The "So You Wanna Build a Bow?" Build-Along

[bigwood]

4est,fish, W-Tex,
Thanks for the info.

4est: First of all I've got to say - You make some beautiful bows!!
Are "tie on nocks" the pieces of wood you taped to the ends on page 2?

I haven't worked on the bow itself for a couple of weeks.  Instead I've made a tillering tree & pully system (which I hope will be stout enough), and a bow string.  So many preliminaries, exacerbated by the fact that I'm always "one more trip to the hardware store" from having everything I need to finish the job.

Anyway, I've managed to make a crude flemish string & hope to start the tillering process over the weekend.

[Pete W]

What a great build along! Thank you.
 I wish I had this earlier on, but it will definately be a saved reference now.I am going board shoping today and with luck I can turn out  some good bows from this .
 Thanks
 Pete

[4nthony]

not sure if this helps but i found some youtube videos of this guy building an osage bow from scratch. if your not quite sure on how to rasp correctly or safely his techniques are great. i figured a video would compliment the written instructions pretty well. the second video shows him using a scraper. the 3rd video really helps for tillering.

Osage Bow From Scratch Part 9, More Limb Reduction:
 

Osage Bow From Scratch Part 10, Finishing the Handle:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDksBdzy2jA&feature=related

Osage Bow From Scratch Part 12, Long String Tillering:
 

hope that helps anyone, like me, that is sorta new to these tools.

Anthony

[4nthony]

ok i'm not finished yet. It's tillered to 35 lbs. and backed with contractor's paper and diamond back rattlesnake skin. i still have to sand down the edges of the snake skin, descale it, and apply a finish. I also think i might heat temper the belly to see if i can get rid of the 2 inches of set. we'll see  

 

 

 

Anthony

[4est trekker]

Nice job, Anthony.  Glad to see it worked out for you.  However, I would NOT induce heat to reduce the set for three reasons:  1) you'll separate the glue joints, including those holding the backing and snakeskins on, 2) 2" of set is nothing to scoff at for your first bow, and 3) you can't really reverse set (that's the simple way of putting it).  Once it's there, the wood has been compressed and can't be recovered to its previous state.  

String it up, shoot it, and get started on your next one!    

[4nthony]

yeah i was sorta thinking it wouldn't work. i was gonna try it anyway. i'll just save it and heat treat the next 2 that i'm in the process of making.

oh and because i can't brace it yet. heres a braced pic before the backing  

 

[SSGN_Doc]

Tried my hand at a lighter bow with an arrow shelf.

This one is 64" nock to nock and draws 41 lbs at 28"

 

 

 

Still have to serve the string, and wrap the handle, and put some mole skin on the arrow shelf.

I thought I was really messing up when I roughed out that grip, but it shaped up nicely in the end.

[NEProf]

Wow, 4est. You have created quite a following! Nice to see.

[bigwood]

Those are some really nice looking bows!

I'm probably the last guy following this build along who's still working on his first bow, but I'm slowly making progess, and I hope someone can answer the following questins:

On tillering - I'd like to end up between 45 & 50 lbs.  Right now I'm at about 45lbs at 16" - do I just keep removing wood and increasing the draw an inch at a time until I'm at my final draw lenght?

What are the consequences of uneven tillering?

On the flemish string - what's the formula that takes me from my unstrung nock-to-nock length to the correct setting on my flemish string jig?

Thanks,
Wood

[4nthony]

Originally posted by bigwood:


On tillering - I'd like to end up between 45 & 50 lbs.  Right now I'm at about 45lbs at 16" - do I just keep removing wood and increasing the draw an inch at a time until I'm at my final draw lenght?

Pretty much that is the gist of it. What i'm getting in the habit of doing is marking the thinner spots on the belly with an X in pencil so u know not to remove wood there. and i sorta make swirls on the spots that i can remove wood. then i rasp/file/sand the swirled area until the pencil mark is gone. this pretty much ensures you don't take to much wood off of any one place as long as you are careful. if it's tillered correctly and u just need to thin it up. u can use the same method to remove fairly even layers of wood. hope that helps. and hopefully someone with a bit more experience can confirm that.

Good Luck,
Anthony

[bigwood]

Hey Anthony - thanks for the reply.

I'm only spending a couple of hours per week, but would really like to finish up this weekend.

I still need to glue on the overlay nocks, but, other than that, its just a matter of tillering it down to my draw lenght.

I've really been inspired by the pictues of the completed bows - including yours!

Thanks to all who contribue to this site.

[Fantom_42]

Finally after years of dreaming on making my own bow I started the process thanks to the inspiration from 4est Trekker's build along of the pyramid type bow.
Right now I'm at the building phase in which I put the soon to be bow in the tilering stick and immediately found a problem....one of the staves doesn't bend even...it twist sideways and looks like a low pitch propeller.
I'm wandering what to do to correct the problem and would appreciate suggestions.  Thanks.

[WestTexan]

Fantom you might check that limb and see is it's a little thinner on one side....if it is that side will bend more and twist that limb.

[4est trekker]

l've been super busy and unable to respond properly, but I"ll get to the questions ya'll posed soon.  Hate to leave you hanging when you've gotten this far!  Glad to see bows are getting built!

[Fantom_42]

Two days later.......Went back to Lowe's, got another piece of wood and started again.  This time, it bent correctly.  Went back to the previous bow attempt, and checked the wood carefully, both in the would-be bow, as well as in the sawed of piece.  There I discovered a spot of soft wood.  No wonder!  To bad that the fireplace season is over down here in Florida.

[bigwood]

My Bow!!!
I like this pic because of the shadow.  

 

[bigwood]

Another picture...

The bow is at about 45lbs @ 22 inches.  I wanted to post a couple of pics in case something happens during the final tillering.  

I'd like to end up at about 46lbs.

[pditto613]

Bigwood i would stop at 48 or 49 to allow for final sanding and shooting the bow in.  I am also working on one  and that is the stage where I am at.  Did shoot it a bit tonight and I was really impressed.  A lot of fun to make and to shoot.

[bigwood]

Hey pditto- I'm still working on mine.  I keep removing wood but nothing seems to change.  I decided to try it out anyway, and just not pull it back all the way.  Even with no arrow rest and the arrows way too loose on the string it was fun to shoot.  Very quiet and smooth, I couldn't believe how smooth it felt.  Only problem was so much of my attention was focused on the bow that there wasn't much left to focus on the target.

Wood

[J. Holden]

I've started mine!  I've gotten it glued up and roughed out.  Now I need to go buy a rasp and 4 n 1 file.  Will try and post pictures when done.  Haven't figured that one out yet.

-Jeremy