Kids bows

[jbbear]

Good morning all. I have 3 children,2boys ages 6 and 8 and my daughter is9.I would love to make bows for them, something kinda simple so we can all work on them together. I have just got into tradional archery within the last year and look forward to enjoying it with my family.Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and shoot straight.

[JamesV]

There have been a number of threads on kids bows, if you do a search you will find a lot of information. Some of the guys are making bows from PVC pipe, easy and looks like a fun project. Also bows made from 1/4 oak slats from Lowes. Good Luck

James......................................

[Loren Holland]

jbbear,
i have done a few of the 1/4 inch oak slats for kids, and up to the opposite spectrum like a boo back hickory with cedar riser and horn tips.

for plain simple, i would get some straight grained slats. some contrasting colored wood slats to build up a little riser (neat colors that the kids will like).use TB3. back with brown paper.

don't worry about relflex or shaping anything other than a nice arc tiller, keep it simple

1 3/4 to 2 inch at fade, straight taper down to 3/8. i would make the shortest riser you can, to maximize the working limbs of such little bows. i did 1.5 inch fades and a 3 or 4 inch hand space, depending on the kid sized hand.

size the slat with glue, get two layers of brown paper on, let the kids decorate, and seal. i use deft, its cheap, easy to find at HD and easy to use for hte kids.

i super glued on some tip overlays, and did double knocks, so it would be easy for the kid to string himself

[SEMO_HUNTER]

JB- I just made a couple of low poundage Osage longbows for my 2 nephews Tucker (8) and Garrett (6) for Christmas this year. They were 20lb. and 13lb. approximately. It's actually a little more tedious for me to do than an adult bow because the limbs get so thin when trying to get the weight down. I think they turned out really nice and Tucker the oldest is a heck of a shot already at only 8yrs. young. I believe I have successfully lit a fire in that boy!        
 

[greyhawk39]

I made a bunch of PVC bows for the 4H kids.
The shorter ones are 3/8"x36"@10lbs for the 2&3yr olds.I put a 6" piece of dowel inside the pipe to make it rigid in the handle area.To keep in place I used liquid foam in the can.

The longer ones 1/2"x48"@20lbs for the 5 to 10 yr olds.Same as above I used a 9"piece of dowel same procedure as above.
The string was a chain saw pull cord.
The handle is foam insulation tubes with camo duct tape to hold in place.
This idea was in a issue of Traditional bow hunter,I am not sure on the issue.
They are a nice shooter and cheap to build.

 

[Xavier]

Great thread! Now to get busy with the kids... Sounds like a cool project. I already have gotten my daughter 8 and son 5 out shooting... But sometimes I have to bribe them. Now this will be a great incentive if they help make their own bows.

[park]

WOW!!! SEMO HUNTER that is the coolest.Those two look like they got what they wanted for xmas.

[jbbear]

Thanks everyone for the replys.I like the simple idea of the slat bow, sounds like we could do that hand in hand.I would love to do something for them and with them alittle nicer, I will check previous posts for more info.
                   Thanks again and shoot straight

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Just remember that whatever you build, it's all about getting kids flinging arras and having fun. You can get as fancy as you want, or keep it simple as you want. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece because they are going to outgrow it anyway in a few years. If you want a nice bow that they can pass along to a younger sibling, or a cousin, ect. then stick with wood.

If you need multiple bows for a group, then you can keep it simple and low cost like Greyhawk did. That's a neat idea and I'm sure the kids had a blast shooting those neat little pvc bows. That's the main scope, just get em out and having fun flinging arras. Who knows you just may light a fire that will burn for a lifetime.
Wouldn't that be cool.  

[jbbear]

I've got a spark in all three.I took my daughter on a special youth deer hunt in November(crossbow, sorry) and although see didnt harvest a deer we had a blast.We shoot quite often in the back yard and they love shooting at balloons.I converted to a recurve this hunting season and I love the simpicity.I think when they see how much I enjoy it they will follow suit,who knows maybe my wife will join us!
                  Shoot straight

[greyhawk39]

The bows were cheap to build,and were great for the low income families.The cost was about $80.00 to build 12 bows.Cheap amusement for a life time of fun. I hope they keep at it.

Master crafters and 3 rivers archery have premade recurve kits in the 36"to48".Reasonably price using the rubber band method.
I have built both,they are nail drivers.I bought the 1/4 dowels from 3 rivers 100 dowels,tips and knocks for under $35.00 Canadian.When you buy the tips get the slide on brass bullet type,that just slide on.The other type the black ones are hard to get the taper just right,have to use a pencil sharpner...I built these bows for my nieces and nephews...

 
 
 
 
 

[Roy from Pa]

Good stuff guys, I love seeing kids shooting bows.

[greyhawk39]

The bows were cheap to build,and were great for the low income families.The cost was about $80.00 to build 12 bows.Cheap amusement for a life time of fun. I hope they keep at it.

Master crafters and 3 rivers archery have premade recurve kits in the 36"to48".Reasonably price using the rubber band method.
I have built both,they are nail drivers.I bought the 1/4 dowels from 3 rivers 100 dowels,tips and knocks for under $35.00 Canadian.When you buy the tips get the slide on brass bullet type,that just slide on.The other type the black ones are hard to get the taper just right,have to use a pencil sharpner...I built these bows for my nieces and nephews...

 
 
 
 
 

[JamesV]

Grey Hawk...............

Those are some beautiful little bows. I know the kids love them. And the big kids bows ain't that shabby. Great work.............

James.......................

[1oldbowguy]

Great looking bows, thanks for sharing with us.

[greyhawk39]

Thanks for the complements.They were surprised when they opened them up for their Christmas and birthdays presents.Didn't think uncle had it in him to make presents like this...lol.

[camoman]

I made one for my 2 year old a couple days ago. I will try to get a pic up tomorrow after work. I just made a riser out of some scrap red oak, sanded it to shape with the drum sander. I made some limbs out of some 1/4 x 2" pieces and tapered them. Then I drilled holes in the end and put some thin rope thru it for a string. Its like a miniature takedown longbow. Looks pretty cool and should last for awhile.

[Loren Holland]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=004180

This one might be a bit more work than you are looking for.  I backed it with boo, but it is basically a hickory slat with a glued on cedar riser.  The dimensions are virtually the same as what i listed for you earlier.

try the paper backing...it is easy, strong, and will give you and the kids a chance to color/decorate, and personalize. after you finish those, if they still show interest, then try one with a wood backing so you can glue in some reflex.