that will tell you how to make a simple design of longbow out of red oak board from any home improvement store. It also covers arrows and bowstrings.  I have made two kick ass bows from those books.

Where can i get a roll of this B50 and where do i get the books

Arthur the great wrote on Dec 18^th, 2011 at 7:50pm:

Where can i get a roll of this B50 and where do i get the books

Humhum


David Morningstar wrote on Dec 18^th, 2011 at 4:22pm:

Buy a roll of B50 bowstring from an archery supplier.

So you may want to ask the local archery club if there is any near you :)
and the books, you may want to try the local small book seller with the title (traditional bowyer's bible), the author (Jimm Hamm, anyone to correct me ?)  and the ISBN (1585740853, to make it easier).  
Or if you are in the middle of the ocean, you can try amaizon, it's easy to find with a goolge search.
and the cheap pine sharft, you may find it at the same place you found your saw :)

WalMart has the cheap arrows at $7.00 per.  Those were carbons, they aren't cheap but they are almost impossible to break.  You can get the sight there, too, and maybe the string.

I agree with DM, though, get Vol. 1 and 2 of the Bowers Bible, you will be able to make a wooden bow, string  and arrows.  And all you will need will be some simple hand tools.  Google 3 Rivers Archery, they will have everything you need.

One last thing, that bow has a lot of handshock, and it will be a dog for cast.  The limbs are not tapered so they will not be as efficent as a bow with tapered limbs.  On the other hand, you could probably drive over it in a truck and not hurt it.

thanks guys ill look into it

for some reason i did'nt see archery supplier when i made my last post i hate allergies

I have made a bow out of pvc pipe and it works surprisingly very well
I tapered the limbs by heating the pvc with a heat gun and pressing it between two bit of timber hinged together
here is a link to a video of a guy making a pvc bow properly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiT7CMVhU6g&list=FLxHpqdPHEt6Xz3_0nW6CHQA&index=5&feature=plpp_video

jsb64 wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2011 at 2:35am:

I have made a bow out of pvc pipe and it works surprisingly very well I tapered the limbs by heating the pvc with a heat gun and pressing it between two bit of timber hinged together here is a link to a video of a guy making a pvc bow properly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiT7CMVhU6g&list=FLxHpqdPHEt6Xz3_0nW6CHQA&index=5&feature=plpp_video

That's actually really cool. Maybe if he used eletrical pvc he might actually get a reasonable draw weight. I'd still go with what Bill said start asking questions on Paleoplanet or Primitve archer and you'll get plenty of answerts on how to start out. Or you can just ask here and get a few good answers.  ;)

If you don't have access to wood try a board bow it first few bows might break but that's just part of the learning process. If you have woods near you but don't know what wood to use or want to know where to start, I'd say first read the TBB 1 and TBB 2 and you'll be much better off.

jsb64 wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2011 at 2:35am:

I have made a bow out of pvc pipe and it works surprisingly very well I tapered the limbs by heating the pvc with a heat gun and pressing it between two bit of timber hinged together here is a link to a video of a guy making a pvc bow properly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiT7CMVhU6g&list=FLxHpqdPHEt6Xz3_0nW6CHQA&index=5&feature=plpp_video

The limbs may have been tapered for flex resistance but were not for weight. All that extra mass at the tips requires more energy to accelerate, which doesn't go into the arrow's velocity.

But it does go into your hand when the string stops the limbs forward movement.  Lighter tips equal less hand shock because more of the stored energy goes into the arrow, which usually means a faster arrow, also.  Faster arrows mean a flatter trajectory, deeper penetration and longer range.  

Bill Skinner wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2011 at 6:34pm:

Faster arrows mean a flatter trajectory, deeper penetration and longer range.

True, but I say try and get more speed for the weight, which is in the design of the bow. more weight in the same speed means even deeper penetration, however, if you can pass through the animal you intend to hunt, you don't need the extra penetration. there's a point where it becomes wasted energy.

The wasted energy from that bow is just gonna go into your your hand and it's not gonna go into your arrow. 40lbds or less can't afford to have any wasted energy in order to take down almost any animal, except maybe fish, but a short fish bow is pretty easy to make out of wood. There are better bows you can make tha might take a little more time but it is incredibly worth it, the feeling you get when your first arrow flys out of your wooden bow and slams your target. It's like.... well it's just cool. Trust me bro try Primitive archery and you won't regret it.

I'm thinking Crow Hat says that heavier arrows soak up some of that energy, which is true. But part of the story is hitting the target, which a flatter trajectory helps with. Those heavier arrows make the trajectory even more arced. For game shooting you can't count on precisely measured ranges.