Starting out?

[bighunter]

Im wanting to try and make my first self bow this summer and have decided on osage. Ive reasearched some and know osage can be hard for starters but Im going to try. For the guys that have done it a while what videos are the best and what tools are needed to start out? Thanks for any help.

[Dano]

I don't know of any video's out there. I'd get a few books first, "Hunting the Osage Bow" by Dean Torges, The Traditional Bowyers Bibles for sure volume 1 and 2 and 4 for sure. Then I'd look through the antique shops for a good old draw knife, I have a Wilkenson that has been good to me, a good scraper and rasp, some guys like ferrier rasps, some like nicholson 49's or 50's, and a chain saw file for the knocks.

[Leo L.]

Here take a look at these two videos.

 http://www.3riversarchery.com/Books+DVD\\'s+Bow+Building+Billets+to++DVD+By:+Glenn+St.+Charles_c42_s33_p287_i5067-1_product.html


 http://www.3riversarchery.com/Books+DVD\\'s+Bow+Building+Hunting+the+Bamboo+Backed+DVD++Dean+Torges_c42_s33_p287_i4433-1_product.html

[shamus]

Books.

You need to read some books first.

The "Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 1" and "The Bent Stick" will help you immensely. After you get some experience, go pick up a copy of "Hunting the Osage Bow".

More thoughts of mine here:   http://analogperiphery.blogspot.com/2007/02/selfbows-and-bowyery_23.html  

On bowyer's tools:  http://analogperiphery.blogspot.com/2007/06/bowyery-tools.html


hope that helps.

[bighunter]

Thanks for the advise. Im getting The Bent Stick and Hunting the Osage Bow. Then a dvd.

[Bjorn]

I would advise doing a couple of 'sacrificial staves' to learn and practice on after you have done some reading and assembled your tools. A real good Osage stave deserves to be exploited to the fullest.
Maybe do something a bit easier like Vine Maple-it makes an outstanding bow and you don't have to 'chase the ring' on your first attempt.
Board bows are great to learn on too.
Tools: drawknife, scraper, pocket knife, nicholson 49 and 50 are very nice to have, as is a chainsaw file.

[Pat B]

Being from Eastern NC you have access to red oak, white oak, hickory, maybe elm and ash and others. If you have never built a wood bow, Start with something cheap and learn the proper way to tiller and how to see proper tiller. Don't worry about weight or appearance. Learn to tiller first.
   After that is done then get out your osage stave and find the bow in it. It will be different consistancy from any of the other woods you might use first but tillering is tillering!
 Take your timer and ask lots of questions and post plenty of pics of your progress.

[dugaboy]

making a wood bow by mark keller is a good video 3 rivers sells it item no 7556 cheers

[shamus]

bighunter, "The Bent Stick" is a fantastic book. There is a lot of good info in that little book.

[Broken Arrows]

It is always a good thing to make a self bow out of
a stave from a wood that is not a good wood, when I first starting out I use some alder witch is good for fire wood not bows but it helped me learn the lay out of a bow cut it out and then tillering a wood that should be ash not a bow. The bow was long
wide and pulled 60# at 29"it took a lot of set and lasted a short time but I learned a great deal. It made first Osage bow come out a lot better.I was also able to take a deer with the Osage bow.

Dave