So, seriously want to get into bow making. What's first?

[Echatham]

"better" is in the eye... err... hand of the archer.  

[takefive]

A straight unbacked board bow is simpler and quicker to make than a stave bow.  You have a straight, flat, and knot free piece of wood to begin with.  You'll probably want to glue a handle to it, but that's pretty simple, too.  Just a few C clamps and Titebond 3 glue.  On the other hand, if a stave appeals to you more, by all means go for it.  If you have questions along the way, someone here will be glad to answer 'em.

[Twangy]

Originally posted by LittleBen:
pencil
straight edge
Draw knife
Rasp
half round file
round file <1/4"
scraper
sandpaper
beer

Will red wine work as a replacement for the last tool. Type 2 here and beer is not friendly towards my blood sugar!         I do have a promising Pinot Noir in the fridge that needs to get drunk. might make a night of it and that bowyer book!

[KenH]

Yep -  red wine will work just fine.  I'm a "dry white" man myself.

As TakeFive sez, a board bow is simpler to execute and readily give you good results.  Stave bows take more of an "eye" and different skills.

[George Tsoukalas]

I love to read.

My first book was Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer".
What a great book and the first of many.

These days I like westerns and spy novels. Just for the pure enjoyment.

Then there are my archery books.

A well written book like Torges' "Hunting the Osage Bow" or Comstock's brilliantly simple "The Bent Stick" will help you get started.

I don't think the internet can replace books but what do I know.

Enjoy bow building. I don't think I could have built hundreds of wooden bows without consulting my books particularly since I started before Al Gore invented the internet and human caused global warming.        

Just in case ...

    http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html    

I do urge you to  start with Comstock's book.

My books are my greatest tools.

Jawge

[Bowjunkie]

I concur with Jawge... I love my books and injesting the knowledge within. I generally prefer them to the internet. I'm a chain-reader and currently have 10 or more lined up to read. I just can't seem to quit buying them.

Dean's book, HOB, is my favorite regarding selfbows and I've read it numerous times.

No more beer for me since I found out I'm allergic to gluten. It's rum nowadays. I like a good dry wine too.

[KellyG]

Twangy you can go very simple or high tec.

There is only 3 thing you really need once you have a stave.
A draw knife a rasp or wood file and a scraper is all your really need.

[Echatham]

Or some sharp rocks

[Robyn Hode]

I just started building bows myself about a year ago. I use a Nicholson rasp, a farrier's rasp, a small round nock file, jig saw, clamps, and sand paper. I think a vice to hold the bow is also very helpful but not needed.

I have only made board bows so far and agree with John it is very important to select a proper board.

As for books, Comstock's "The Bent Stick" is excellent.

[KellyG]

robyn is right a vice, bow vice or shave horse. is very useful.

[Twangy]

OK, I caved...I bought Comstock's book for $20 on Amazon. At this point I plan on purchasing and reading all four Bowyer's Bible books as well before I start actually building. I'll need more wine...

I do have a question though, Does Cypress make a good bow wood? Living in FL it can be pretty easy to find in the wild.

[LittleBen]

volume one of TBB is more than enough for your first bow.

Get vol. 1, build bow, get vol 2-4, build more bows.

[Echatham]

Originally posted by LittleBen:
volume one of TBB is more than enough for your first bow.

Get vol. 1, build bow, get vol 2-4, build more bows.

yup.  i been wanting to get the bent stick too, but tbb vol 1 teaches you all the basics you need to design and build a good bow.

[takefive]

X 3 on TBB vol. 1.  Vol. 4 has so much info on the different bow woods and ideal moisture content plus the mass principle and heat treating, that you might want to skip over 2 and 3 for now.  IMHO get vol. 1 and 4 ASAP.  

There are a lot of different woods listed in TBB4's bow wood section, but cypress isn't one of them.  Can't say that I've ever seen a cypress bow on any forum I read, but I've only been at this for a short time.  Too bad you (and me, especially me     ) don't live in osage country.

[KenH]

Twangy - where you at in FL?  I'm in Ft Myers on the Gulf coast.

Cypress would probably make a good wood-glass bow, or perhaps a board bow.  Especially if you can get you hands on some of the "recovered" cypress that is being sold.  But I suspect it wouldn't be a good stave bow.  In the first plce it takes a year per inch of thickness to dry down to normalized humidity.

It's not legal to log cypress any more, but there are places where old logging operations left huge logs buried in the swamps, and they're bringing that wood back to the surface and drying it out; and it's fabulous.  A dulcimer making friend near Lakeland has a source for recovered cypress that he's using for musical instruments -- some of that old growth is showing 75 or more growth rings per inch!!!  Beautiful straight grain.

[Roy from Pa]

Twangy, I feel so bad for you at this point. You are already hooked my friend. LOL.. Expect to spend countless hours making bows now. There will be good times and there will be bad times. There will be failures and there will be shoot able bows coming out of your shop. Just enjoy the journey.. That's how we all progressed. So post pictures of your bows, and a lot of guys here will offer their advice.

[Twangy]

Originally posted by Roy from Pa:
Twangy, I feel so bad for you at this point. You are already hooked my friend. LOL.. Expect to spend countless hours making bows now. There will be good times and there will be bad times. There will be failures and there will be shoot able bows coming out of your shop. Just enjoy the journey.. That's how we all progressed. So post pictures of your bows, and a lot of guys here will offer their advice.

It'll be a few months before I turn one out. As previously mentioned, I'm on a budget and I'm going to have to buy the materials and tools a little at a time. Hence to my caving to reading 5 books on tillery before I actually get started. Although, a lot of it, regaurding the wood selection, is probably very similar to choosing wood for guitar neck. Something dense with high strength and low pore count, 7% or less moisture content, free of knots if at all possible. I'll find out if I am off base or not when I get through all the books. But right now I'm thinking on trying to find some nice bird's eye rock maple and use that for a final product. In any case I expect my first 2-4 bows to be between utter crap and absolute failures, my next pair to be low pounds on the string (not sure of the term for this) and to be nothing more than useable, and the ones after that to start being decent with higher numbers of pounds. Eventually I want to get a bow with some really high poundage to get a lot of velocity through the bolt. ever see the Scorpoin King? Yeah, you know what I am talking about!

I do not know if I will continue to make bows for any real length of time, but I want to learn to do it and do it right as I am interested in bow hunting and bow fishing, I'm all about the DIY stuff and thoroughly enjoy it, I like to experience new things, and I figure that the ability to make good bows is a skill in which I can use to my advantage in the future, such as for trading, or even selling if I am in a bind. I'm not going to say that I am a SHTF type, but in any case I think this is going to be a great and useful skill to have. But I more want to get to eh point where I can just make a few good bows for my self and my family and friends. I'm hoping by Christmas I'll be able to turn out four really nice self bows to give to my parents and siblings as gifts. I'm also in the process of buying an old Treadle sewing machine as well so that I can learn the old fashion way to making military quality Gun, Bow, and Cross Bow bags, quivers, and the like out of heavy canvas and denier. Again, I just want the skill.

[Twangy]

Originally posted by KenH:
Twangy - where you at in FL?  I'm in Ft Myers on the Gulf coast.

Cypress would probably make a good wood-glass bow, or perhaps a board bow.  Especially if you can get you hands on some of the "recovered" cypress that is being sold.  But I suspect it wouldn't be a good stave bow.  In the first plce it takes a year per inch of thickness to dry down to normalized humidity.

It's not legal to log cypress any more, but there are places where old logging operations left huge logs buried in the swamps, and they're bringing that wood back to the surface and drying it out; and it's fabulous.  A dulcimer making friend near Lakeland has a source for recovered cypress that he's using for musical instruments -- some of that old growth is showing 75 or more growth rings per inch!!!  Beautiful straight grain.

I live just north of Tampa (NPR). That sounds pretty impressive on the growth rings... I would not mind getting a few pieces of that if the price is right!

[takefive]

You have the right idea as far as dense, straight grained, knot free wood goes.  Rock maple is a good choice, but stay away from bird's eye or tiger.  I have been told that pretty as they are, the figured wood is actually significantly weaker than the plain variety.  Best MC for bow wood is 8-12%.  I've seen some great looking, well tillered first bows posted on here.  Mine wasn't, but yours could be.  Good luck!

[Echatham]

"I do not know if I will continue to make bows for any real length of time"

Hah! Good luck with that! Ya got no idea what youre getting in to here.... Its like crack.... or pringles.... Ya can't stop.  Its a disease.