hickory long bow project?

[conrad]

HI everyone,I saw a u finish hickory long bow at 3 rivers.It cost 71 dollars and is ready to shoot,just finish to your liking.I want to try a primitive bow.Is this bow something I want to spend time on,at 71 dollars it seems to good to be true.This would be the first time I did anything with a bow.I do my own arrows and twist my own strings so this is my next goal,learn how to build a bow.I thought this would be a good place to start and work my way back to a raw stave.Thank you for any help.

[macbow]

I have no experience with this bow.
From the reviews it sounds like it is worth the price, just be aware of shipping costs.

If you want to learn beyond this experience your at the right place. Lots of,do it yourself info here in the archives.

[macbow]

I will mention that hickory can be like a sponge in humid climates.
This means whenmit is dry and low humidity the bow will perform to max.  Add a month of high humidity and it gets sluggish.

A really good finish will help with this or storing inmair conditioning.

[conrad]

thanks for the reply macbow.this is very encouraging and I'm going to go for it.Hopefully I can post a nice looking long bow in the near future.I might even try to put a skin on the front of it.thanks again, Conrad

[Jeremy Bays]

These are great kits that are made by Jim Boswell of Rudderbows.
I have a hickory bow of his U-Finish style that I have been shooting for about 5 years now.

The bows are "Floor Tillered" which basically means that the limbs are starting to bend evenly.  It is up to you to finish tillering the bow (usually done on a tillering stick) to the proper draw weight and length, and then adding the finish.

This is well worth the prices as I paid more than $71 and still feel I got a good deal.

Thanks
Jeremy Bays

[PEARL DRUMS]

Id spend $71 on the Traditional Bowyers Bibles 1 & 2. A much, much, much better investment. Then go buy a $5 hickory board and make your own just like it.

[Pat B]

I agree with Pearlie!

[takefive]

IMO it doesn't matter if you start from scratch with a board or a stave or with one that's already floor tillered, as long as the grain is good and straight.  Go slow and post some pictures.  You'll get some good advice on tillering it.  
The Bowyer's Bibles have a lot of good information in them.  Vol. 1 is a must.  After that, I probably reference Vol. 4 most often.
Good luck with the bow!

[Bison Bows]

Hickory is great in tension but not so good in compression. That is why you get quite a bit of string follow. I would suggest that you sinew back hickory which will help the compression, then apply snake skin over the sinew to help protect from moisture and also a good poly to seal it. Good luck...