My son wants to make a bow! 4-H FAIR RESULTS!

[aero86]

guess i wasnt the only pyro at that age!  lol.  man, i wish i could have had that kinda guidance when i was younger..  all i had was TBB 1-3 and some juniper to work with!  my bows sucked, but the arrows i made came out ok!  anyways, good project and nice looking log there!  if you have too many staves, send a few to me, i can do something with them!  lol

[osage outlaw]

We got back to work on his bow finally!  It should be good and dry now.  One limb had too much reflex, and the tip was deflexed on the other limb.  I got him set up and let him heat bend them.



Once we had it straightened out, it was time to start chasing a ring.  I explained it and marked the areas that he needed to remove wood from. 



After a few minutes, he says "OK, I understand it now", and away he went.  He went to town and removed two growth rings one at a time all the way to the handle.  It was getting late so we had to stop there.  He is really into it know.  He has already asked if he can build another one once this one is done.   

[Pat B]

Very cool!  Getting a kid that age to do anything Dad wants can be difficult but it looks like he is coming to it naturally and with interest.  He has aged since your last post. Better teach him quick, it won't be long before "other interest" will kick in. 

[ken75]

tell me about it Pat mine are video game monsters....i must play , i must play !!!

great project !

[Bevan R.]

Remembering from my own youth (back during the black plague I think  ), what really locked me into something was having my own tools. In fact I still have the steel square my father got me before I started school. Still playing with wood also.

[Parnell]

Excellent post.  I'll be watching.

[Postman]

great post - can't wait for my boy to get a little bigger and try one.

Did he get his hair to close to the heat gun, too?

[Stoker]

Cool project He's doing real good.I also approve of his haircut Hope it turns out
Thanks Leroy

[wildwills]

Awesome post....signed my son up for a Boise Bow longbow workshop in Columbus , OH in April.  He's really amped about.  He's been reading my Primitive Archer magazines and you can just tell he's got the glimmer in his eye and wants to build a selfbow.

[George Tsoukalas]

Way to pass it on! That is a good thing to see. Jawge

[rover brewer]

way to go to you and your son.bow looks like it's comeing along great.

[osage outlaw]

He worked on chasing the ring the rest of the way tonight.  He had about 10" left when he dug in too much and violated the ring.  He knew he messed up as soon as he did it.  I had him keep on the ring he was working on until he got to the end, then turn around and go down one more to the ring he dug in to.  He got to the handle, and we called it a day.  Momma came home with some pizza!  Hopefully tomorrow he can get started on tillering.  

His hair got a lot longer than in the first pictures.  We finally made him cut it.  

[osage outlaw]

We have been working hard lately trying to get this thing done before the fair starts.  We kept track of the amount of time we spent working on it and came up with 19 1/4 hours.  He did almost all of the work.  I would help him get started on something and then turn him loose.  He even learned how to make a string for it.

[osage outlaw]

Its finished!  It has been a long process, but its done.  All we have to do is glue on a floppy rest.  It is 60" long and 30 lbs @ 24".  It took on a bit of a gull wing shape, but for being built by a 12 year old, its not too bad.

[Elktracker]

Thats awsome!!!! He did a great job! He has great shooting form too

Josh