posted
I have been doing some thinking and I am working on breaking down the total costs of making a bow...
1.) On average how many bows do you all make with 2 Pints of smooth on EA-40?
2.) Has anyone ever estimated the cost of damage to tools (files, blades, ect.)
3.) Does anyone take into account the cost of electricity , light bulbs for the ovens, tape, alcohol or acetone, and all the other good stuff I am forgetting....
I know to get accurate costs for myself I need to keep better track of how long stuff lasts and how many bows I can make with each item and I plan on doing this in the future but for estimating my costs now, any help would be appreciated...
-------------------- "Havin' such a good time Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally Golly, what a day" Posts: 898 | From: Corrales, New Mexico | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
When you get your first glass bow made, it will cost you about 1,000.00 dollars, if you have to buy most of your tools, it will be more. I bought a sander, table saw, made my form, made my oven. purchased the glass, lams riser and all the other things that you need. I didn't figure my electricity,sand paper or finish. My second made it 500.00 and my fifth was about 275.00 without figuring the electricity , sand paper or finishing items. If you grind your own lams, you could save some money after you pay for your drum sander. It depends on want style bow you make on the smooth-on. A longbow will take more due to the extra lams. I really don't want to know how much I have in the 10 bows I've made. I would probably get sick . Don
Posts: 628 | From: Boones Mill Virginia | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
You bring up another good point Don. All the tools I had to buy just to start making bows along with everything that went into building my shop and building my forms... I consider all that a sunk cost but thankfully I do grind all my laminations so that cuts down on the cost.
I have a friend that wants to build a take down longbow long bow with some guidance... So I am trying to figure out how much to charge him so that I come out even and everyone is happy.
-------------------- "Havin' such a good time Oo-de-lally, Oo-de-lally Golly, what a day" Posts: 898 | From: Corrales, New Mexico | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
That's very nice of you to offer helping your friend build his first bow.
I think that a good rough estimate would be to just double the cost of the basic materials used in the bow (laminations, fiberglass, wood, ect.).
That should cover your basic unseen costs and still be fair for your friend.
If you're supplying all the tools, equipment, workshop, and guidance, I think that would be a pretty good deal for your friend.
It doesn't sound like you want to make any money on the deal, and even though it might seem like you would at that price, you really won't if you consider everything that it takes to build the bow.
Now if you were talking about selling them for profit, that figures up a little different.
After a few years of doing it professionally and running a legitimate tax paying bow business, I found out that once I figure in ALL of my business expenses and taxes, I get to keep about $1 for every $3 that I charge for a bow (on average).
There's just a lot more expenses than what you realize sometimes (and I consider myself to be pretty conservative with my spending). I never spend more than what's in my pocket.
Anyone can make a small fortune building bows. All you need to do is to start out with a large fortune. If you keep at it for very long, you'll end up with a small fortune pretty quick.
posted
I bought a table saw from Lowes for $189 on sale, bought a Rigid drum/belt off a guy for $150 (retail is $199), drill press for $120, all the bits,I already had, bought a drum sander set 1"-3" for $35.
Recurve cost breakdown:
Riser wood x 1 = $35 +/- $10 for average wood (not ebony) + shipping $12-25
Fiberglass x 2 72" pieces (black) = $25-30
2 sets of tapered lams (maple) = $30
couple accent pieces of glass or wood = approx $10-30 for a simple straight accent depending on what you use... use pieces of those leftovers for tip overlays.
take down bolt kit = $10-12
plywood for form glue for form metal brackets for form ... you can see how it adds up, so unless you are gonna make several for fun and just call it a hobby expense, buy a bow or two and save the trouble.
Dave
Posts: 265 | From: Spanish Fort, AL | Registered: Jan 2012
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posted
But that also doesnt count the rewarding feeling of making one successfully... not easily measured
Posts: 265 | From: Spanish Fort, AL | Registered: Jan 2012
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posted
My first bow probably cost me about 300 dollars. 130 for materials and initial glue costs, 50 for the hot box (mine is PoorFolkBows style), 20 for the form, and 100 for tools (belt sander (used) and angle head grinder). I can't really begin to speculate on the unseen costs, I'd rather just not think about it
-------------------- "It's repetition of affirmations that leads to belief, and once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." - Ali Posts: 73 | From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Apr 2012
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"1.) On average how many bows do you all make with 2 Pints of smooth on EA-40?"(None)
2.) "Has anyone ever estimated the cost of damage to tools (files, blades, ect.) " (Practically none. Maybe an occasional surform blade, sanding belt.)
3.) Does anyone take into account the cost of electricity , light bulbs for the ovens, tape, alcohol or acetone, and all the other good stuff I am forgetting.... (Not applicable. Most of the wood I use I cut myself. I've been gifted some osage. I don't spend much on staves.) Jawge
Posts: 4462 | From: NH | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
For laminated glass backed bows, I get 4 bows on 4 lam cored bows including risers, tips etc, with a little over for additional risers etc.Interested in costs myself as I haven't applied any 'breakdown ' to the process.'Bout double seems ok for a semi hobby sort of thing.
Posts: 473 | From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2011
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I don't usually count the cost of tools and machinery unless they were bought specifically for bow building. When you have the tools, you will find many uses for them besides bows. My tools and machines have done so much work that they have long since paid for themselves in money saved by me not hiring someone to do the work for me. I might add in the cost of blades that need re-sharpening or replacing, but I don't dull them that fast. For cutting something nasty like fiberglass, it's a good idea to keep an old blade handy. As for electricity, if you look at your power tools, you can figure out how much they use in a given amount of time. The actual length of time a tool runs is usually pretty short. Your heat box will use the most, but it won't add up to a lot. The big expense is in the consumeables, such as wood, glue, tape, etc. If you're building for your friend, you may not charge for your time, but if you're working for profit, these thing do factor in to some degree. Again, your time and materials used are the biggest expense. One other thing, the more bows ( and other things ) you build, the less the cost of your tools will matter. Just my 2 cents. Or maybe a bit more. Dave.
Posts: 804 | From: Canada | Registered: Jul 2011
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posted
Years back I built my first with a hacksaw and several rasps and files and a bunch of elbow grease. I chose to build because I thought $275 for a custom bow was insane. Man how times have changed LOL. I now have a bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer, thichkness sander, flap sander, pnuematic sleeve sander, edge sander. All of those machines were bought to build bows, but have been used for many other things as well. I guess is is kind like the Master Card commercial, when you turn the bow over to the new owner and they approve it is priceless. I could never put an accurate price on the enjoyment building bows has brought me over the last twenty five or so years.
Posts: 872 | From: Moriarty , New Mexico | Registered: Jul 2009
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posted
I use less and less Smooth-On each time. I read a post on here somewhere how much gets used on a Hoots and it was way less than I was using. Since then I've been using less and less without any issues.
I try not to add up the real cost of bow building.
Posts: 388 | From: CO | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Pretty sure I have a buck and a half for the string and rest in each bow I build, no other costs. My tools were free(sell a bow, buy a belt sander, sell two bows buy a big Griz bandsaw)my wood is free and I have plenty of free time.
Posts: 3434 | From: Florence Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Here's a breakdown from Kennym's website and binghams. This is a estimate with just a quick check if you had to buy everything a ready to go.
Clear glass 19 per pc need 2 = 38$ Aboo tapers 20 per pair need 3pr = 60$ Veneers 15-20 per pair need 2 = 30-40$ Riser block 2x4x24 bocote = 55$ 1.75x3.5x24 Actionwood = 36$ Limbolt kit from binghams 18$? Black micarta for tips ect.. 1/16x1.5x30 = 9$ estimate cost smooth-on 5$ finish 10$ string 17$ sandpaper 5$ misc shop cost 10$ Low estimated cost = 223 in materials High estimate cost = 262 in materials This does not inclued any shipping cost so add that. Also if you went with just black glass you save on veneers and glass about 40-50$ so low could be 173$-262$ plus shipping. hope this helps some Terry
-------------------- US ARMY 1984-1988 Posts: 1861 | From: Fowlerville,MI | Registered: Dec 2004
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