to all the bowyers out there

[-snypershot317-]

First off I want to thank all the bowyers out there who put in the time to make beautiful working pieces of art, but also who take the time and energy to answer all of us who are either new to the art of bow building or who, like me, are very curious as to how things work and come about (even though i do not have the skills to make a bow); I want to thank you all personally for your time and commitment to all that you do. Thank you again.
 Secondly, I want ask if you all who make custom bows take woods/materials from customers to make a bow for them, and how that works if it is possible. I am a very curious mind and love learning new things and how things work. If one was to accept a customers 'supplies' (for lack of a better term), what all would be needed to make a bow? like i said i am a curious mind seeking new things..and again I thank you all for all that you do. Thank you and I do hope you all have a good day.

[LittleBen]

I'm not sure the question is clear. Can you rephrase?

[-snypershot317-]

haha yeah i was wondering if it was clear or not..lol. but if i was to supply the wood for the laminations and risers, could a bowyer take those and make a bow out of it and would it reduce the cost of making a bow?

[-snypershot317-]

im asking this because i have ease of access to wood, just not the skills for turning wood into something useable...3/4 of year in cabinet building along with several attempts of my own riser builds have taught me that wood working is not one of my skill sets       ...i can build a wall and rough in buildings but when it comes to building a bow and finer woodcrafting its not in my skill set to buld a bow or any fine art with wood...lol    

[bornofmud]

It depends on the type of bow and the bowyer really. The cost of materials for selfbows and board bows and the like are usually pretty inexpensive, so when you buy one of those bows, you're mostly paying for the labor.  

Glass bows on average cost a good amount more in materials.  If I were to sell one of my bows with no fancy wood (say black glass and walnut riser), I'd intend to sell it for $500.  If I were to make a bow with fancy woods and all that jazz, it'd go for $650.  If a customer was to supply their own materials (including glass and such), I'd make a bow from it for ~$400-450 depending on the options they wanted and what the materials were. Hope that's what you were asking!

[-snypershot317-]

yeah thats what i was asking. in particular i was thinking of a glass bow, ~60" with an i beam type riser (or other sturdy riser) with maybe a few accents otherwise a no frills bow.

[LittleBen]

Yeah, I mean on a no frills bow, the wood cost can be extremely low for a professional bowyer ... walnut and maple are cheap and enough to make a bow, if you're grinding your own lams might only cost $20 ... than maybe another $20 for the glass ...

Plus you have to figure it will cost you money to ship the wood to the bowyer. So really you probably wont save much money ... maybe $50, probably less.

I'd probably only bother if I was sitting on a massive stack of really fancy wood, and didn't wanna pay more than a standard bow ... Maybe some bowyer would let you send your own cocobolo without jacking up the price. Who knows.

[bornofmud]

Yeah, going to have to agree with Ben there.  It makes the most sense to send  a riser block or veneers, and only for the reason that you really like the grain on that specific riser or veneer set. Then the bowyer can take a little out of the cost, and you still pretty much end up breaking even with shipping, maybe save 20-40.  

Glass cost a good amount, about $40 per bow (unless they're big enough to order it in bulk). Riser blocks vary from $15-60 depending on the wood. Veneers also vary a good amount.  Bit of an imprecise science haha.

[heartlandbowyer]

If the wood is usable I think most bowyers would work with you and maybe be you'd get a small discount of some sort. I agree with Ben that's its gonna pretty close to a wash by the time you pay shipping etc. Maybe you could save a bit more if you traded more than the needed amount for your bow.

75% to 85% of what you are paying for is craftsmanship.

 Cory

[Walt Francis]

I run into this when making custom furniture and chests, usually it is about a wash.  The extra sawing,drawing, sanding, and handling eat up most if not all the savings.  Often with the extra work it can cost more.

[-snypershot317-]

Thank you for the input guys..its really helpful. I think ill just save for a little bit more and maybe go ahead and bite the bullet...the bullet being the price of most custom bows being enough to do a lot in other hunting gear or car fixes or whatever else it maybe..     :rolleyes:    ...or maybe ill just stick to my old bow and do some thing to it to make it a lil easier on the eyes...   :eek:

[-snypershot317-]

Thank you for the input guys..its really helpful. I think ill just save for a little bit more and maybe go ahead and bite the bullet...the bullet being the price of most custom bows being enough to do a lot in other hunting gear or car fixes or whatever else it maybe..     :rolleyes:    ...or maybe ill just stick to my old bow and do some thing to it to make it a lil easier on the eyes...   :eek:

[7 Lakes]

I had a customer that wanted to send me some wood to build his bow..

He grew up with a Oak tree right outside his window.  He was able to climb down this oak at night and go on "adventures".  

Later in life he went to visit his old home and found the oak was lightening stuck and on the ground.

After talking to the homeowner they gave him what he wanted of the tree.  Too him it was worth shipping me the Oak for both a riser and laminations.

[fujimo]

what bow do you have snyper- and what do you want to change on it??

[LittleBen]

Also wondering what Wayne asked.

You'll find lots of help here if you wanna try making one yourself.

I had essentially zero woodworking skills before I started making bows around 2010-2011.

You can pick it up pretty fast.