First Time Bowyer Advice

[deadsilence]

Thanks, takefive.  I'm going to look for lumber tomorrow.  My grandpa said he had some nice black walnut we would use to the limb tips and handle laminations would this be suitable wood, all?

[takefive]

Black walnut will look great on the handle.  I like denser wood like osage, hickory, and bubinga for tip overlays, so I honestly don't know how it would hold up on the tips.  I've heard that it's best to orient the grain so it's quarter sawn when you glue the tip wood to the bow.  It will be pretty if it works.

[deadsilence]

Ok, I'll keep that in mind while when we are doing it.  I picked up some red oak at home depot this weekend.  Had to go through the whole stack but i think I found two that will work.  Do normal lumber places sell hickory or will that have to be found at special stores or ordered?

[takefive]

I've seen hickory boards at Menards and Mills Fleet Farm, but they might just be regional chains.  I found a lumberyard about 60 miles from me that has a good selection of hardwoods.  I drive down there a few times a year.

[LittleBen]

My last bit of advice is that it's definately worth finding a lumberyard/lumber supplier that carries a variety of hardwoods. You'll want to build something other than red oak eventually, and the big box stores do not carry anything other than oak that will make a bow.

If you want anything other than red oak you need a decent lumberyard.

[mikkekeswick]

Maple or hickory will also make great board bows and should be easy to find.
Show us some pictures of the boards you found, the straightness of the grain is of paramount importance and a few pics will help us to determine if you are starting off with suitable wood.

[passion for knowledge]

I'm no expert - only on my 6th bow.
Out of the previous 5, only three have seen any arrows - but they've seen quite a lot.
One thing I would say is there's no finer feeling than going out and shooting with a bow, string and arrows that you've made yourself.
At that point, you are pretty much hooked.

[takefive]

Yeah, it's funny how quickly you get over the ones that didn't work out when you make one that turned out the way you wanted it to.

[deadsilence]

Sorry it's been so long. Been caught up in bow hunting and keeping the miss's happy when I'm not. We finally found some time to start the bow since it was raining all day. We got the rough shape cut out of our board and have the handle and tip overlays clamped and gluing. We did use the walnut in the handle as a middle strip between two red oak pieces. We haven't settled on a grip design yet but will probably do that tomorrow. Like a dummy I didn't take an pictures but I will tomorrow.

[Carson81]

Sounds like it is coming right along.
Lots of great advice hear.
Some folks have the patience and transferable skills to turn out a fine bow in their first attempt. For others, it takes several bows before the concepts start to solidify in their minds.
My advice to beginning bowyers is to make a couple of kids bows first, or alongside your first big kid bow attempt. It is an inexpensive way to get a feel for the tillering process. Inexpensive because finding staves or lumber that is straight and clean for the length of a kids bow is much easier than an adult length. Some of the pressure to not screw it up is removed and you focus on getting experience. During the final tillering of a kids bow, you will learn just how small an amount of wood removal is needed to affect tiller. You learn the subtleties of tiller shape and how that affects the feel of the draw and performance of the bow. And there is always a kid that is more than happy to receive a bow  

Earlier you asked about slimming up the width of the inner limbs/fades. If you desire that look rather than a wider pyramid limb, you will need to lengthen the limbs to keep the amount of material doing the work consistent.

Welcome to the craft!

[kennym]

Carson, good lookin bows on your site man!

[Carson81]

Thanks Kenny. wood bows are naturally good looking, I just try not to get in the way too much.

[deadsilence]

So we did a good bit of work on the bow this sunday and yesterday.  I have pictures to upload but my normal tech savvy self cannot seem to see any place that i can upload pictures.  Can someone point me in the right place?

[deadsilence]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deadsilence]

So after a little searching I might have figured it out.  This could possibly be too big so look fast before they get deleted.  

I have several questions of course:
1. I can tell that the top limb (right) is much stiff and this is only at around have brace. So i need to remove material from the entire length of the limb correct?  How does the bottom limb look? it seems like it is too stiff from the tip to around the bottom 1/4 of the limb.  Am I correct.

2.  Some how i didn't get my string notches lined up on evenly on one tip. Can i just make them even and everything be ok?  Or is this a big booboo that is going to scrap the build?

[deadsilence]

Well I spent some time last night tillering the top limb.  I guess I misunderstood, I thought that the tillering process didn't require much removal to induce a change.  That does not seem to be the case with the top limb.  I removed what I considered to be a good bit of material and the tiller did not change very much if any.

[takefive]

You usually have to exercise the limbs 10 or 20 times to show if the tiller has changed.  Go slow with removing wood.  It takes some patience, but it's the best way to avoid hinges or a bow much lighter than what you wanted.
You should be okay with your nocks as long as they hold the string.  Do you have a Gizmo for tillering?  It really helps.

[deadsilence]

So after some more sanding on the upper limb last night this is where i am at.  it is bending more but it is still about 1.5 inches shy of the bottom (measuring from tip to floor).  I am exercising it 30-50 times after material removal.  I do not have a tillering gizmo but i did run about a 3 inch block along the back of the upper limb to see what it looked like but i believe this is too short to be of any use.

Here is the new photo.  The black line on the cardboard is not level, so do not use it for a reference, the back of the handle is level.
   

[deadsilence]

Also, what should i use for a testing string?  Right now this is just regular ol'string that stretches something fierce.  it gets the job done but not good for bracing up the bow or anything.

[LittleBen]

If you're gonna be building bows the best investment you can make is a spool of bowstring material.

I like BCY 8125, but I'd recommend any fast flight type string (anything made from spectra or dyneema). Dacron (B-50 or the newer B-55) will also work, but it stretches and makes it a pain to get recurve bows to first bracing during tillering.

As far as your bow goes, You need to get the middle third of the left limb bending more because it is currently bending too much near the handle.

The right limb is still very stiff. Keep removing material from the right limb until they are the same stiffness.

Make sure you escercise the limbs after making any tillering changes.

Do not draw the bow any farther than you already have until you do those things.

Leave the outer third of both limbs alone for now and report back after you do the above.

As another note, there are several reasons not to shape the handle until the limbs are tillered, at least while you're starting out. 1) the bow might not make it. 2) you can choose top and bottom later, this way you can choose the slightly weaker limb for top and less overall tillering may be required. 3. A flat block of wood tends to sit better in a tillering tree, unless you use a leather sling or something.

Lastly, a pistol grip handle with a sight window creates two weak spots you need to be careful of. 1) the sight window, especially where it is thinnest, and typically at the junction with the arrow shelf. 2) the waist of the grip.
In this case you really need to be careful of the remaining saw cut that's down in the crease of the sight window and shelf.
With a cut in it like that, that area will most likely be your weakest and most likely to crack.
I prefer leaving the corner between the sight window and the shelf rounded (filleted). I use a 1/4" round file to shape that area by working it into that corner, then carefully blend in the arrow shelf and the sight window using a flat file .... Carefully! Or you will get another sharp crease and start all over.
Hope that all makes sense.