New Bowyer Needs Info

[wiskietango]

Greetings fellow bowyers!

I am an aspiring bowyer who as caught the bug to make a bow of my own. I dont know if it is some primal urge or something else that has awakened inside of me, but I want to use these god given mits to make bows!

I am a US Army service member stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas. I am still trying to look around the area for the right trees I can harvest for making selfbows. I eventually want to get good enough to make laminated bows though. I think I found a decent location for ash but not sure if it is the right kind. It has sawtooth type of leaves rather than the smooth edged ones.

For my questions:

1.What kind of saw can I get by using instead of a bandsaw? I dont have the funding to buy a good bandsaw and if I did get a band saw, what would be the lowest cutting height I would need on a bandsaw?

2. Where can I get a good template and measurements on how to taper the limbs from the riser to the nocks? Heck, any and all measurements I would need to make a proper bow that pulls 50#. I want to eventually have a template that I see some people use in the build alongs. I believe that will greatly help me in making a good bow.

3. Any good information or advice anyone wants to pass along? I believe I have all the proper tools to start producing selfbows(hatchet, utility tool, #49 rasp, rat tail file, square, and etc). I went to homedepot and bought the tools I think I will need. Please remember I am starting from scratch with no tools, no works space, or prior knowledge and a very limited funding wallet (mainly due to the wife LOL).

I hope to make some life long friends here and gain plenty of knowledge and expertise that I maybe one day be able to passdown this art to my son and his sons. Have a great day everyone, and remember shoot'em straight!

Regards

WiskieTango (Mike Waln)

[PEARL DRUMS]

I use a draw knife, ferriers rasp, Nicholson 49, and a scraper. Thats all you need after the log is made into staves. Saws are nice, but a properly used draw knife can have a bow roughed out in short order. Do yourself a HUGE favor and spend a few bucks on Paul Comstocks "book" the Bent Stick. Read it 5x and get after a piece of wood! Many questions just cant be answered in black and white. If your interest lyes in fiberglass bows you could use formulas, measurements and stack ups to a science. Wood bows really dont allow that, every chunk is different than the last.

And a HUGE thanks for your service to our FREE country man.

[levibear]

thankyou for your service to our country....  

[John Scifres]

12" bandsaw would be the minimum for me.  Find an old Craftsman in Craigslist.  No other saw would do anything for me on staves.

Forget about the template.  That's fine for boards and laminated bows but for staves, I find it best to measure each one.

Kansas is full of osage.  I'd start there.  Get Dean Torges' book "Hunting the Osage Bow".

As far as getting good enough to make laminated bows, they are really differnet skills.  Stave bows are more like sculpting.  Laminated bows are more like assembly.

I second the advice on "The Bent Stick" book if you are making whitewood bows.

You'll need a scraper.

Here's my website:   http://sticknstring.webs.com/

[macbow]

Mike have you checked on base to see if there is a wood working shop?

Way back in the seventies I had wood working shops available but didn't know it.
Ron

[wiskietango]

Ron,

There is a craft shop but I need to obtain more information on it. I have a log that I need to split into staves before I can put it back into my vehicle and take down there. I dont have a truck to haul it, I have a SUV that I had to lay all the seats down in haha.

John,

Trust me I looked high and low for some sweet osage. Just havent been able to find any in the areas on Fort Riley. I dare not go off base poking around someones property for osage. I like my head to stay attched to my body haha.

My first few bows will be self bows, but ultimately I want to be making lam bows.
Thanks for all of the responses guys. You all have a great day!

[scrub-buster]

You might knock on some farmers doors and ask about osage.  Just about everyone that doesn't make bows from it or use it for firewood hates it.  I agree with John on watching craigslist for a 12" bandsaw.  But, when I started out, I bought a used 9" bench top bandsaw for $30 on craigslist and made that work for my first 4 or 5 bows.  I made sure to have a sharp blade and went very, very slow.  And as soon as I could afford it, I went and bought a Craftsman 12".  The books mentioned above are great sources of information.  The Traditional Bowyers Bible series is very good too.  Best of luck and thanks for your service.