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My First Bow (Read 3273 times)
slinger87
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My First Bow
Oct 28th, 2007 at 3:21pm
 
[img width=645 height=400]http://i24.tinypic.com/enl75.jpg[/img]

This is the first bow i've ever made, i wonder if you guys think its good. Its nothing fancy its just something cool i guess.

Thanks,
Theo
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« Last Edit: Oct 28th, 2007 at 8:36pm by CanDo »  

when in dought, sling a rock a his head, if you miss, well, good luck!
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Curious Aardvark
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #1 - Oct 29th, 2007 at 10:25am
 
got any arrows ? And if so how well does the bow shoot them ?
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Bikewer
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #2 - Oct 29th, 2007 at 11:31am
 
Well....Be interesting to see how (or if) it shoots.   Sometimes such very primitive designs can work fairly well.    One of the guys who wrote The Primitive Bowyer's Bible just cut off a sapling, trimmed the branches, and applied a string.  It actually drew at about 30 pounds, and he said with a little refinement you could have a small-game killing weapon.

This one looks as if it'll blow, however.   The "tiller" is such that all the bending is taking place near the center, and that's no good.  You might get a few shots off with it.
If you're interested in primitive archery at all, pick up the above-mentioned books (3-volumes at present), most good libraries have 'em.   Everything you could possibly want to know about primitive bows, arrows, strings, flint points, etc, etc.

The Primitive Archer website has a ton of information as well:

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php
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slinger87
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #3 - Oct 29th, 2007 at 4:27pm
 
it did work but then it snaped Cry but then i made another one out of maple and it works alot better Grin
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when in dought, sling a rock a his head, if you miss, well, good luck!
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #4 - Oct 29th, 2007 at 5:38pm
 
You have to tiller it so the force spreads over the whole bow evenly.
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slinger87
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #5 - Oct 29th, 2007 at 6:44pm
 
how do you tiller it?
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when in dought, sling a rock a his head, if you miss, well, good luck!
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Dravonk
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #6 - Oct 30th, 2007 at 7:17am
 
I've never done it and it is described on many websites and in books, but I'll try to give a short description.

You put the bow on stick so you can pull the string down. During tillering the string alone would not bend the bow, so you always have control on how far you bend the bow. You start bending the bow slowly and watch where it bends more and where it is stiffer. Weaken the stiffer parts by removing material from the belly. Repeat this until the bow bends equally at all parts up to the draw length were you want to draw it to.

You will find better descriptions than that though.
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Bikewer
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #7 - Oct 30th, 2007 at 10:54pm
 
The Primitive Archer site I mentioned will give you links to many build-a-longs and tutorials.    Here's a site devoted to building a bow from a sapling, essentially straight from the forest:

http://www.primitiveways.com/sapling_bow.html

Note that unless you're very experienced, a fresh, green piece of wood is not going to work.  It has to be debarked and dried properly first.  Drying has to be done slowly so that the wood won't check or split.  Usually, with a fresh stave, we seal the ends with rubber cement or something similar. 
Drying can be done in open air (like a shed) or speeded up a bit with some equipment.

"Tillering" is the process of making a good working bow.  It involves carefully and progressively removing wood (being mindful at all times of the grain, knots, and so forth) so that the wood bends smoothly, evenly, and progressively.   

If you're serious about making a good bow, do some research.   
My first one failed after a few weeks.  The second and third are still going strong.
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #8 - Nov 3rd, 2007 at 4:23pm
 
Ah i remember when I used to make bows X_X all of them failed because I tillered it wrong..cept one...I left that one in the shed and it got eaten by termites...but if you are going to make bows get a Draw knife and Traditional bowers bible =] it helps alot.
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Bikewer
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Re: My First Bow
Reply #9 - Nov 4th, 2007 at 10:41am
 
Draw knives are handy for certain chores, notably taking Osage staves down to a single growth ring.    However, not really necessary.  Not having one, I made do with an old machete.  Worked quite well!

For simple wood removal and shaping, I've found nothing better than the Stanley sure-form rasp.  These come in a couple of styles, and have replaceable blades.  They remove a lot of wood in a hurry, and are great for rough shaping.
Then, a standard Nicholson 4-sided rasp.
Scrapers are the best for final finishing, they remove wood in a very controlled manner, and leave an almost-finished surface.   Again, no great investment, mine are made from sections of banding steel which can also furnish primitive "trade" arrowheads.

The most useful device I've found so far is one of those carpenter's adjustable clamps, the kind with the sliding arm for rough adjustment, then a twist-handle to tighten up.
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