need help

[kinkfeather]

can you make a cedar self bow an be a good sturdy bow.i think cedar is too soft but what do you think need help.i just want to make a 40#cedar self bow.can you back the bow an make it work or is the wood too soft.i have some seasoned planks 4 yrs seasoned.they are straight an with out knots.please help me on this matter.i am a nuby.joe kinkfeather

[ken75]

if you have seasoned planks i assume you mean boards , if thats the case i could back them with as thin of a hickory or ash strip as you can cut or have cut.another option would be to rawhide back the board , either of these ways should get you a decent weight bow. unbacked and self cedar bows are heartbreakers and not a good choice for a beginer. good luck post pics and ask questions

[kinkfeather]

thanks alot ken,how about drywall faberglass tape an add layers,would that work.

[mullet]

 I've seen several unbacked Eastern Red Cedar self bows in person and on this site. There used to be a Gentleman from Goodletsville, Tenn that made quite a few 90#+ Warbows with it, unbacked. JMO, but if you are going to back it with drywall tape you might as well order a kit from Bingham and use real glass. Rawhide, sinew, or bamboo work perfectly well.

[kinkfeather]

thanks ken,rawhide it is,

[ken75]

good luck post up pics of the progress

[aaron]

yeah, what ken said- ... there are two types of cedar- if you can dent it with your fingernail- it's probly western- which is no good. of course one can build a bow with almost anything, but for a beginner, you want a nice hard wood like oak.

[Hillbilly]

You don't have your location listed, so it's hard to tell which species you're referring to. Eastern red cedar (actually a juniper)-yes. Western red cedar, no. Northern white cedar and eastern white cedar, no.

[kinkfeather]

i am going to take your advice start with oak plank bows an make or try to make a self bow.start slow an work up .i do have 3 hickory staves drying now.the problem is me i want to build it now no patience.i tryed my first hickory self bow an made a mess of it.i get in too big of a hurry.my goal was to make a self bow before hunting season.i believe it is too late for that.i have 4 longbows an 4 recurves laminated.but i did not build them.i want to be strictly traditional.it is more simple an more fun.i shoot wooden arrows.i can not see why anyone would shoot the others.i am retired an have plenty of time an have the tools.so my question is how long would it take to build a red oak plank self bow an not get in a hurry.i make my own arrows an strings.kink feather

[Josh]

If you make a red oak board bow for your first bow, make it bend through the handle with no glued on riser.  I made my first bow from a red oak board 66 inches nock to nock and 45 lbs at 28".  It was a 1x2 board from Lowe's with very straight grain and I made the whole thing in a week working on it after work for a few hours at a time.  Started on it on a Sunday night and was shooting it in the following weekend.  I used a hand plane, a yardstick, a pencil, and a chainsaw file to make my first one too.      Good luck to you, it is not impossible but you DO need to take your time and not get in a hurry.  The fastest bows are crafted slowly as someone much wiser than me once said.   

[kinkfeather]

eastern red cedar.i am poor old country boy from kentucky.worked hard all of my life with my hands.love working with wood not very good at it but i try.

[kinkfeather]

thanks josh i am going to get me a red oak plank.1x2x6 an start.

[kinkfeather]

the plank is red oak good grain.72"what is the best lenght on the fades.

[Josh]

go to this site, it helped me when I first started, Jawge has the dimensions you are looking for in the board bow category.  good luck!   


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

[sailordad]

well ive never used oak
but have made many hick board  bows
i make most of them 72" long,1.75" wide at the fades,with a straight taper to .5" nocks
i make all stiff handle bows,my fades on hick board are no more than 1.5" past the handle
never made a bendy handle bow,doesnt neccasrily need to be done on your first
most of my board bows now are at 66" long,still stiff handled