thinking of making my own bow......

[archerforlife2]

hey everyone i have never built a bow before and thought it would be cool to build my own can anyone give me some tips and what kind of wood to use and were i can get it for something other than a small fortune? any tips will be appreciated thanks.

[ohma]

my advice would be to first buy volume 1 boyers bible.and then go from there.plenty of help to be had here, but some time with the book will go a long way. good luck and enjoy your journey.

[HoBow]

1X2 red oak board from Home depot works great!

[Shoeman]

my advice would be to first buy volume 1 boyers bible.and then go from there.plenty of help to be had here, but some time with the book will go a long way. good luck and enjoy your journey.

Too true!   I was able to find vol 1 and 2 at my local library, and they were a huge help.  Just having finished my first bow, I can add that you need to understand how terribly important the grain of the wood is.  Study all the info on it you can, and be really selective on the board you pick.   My first effort broke early in the process because I was not as knowledgeable as I needed to be.
It's very satisfying though, give it a try!

[Del the cat]

Just go for it, you will learn so much with your first attempt, even if it's doesn't work.
All the reading will make much more sense once you've had a go.
My real advice is, once you get to the point wher you are removing wood and nothing seems to be happening, DON'T reach for the power tools or be tempted to go quicker, that's just the point where it will suddenly start to happen a bit quicker.
The first 50% of the the work takes 80% of the time, the last 50% goes much wuicker and needs you to slow down.
To sumarise, 'If in doubt, stop and have a think/beer/coffee/sleep on it'
Good luck and have fun.
(Click the globe symbol under my username, that will take you to my website, there are some tillering videos on there which may be helpful)

Del

[sailordad]

im sure all them books are good maybe even great
however i have never owned,borrowed or check out from the library any of them books
i have made many successful bows,also some not so successfull bows
all you realy need to do is get some wood,some basic tools,a digi camera and your computer
take pics,post pics on this site and ask questions,look at previous topic posts etc
most of the folks on here are very helpfull and willingy to help you along the way
remember there are no stupid questions,jusyt stupid people that dont ask questions 

[archerforlife2]

okay thanks i think i am going to home depot this weekend possibly if not there's a lumber store in the town that i live in i will go there thanks everybody for the tips greatly appreciated also what would work as a string with out buying one?

[osage outlaw]

What area do you live in?  There are good trees for making bows just about everywhere.  Board bows are great, but for me, going from tree to bow the first time was amazing.  Strings are cheap to buy.  They are easy to make if you have the string material.  When you get your bow done and are ready for a string, shoot me a message and I will make one and send it to you. 

[archerforlife2]

okay thanks and  i live in the pacific northwest Washington area. what kind of tree work best for bows?

[Sparrow]

Hey Archer   I am over on the east side of Washington, over here we have black locust, black walnut, mulberry, plum, cherry, maple,apple, pear,  is what I see most of, over on the west side there are many of these and also yew and vine maple. Others,  also,  I am sure.  '  Frank

[archerforlife2]

yeah i have made dinky little play bows before out a vine maple and there is a lot of normal maple too never seen a yew i was wondering about hickory?

[David_Daugherty]

This year I decided to make my own bow just as you.  I read books, email articles, and magazines for any information I could find.  All of the information was interesting but the best decision I made was to find an experienced bowyer and get his guidance with this task.  When I told him about all the research I had done he said "great, now I have to unlearn you everything you read".  I put the books down and followed his guidance.  I have made 2 bows both successful, presently on my 3rd bow.  So my advice would be to find an experienced bowyer and become his apprentice.

[archerforlife2]

i would love to do that but that option is not available to me 

[JW_Halverson]

If you know what vine maple looks like then you are like Flynn, as the saying goes.  VM is a fantastic bow wood. 

[archerforlife2]

really i would have never thought......... now just to find a piece long enough and big enough around...... the hunt begins