New bow maker

[Wanabbowyer]

Hey guys and gals i am new to bow making and so far i have broken 3 and am working on my 4th and 5th. Have no specific draw weight yet nor design i have just been practicing shaping tillering and anything else. I use only hand tools.  Big cleaver/machete type blade for chopping splitting and rough shape. Also have several knives files home made scrapers and sand papers. My 4th now is going to be a laminated all wood except the backing.  Backing will be poly or cloth or cotton.  My 5th bow is thinned and sealed ends strapped to a board fore reflex and straight Steve.  Its a very unique stave and will be realit difficult to make into a bow he's a picture of #5

[Flem]

What the heck do you have there! That is one gnarly looking chunk of kindling. Ever make a paddle?

[Wanabbowyer]

  its not kindling lol i mean i have no clue what kind of wood it is but it has straight grain and it is long enough for a bow

[Crooked Stic]

You may want to make a walking stik with that instead. 

[Forwardhandle]

Welcome good luck with that ,do you have any hickory or osage in your area it might be less aggravating then that stave 

[KenH]

If it were me, I'd be putting that somewhere nice for a year or so.  As a new builder, IMHO, you need to get a number of successful bows of conventional shape and design under your belt, and developing your conventional bowery skills, before tackling such a piece of "character wood". 

[Wanabbowyer]

Lol sorry guys for the late response. I absolutely hate the idea of a board bow idk why but i like hiking out and finding my own tree to cut. As far as access to wood i have a variety but im kind of clueless as to what they are. I know sweetgum is an easy one to id also pines and cedars. I don't care really if i fail with the twisted stave its still about the learning process and trying different things.

[KenH]

First step then is to get a good reference to Trees of Tennessee or some such book.  It will be 1000% easier to ID trees when they are leafed out.  I spent years as a forester and still have trouble IDing many species based on just bark and buds.

Once you harvest and split your logs then you've got to wait for them to season.  THAT's gonna be your hard part, it seems -- waiting six months or a year for things to dry to the point they are workable.   

That's why, hate it or not, we recommend starting with board bows.  You still have to learn about grain and run-out and how the various woods work.   The other thing you could do is buy a couple of seasoned staves to work on.

[Eric Krewson]

You might watch a few of the bow making videos on youtube before you attempt another bow, seeing as how you think that walking stick is a potential bow you have a lot to learn.

Trying to turn that piece of wood into a bow will be a total waste of your time. I make walking sticks from barber pole saplings and found they are full of bark inclusions and punky wood.

If you don't want to go with board bow route you will have to collect some actual bow stave wood and have a go at it. I do think a board bow would be your best option, you will have to learn how to pick a suitable board, very few are of bow quality.

Make yourself a tillering gizmo, google it and plenty of info will come up, it will tell you where to remove wood to get a perfect arc in your bending limbs. 

You wouldn't happen to be a young guy?

Here is a gizmo;

 

[Mad Max]

The Tennessee Classic is coming up May 1st in Nashville.
Lot's of bow building and shooting.
there will be several hundred osage staves there. I always get 2 or 3.
YOU will also learn how to make a selfbow there, lot's of people there to help all the way threw.
And you will have a GREAT time, don't miss it.

[Wanabbowyer]

I have watched both YouTube and build along videos, only on selfbow building though. I don't want to get a tillering gizmo until I get more wood through my hands, and what makes you think that "stick" won't make a bow.  I have had good experience with the woods i have collected and tried to create a bow with. One for sure was red oak and that one was fun and not too hard to scrape cut or file. At this point i literally am just developing my own feel and techniques for now making. I do appreciate the advice you all have haven me.  I am 29