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

[4est trekker]

As eluded to in earlier posts, the bow built in this build-along is slightly overbuilt.  I think what I'll do in the next few days is narrow the bow at the handle (per Nick's suggestions      ) and also at the tips.  Both areas are left beefy for safety, but if some of ya'll want to drop the bow's mass a bit, increase the speed a few fps, reduce hand shock (if there's any, which might be the result of too light an arrow), and give the bow a few more curves, this'll give you some options.

Also, I've been asked to provide a template for the glue-on recurve and fade radiuses.  I'll do that.  If you just want so send me a pm and include your e-mail, I'll send you a PDF with both of them on it.  As a handy little trick, a 10" diameter (5" radius) circle cuts the radius at the fades beautifully.  In fact, I'll post some pictures this weekend of how to use a radial arm saw with a 10" blade to simultaneously cut the bow to thickness and cut the fades.  

Thanks again for following this thread.  Hope it's helpful.  I know I'm learning a lot    

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I think I'll go ahead with a little more length, probably 64" tip to tip and narrow the fades to 2" and take the tips a little narrower.
THanks for all the input 4est
Kris

[4est trekker]

Here's a slick way to take the limbs down to thickness and cut the fades at the same time providing you have a FLAT BOARD (i.e. one without any crown/bow to it).  I used it on a pair of kids' bows I built tonight for the children of the family that lets me hunt turkey on their land.  I have a great old radial arm saw (1960's Craftsman) that I recently refurbished that really gets the job done:

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I set up my bow blank as before.  Here's what this one looks like.  Note that I will be cutting the thickness (side profile) before I cut the width (front profile).  I did it just the opposite in the bow I built earlier in this thread.

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I turn the saw 90 degrees and set it up to rip.  The distance from the blade to the cutting table will be the same as the finished thickness of the limbs, plus 1/64".  I clamp on an auxiliary fence, check both the fence and the blade for square, and I'm ready to roll:

 

I start with the saw blade lined up with the outer 1/8" of the edge of the bow opposite the fence and make a pass until I get to the red line.  I pull the board out SLOWLY and CAREFULLY so I don't bind it.  Then I flip the board around and make the same pass on the other side.  Then I move the saw 1/8" closer to the fence and repeat the process.  

 

When you've reached the fence, your bow will look something like this:

 

And you will look something like this:

 

What's slick with this particular board is that I can rip it down the middle and get two 1.5" wide bows out of it, which will be just right for the little kiddos!

The beautiful part is that a 10" saw blade cuts a very graceful fade radius.  This setup also works fantastic if you use a stacked dado head, but your radius at the fade will be much shallower. And whatever you do, do NOT try this with your table saw!  It's a whole different shootin' match, and you'll lose!      

[4est trekker]

Here's the handle I did for the kids' bows above.  It's more of a bulbous handle that some people were inquiring about.  I don't particularly like the way it feels, but it looks great and works well for kids as it gives them something definite to grab to keep their hand in the right place.  My fancy layout jig is my trust old can of lacquer:

 

 

 

 

 

The heavier your bow, the wider and thicker you'll need to make the narrow parts of the handle.  Also, I can cut into the back of the bow only because it's a non-bending handle and it doesn't move there.  As long as I leave enough wood in the handle, it'll remain rigid, and therefore not be subject to tension, and thus won't break.  But you've got to make sure there's NO movement for about 1" tipward of where you start dipping into the back on each limb.  For safety, it's a good idea to just add a beefy (i.e. thick) handle overlay on the back of the bow and then cut into that.

  I haven't finished the bow yet, but you get the general idea, eh?

[dbscott]

Would you wrap this handle the same way you did the original one in the build along and would you do the same style of arrow rest?

[4est trekker]

Sometimes I wrap it, but usually I'll mold and stitch a leather grip around it.  You can use the rest I did, use a simple floppy rest, add a wooden shelf, etc.  The nice thing about this handle is that the bow is narrower where the arrow makes contact than in the build-along bow, making it more center shot.

[SSGN_Doc]

4est.  I'm brand new to the bow building, and the traditional archery world.  I've built one bow out of 1"x2" Red oak that came out pretty light because of my overzealous tillering.  

I really appreciate this build along.  I really like the turkey bow you have pictured and am interested in the rest of the dimensions on it.  

I've seen that it is 64" in length, and draws 45# at 26 inches. I didn't see the width at the fades, but assume it is 3" like the build along bow. I also didn't see the limb thickness written down either.

I would prefer a 28" draw length but it would be nice to know what your dimensions are and also know that it may be a bit heavier at my draw length.

Thanks again, for your helpful and illustrative build along.

[Greg Szalewski]

Great build along!! Might just have to give this a try....... after hunting season.

[SSGN_Doc]

I just reread your reply to Kris on this page and see that for my draw length a 66" overall (65 NTN) would be prefered for durability.

Thanks again.  It's a lot of info to absorb in one thread.

Mark

[SoNevada Archer]

Very Cool!!!

[Jesse Peltan]

One the bows, how come the bow doesn't flare and fade simultaneously? Why wouldn't you just start the fade out right after the top and bottom of the grip? It would give a smoother fadeout and you could even shorten it allowing the overall bow length to be shorter. I think the simultaneous flare/fade is better than flare in width and depth then a steeper depth fade. The simultaneous gets weaker in depth and stronger in width keeping a more even strength rather than overstressing the top and bottom of the handle. I don't know if you know what I mean. I'd post a picture but my computer doesn't like photobucket.

[Bill Sagues]

Bought my board at lowes Thursday (had to use a 1x6x10, but got the grain I was looking for). Layed out the bow yesterday - looking for 45# at 30" so I am going with a 72 inch bow.  Should have it cut out by the end of the weekend and glued up on Monday - Although Duck season started today (FLA) so maybe into next week before I have it ready to tiller.  Thanks again for the great build along.

[4est trekker]

Jesse:  Yeah, you can do the handle/fades that way.       I stated in an earlier post that I prefer the look of that.  I did it as such in this build-along to keep if simple, safe, and slightly overbuilt.  That way a beginning bowyer wouldn't take off too much wood and create bend in the handle, undue set at the fades, and/or fretting of the belly at the fades.  This design give the most stability to the bow's back and belly, as it allows the most amount of wood to share the work.  Yes, it may be a bit heavier in physical weight, but the weight is added to the middle (non-moving) part of the bow where it has little effect on overall performance.  

In regards to being able to make the bow shorter, that is true.  Again, I wanted to keep things safe for the first-time bowyer.  By having a longer bow, longer draw lengths and weights can be achieved within a much safer margin (i.e. more wood doing the work).  Secondly, it allows for easier and more forgiving tillering for the first-time bowyer.  Lastly, it gives a bow that is very sweet shooting, accurate, and forgiving.  One thing people often assume falsely about a pyramid bow is that because of it's size and often long length, it must be a poor, slow shooter with lots of hand shock.  The opposite is true.  They are solid, accurate, and quick shooters, especially in the 64-68" range.  Unless I'm looking for a short bow that fits in a blind, I prefer a long pyramid bow hands down.  (In fact, I hunt with a 64" ntn pyramid bow in my turkey blind.)

I'm not sure what you mean about overstressing the top and bottom of the handle.  There is no set taken here, yet the bow bends gracefully into the fades.  If the wood here was overstressed, fracture, fretting, and/or set would occur.  Maybe a few pictures of what you're saying would help clear things up for me.  

Thanks for the commentary, Jesse.       I enjoy learning and appreciate your comments.        I stated this earlier, but maybe I'll trim the bow down in the fade/handle region, as well as the tips and post some pictures.  Although not necessary, it can up the performance a wee bit and drop the physical weight a tad.

[Jesse Peltan]

Really? I'd think the smoother fade would be easier to make. You won't get bending in the fades anymore than you would the other way. What I mean by overstressing the top and bottom of the handle is that the riser is weakest at those points apposed to the design where the bow fades from those points in depth and flares in width. The simultaneous flare/fade keeps the bending strength relatively the same as at the top and bottom of the handle and then fades smoothly after you reach max width. I completely agree about pyramid bows. I make ALL my bows that style even my glass recurves.

[4est trekker]

Gotcha!  I think what you're saying is make a tapered limb from both the FRONT profile and the SIDE profile (i.e. the limb tapers in width at the same time it tapers in thickness).  Sorry I missed that simple concept before.  If that's the case, here's the reasoning for the way it's presented in the build-along:

If you take a uniform thickness board/limb and then cut it to a pyramidal shape, the tiller should (minus wood inconsistency) be automatic.  This is the most basic form (and one of the greatest qualities) of the true pyramid bow.  One can adjust tiller as wanted to attain a stiffer inner third of the bottom limb, stiff outer tips, whip tiller, etc.  This can be done by scraping the belly, thinning the width, and/or adjusting the angle of taper on the front profile.  Tim Baker's article in the TBB (I think it's the 3rd volume) explains this much better than I can.  For new bowyers, trying to gauge an even thickness AND width taper can be tricky and will often lead to a severely whip tillered bow, or a poorly tillered bow at best.  Hinges and fretting can develop quickly.  A perfectly uniform thickness is very easy to achieve and judge with the simplest of tools, especially when working with dimensional lumber, as the back is already flat and true.  I've found in teaching bow building seminars that this is a very fast, effective, and easy method for the first time bowyer.  Most folks complete their bow in a single day and have it stained, sealed and shooting arrows they've made by suppertime.            

I hope I'm thinking correctly about what you've described.  In fact, my favorite bow on my bow rack is a 1939 Ben Pearson hickory longbow that is exactly as you describe, although it is considerably narrower in width than a true pyramid bow.  It roughly tapers in width and thickness (although the width taper is not a straight line). Obviously, since wood is roughly 8x  stronger in thickness than in width, you could achieve the same draw weight with much less wood by adding a minimal amount of thickness while reducing a significant amount of width.  Yet, the pyramid bow, with it's thin and narrow outer limbs, is really a phenomenal design in that it doesn't really suffer (in fact excels) by having a little more width, a little less thickness, and a longer length.  Sure, it's not going to smoke an arrow 180 fps unless you've got an 80# bow at 28-30" or an unhealthy amount of reflex.   BUT, this design allows more wood to go into tension and compression, and that is why I favor this particular design for first-time bowyers.  it adds a large margin of safety and room for error in terms of wood selection (i.e. species, moisture content, grain orientation, early/late growth ration, etc.), tillering ability, overdrawing, etc.  

Enjoying the commentary.       Thanks again, Jesse!

[R.W.]

GREAT build-a-long!

Hopefully this one goes into the "How-to" section.

Excellent tutorial, 4est!

R.W.

[Jesse Peltan]

Not exactly what I was getting at. I like the way you did the limbs. I don't taper the belly. I was thinking of in the riser.  If you start at the grip and move toward the tips you get the the smallest part of the handle. The bow then flares in width. In order to keep strength the same as you move toward the limbs you need to fade in depth. Then you pass the flares and get to the limb. Here you have your fadeout.  The design I'm talking about gives you a smooth quick fadeout. I really wish I could post a picture, but my computer doesn't like photobucket.

[David Holt]

4est,

I have followed this EXCELLENT buildalong and have finaly ended up with an ""adult" weight bow!  This thing shoots like a champ.  My buddy is working n his and I'm already thinking about my next one.  Thanks for taking the time.  I can't seem to find any bowyers in southeast GA so this worked out GREAT!!

HMC(SS/SW) David Holt
Submarine Force Independent Duty Corpsman
Kings Bay GA
HOO-YAH

[tradtusker]

Wow very cool man! thanks for sharing

[lone hunter]

Don't know how I've over looked this forum all these years. Thanks so much 4est for giving me the confidence to attempt making my own board bow. I started reading your build along last night and couldn't tear away from it. Great photo's and explanation. I was in Home Depot this morning, pricing bandsaws. Hope this topic gets put away where it can be referenced. Iam on my own where I live so will depend on this to take me step by step. Just wondering about the life expectancy of this type of bow?
Thanks again and Good Hunting. Mike