Breaking down the cost of a bow...

[rmorris]

I have been doing some thinking and I am working on breaking down the total costs of making a bow...

1.) On average how many bows do you all make with 2 Pints of smooth on EA-40?

2.) Has anyone ever estimated the cost of damage to tools (files, blades, ect.)

3.) Does anyone take into account the cost of electricity , light bulbs for the ovens, tape, alcohol or acetone, and all the other good stuff I am forgetting....

I know to get accurate costs for myself I need to keep better track of how long stuff lasts and how many bows I can make with each item and I plan on doing this in the future but for estimating my costs now, any help would be appreciated...

[Don Armstrong]

When you get your first glass bow made, it will cost you about 1,000.00 dollars, if you have to buy most of your tools, it will be more. I bought a sander, table saw, made my form, made my oven. purchased the glass, lams riser and all the other things that you need. I didn't figure my electricity,sand paper or finish. My second made it 500.00 and my fifth was about 275.00 without figuring the electricity , sand paper or finishing items. If you grind your own lams, you could save some money after you pay for your drum sander. It depends on want style bow you make on the smooth-on. A longbow will take more due to the extra lams. I really don't want to know how much I have in the 10 bows I've made. I would probably get sick  :D  . Don

[rmorris]

You bring up another good point Don. All the tools I had to buy just to start making bows along with everything that went into building my shop and building my forms... I consider all that a sunk cost but thankfully I do grind all my laminations so that cuts down on the cost.

I have a friend that wants to build a take down longbow long bow with some guidance... So I am trying to figure out how much to charge him so that I come out even and everyone is happy.

[Brandon Stahl]

[arrowlauncherdj]

I bought a table saw from Lowes for $189 on sale, bought a Rigid drum/belt off a guy for $150 (retail is $199), drill press for $120, all the bits,I already had, bought a drum sander set 1"-3" for $35.

Recurve cost breakdown:

Riser wood x 1 = $35 +/- $10 for average wood (not ebony) + shipping $12-25

Fiberglass x 2 72" pieces (black) = $25-30

2 sets of tapered lams (maple) = $30

couple accent pieces of glass or wood = approx $10-30 for a simple straight accent depending on what you use... use pieces of those leftovers for tip overlays.

take down bolt kit = $10-12

plywood for form
glue for form
metal brackets for form
... you can see how it adds up, so unless you are gonna make several for fun and just call it a hobby expense, buy a bow or two and save the trouble.

Dave

[arrowlauncherdj]

But that also doesnt count the rewarding feeling of making one successfully... not easily measured

[Tron]

My first bow probably cost me about 300 dollars.  130 for materials and initial glue costs, 50 for the hot box (mine is PoorFolkBows style),  20 for the form, and 100 for tools (belt sander (used) and angle head grinder).  I can't really begin to speculate on the unseen costs, I'd rather just not think about it  

[George Tsoukalas]

Guess you asking about FG bows.

"1.) On average how many bows do you all make with 2 Pints of smooth on EA-40?"(None)

2.) "Has anyone ever estimated the cost of damage to tools (files, blades, ect.) " (Practically none. Maybe an occasional surform blade, sanding belt.)

3.) Does anyone take into account the cost of electricity , light bulbs for the ovens, tape, alcohol or acetone, and all the other good stuff I am forgetting.... (Not applicable.
Most of the wood I use I cut myself. I've been gifted some osage. I don't spend much on staves.)
Jawge

[bigbob2]

For laminated glass backed bows, I get 4 bows on 4 lam cored bows including risers, tips etc, with a little over for additional risers etc.Interested in costs myself as I haven't applied any 'breakdown ' to the process.'Bout double seems ok for a semi hobby sort of thing.

[wood carver 2]

I don't usually count the cost of tools and machinery unless they were bought specifically for bow building. When you have the tools, you will find many uses for them besides bows. My tools and machines have done so much work that they have long since paid for themselves in money saved by me not hiring someone to do the work for me. I might add in the cost of blades that need re-sharpening or replacing, but I don't dull them that fast. For cutting something nasty like fiberglass, it's a good idea to keep an old blade handy. As for electricity, if you look at your power tools, you can figure out how much they use in a given amount of time. The actual length of time a tool runs is usually pretty short. Your heat box will use the most, but it won't add up to a lot.
The big expense is in the consumeables, such as wood, glue, tape, etc.
If you're building for your friend, you may not charge for your time, but if you're working for profit, these thing do factor in to some degree.
Again, your time and materials used are the biggest expense.
One other thing, the more bows ( and other things ) you build, the less the cost of your tools will matter.
Just my 2 cents. Or maybe a bit more.   :D  
Dave.

[jess stuart]

Years back I built my first with a hacksaw and several rasps and files and a bunch of elbow grease.  I chose to build because I thought $275 for a custom bow was insane.  Man how times have changed LOL.  
I now have a bandsaw, tablesaw, jointer, thichkness sander, flap sander, pnuematic sleeve sander, edge sander.  All of those machines were bought to build bows, but have been used for many other things as well.
I guess is is kind like the Master Card commercial, when you turn the bow over to the new owner and they approve it is priceless.  I could never put an accurate price on the enjoyment building bows has brought me over the last twenty five or so years.

[Glunt]

I use less and less Smooth-On each time.  I read a post on here somewhere how much gets used on a Hoots and it was way less than I was using.  Since then I've been using less and less without any issues.

I try not to add up the real cost of bow building.

[Eric Krewson]

Pretty sure I have a buck and a half for the string and rest in each bow I build, no other costs. My tools were free(sell a bow, buy a belt sander, sell two bows buy a big Griz bandsaw)my wood is free and I have plenty of free time.

[T Folts]

Here's a breakdown from Kennym's website and binghams. This is a estimate with just a quick check if you had to buy everything a ready to go.

Clear glass    19 per pc need 2 = 38$
Aboo tapers 20 per pair need 3pr = 60$
Veneers  15-20 per pair need 2   = 30-40$
Riser block 2x4x24 bocote  = 55$
            1.75x3.5x24 Actionwood = 36$
Limbolt kit from binghams 18$?
Black micarta for tips ect.. 1/16x1.5x30 = 9$
estimate cost smooth-on     5$
              finish   10$
              string    17$
              sandpaper  5$
          misc shop cost 10$
Low  estimated cost  =  223 in materials
High estimate cost   =  262 in materials
This does not inclued any shipping cost so add that. Also if you went with just black glass you save on veneers and glass about 40-50$
so low could be 173$-262$ plus shipping.
hope this helps some
Terry

[T Folts]

opps you also need limb wedges they are 11$

[Sixby]

Depernds on the bows you build and the quality and expense of the materials./ You have to pro rate the cost of machinery , electrictiy over the year ect. I agree with Brandon though. It is roughly twice the cost of hard materials. That is not counting time buying the materials. Gas ect/ Most bowyers forget the expense of shipping. Even when you charge for the shipping you still have to run it to the post office. buy the boxing. foam wrap ect. It all adds up. On my bows hard cost is close to 500. per bow on a takedown./ I have done as close to true costs as possible and when I got done it shocked me. At this cost I am counting sand paper , glue used. all materials., pro rating wear on machinery and replacement costs. ect.
I then take the bows I have built over the year. Add the sales up and deduct actual costs. I was so shocked I almost quit building bows. Seriously. This is a labor of love. I am in complete agreement with everything Brandon said.

God bless you all, Steve

[jsweka]

After I started building bows, I soon realized why the professionals charge what they charge.  When I hear a guy at a 3D shoot complaining about the cost of custom bows, I tell them to try building one for themself and they'll soon realize why they cost what they do.

As Sixby said, it is a labor of love.

[T Folts]

Yes I agree with the above, my estimate is just raws, nothing else that needs to be considered.

[Troy Breeding]

Most of my equipment I picked up used ( not the hobby stuff). I've had to replace a few pieces over the years and that hurt the wallet each time.

Like jsweka said, when I hear someone complain about the price of most custom bows today I tell them to buy their own equipment and start building.

I've even had people ask me what it cost to build a bow. I tell them the cost of material isn't that bad if they use black glass and local woods.

However, if they use exotics and clear glass the price is going to much higher.

Now, add in the cost of even used equipment and the cost of their first ten bows will be still higher than what they can buy ten bows for from a reasonable bowyers.

Troy

[stiknstringer]

I would think that money saved on buying meat would help justify the money/effort put into bow building, imho.