Looking to buy my first bow, does it even exist?

[lithy]

Hey guys, looks to be a great forum, hope I picked the best spot to stick this topic.  I can't guarantee I'll hang around too much, but I really would appreciate just a little help.  I tried a search but putting in something like 'recurve' in a forum like this is sort of an exercise in futility.

I learned to shoot last summer and I'm starting to remember how much I enjoyed it and how much I would love to get my own bow now.

After lots of poking around I sort of assembled an idea of what I would like, but I can't seem to find it.

I'm looking to see if anyone knows any bowmakers that would do a handmade one piece recurve bow but out of a single piece of wood instead of laminates.

Is that even possible?  If so I'm expecting it to be much more expensive than some other similar bows, but that's fine with me, just like when I spent way too much money on my road bike, I hope that I can make this a nice one time purchase that will last me a long while or at least until I get too addicted that I need something new   .

Thanks in advance.

[R H Clark]

What you are asking for is a recurve self bow.Is their a particular reason you want such a bow? I think an Owl bow by Ed Scott might be what you are looking for.You can find contact info in the new Traditional Bowhunter magazine in the On The Market section.

[SOS]

Lithy,

Can I ask why you want to start with a selfbow?  I'm sure there's someone that makes selfbows for sale, but for a beginner, a basic laminated recurve or longbow is probably sturdier and more forgiving of a starting archer.  The next bet would be an all wood bow, but one that is backed with hickory or bamboo.  Less likely to fail and maybe a better starting point if you truly want all wood.  A lot of laminated bows have clear fiberglass on them so they can still be natural looking.  Just curious of your starting choice.  Steve

[SOS]

Well, you got me curious.  I found at least one bowyer sells them, try Dryad bows, a sponsor here:

 http://www.dryadbows.com/kiowa.htm

[lithy]

Interesting responses to my choice  

To be honest, I have no other reason other than personal appeal.  I suppose if I had to explain it, I've always liked the 'traditional-ness' of the bow and as a student of Anthropology with some knowledge of the function of the bow in history, I guess a recurve selfbow was sorta where I drew my line between an ancient technology vs. modern technology.  

I'm all for listening though to your thoughts though and I know I have a long way to go and lots of reading before I actually settle on a good bow for my taste and ability and then make my purchase.

[Holm-Made]

This is my opinion.  It sounds like you only want one bow and you want to shoot it a lot for a long time.  A recurve selfbow (no backing) is not as likely to hold up for many, many shots over the course of years.

I guess you have to decide.  This is my response to your statement about a "one time purchase".  

A laminated fiber glass/wood recurve should last for generations if taken care of.  Just my opinion.  Chad

[SamuraiWarrior2]

If I may comment,
I do not understand one bit why you guys think that a recurve selfbow will not last as long as a laminate.  And I don't see how a laminated bow is more forgiving except maybe it is center cut and you don't have to take so much care about the spine of your arrows.  
Lithy,
If you want a high performance recurve bow you could contact Marc St. Louis who has made some very nice performers.  I'll PM you his e-mail.


I also would suggest LittleTree recurve bows.  He doesn't have a website, but you can probably search the forum and get an e-mail address for him.
Other than that, I am not sure of many other people who have a line of self recurves.  
I think that you will love a recurve selfbow.  

I wish you luck and hope you find what you want.

[SOS]

Samurai,
My comment is based on the fact that this is a brand new shooter.  I'm sure one experienced with selfbows would know how to care, store, string/unstring the bow,etc to make sure it lasts and won't lose performance.  So I think a laminated bow is more forgiving in almost all cases from arrow spine and shootability to maintenance in care.  But that' my opinion.  Also, he's from the humid south as am I.  I'm not an expert but from what I've read in the Bowyer's Bible, some selfbows can lose performance due to moisture in the wood.  It would be interesting to see some real numbers on performance from the same bow after being in Colorado for 3 months, then down south for 3 months.  Cheers.  Steve

[Cody Cantrell]

I will secind a recurve frome Little Tree.  They are works of functional art.  I dont remember seeing them but if Dryad makes one you couldnt go wrong with one oftheir bows either.

Lithy, you live in Knoxville why dont you come to Marshal, MO for MOJAM in 3 weeks and you can look at and shoot both Dryads and Little Trees and see what you think.  I believe Brad from Little Tree's is going to do a demo on making his recurves so you may even be able to make your own.  Best of luck.

Cody