HI northshore!
Welcome to the bowbuilding world!
I've never built a bow before,but I'm going to try it it sometime this winter.I got a whole bunch of questions.How do you determine what length the bow should be?What determines the draw weight?How long should your wood dry after being cut?How do you put backing on a bow and what can you make it out of?
These are just what I would do if it was me so you can change anything you like and others can as well for I am no the most experienced one here.
Answers to your questions:
1.) Draw length is usually determined by draw length, Ex. if your draw length is 28" long go no shorter than 64" long unless you know what your doing and no longer than 72" because then you are just adding unnecessary weight. A good starting point would be 68" long.
2.) Draw weight is determined by how thick the bow is but not so much how wide, Ex. a board 2x wide is 2x strong but a board 2x thick is 8x strong. So the thicker the bow the stronger it is, but a bow must always be at least 1/8"-1/4" wider than it is thick for lateral stability. Also width gives you security, it makes the bow safer to handle the stresses on it. The width of a bow is determined by the woods density, sugar maple is good wood with a density of about .63. With a density of this you should make the bow about
1 1/2" - 2" wide for flatbows with stiff handles and 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" wide for bendy handle bows like D bows. Also draw weight is what ever weight the bow is at full draw, Ex. 44 pounds at 28 of draw or how most people write it 44#@28"
3.) After you find a good clean trunk, you can leave it whole if its small diameter or split it if its large diameter. Large is usually around 8" wide and above. I usually strip the bark off after I cut it because its easier than trying to shave it off later. you must put some sort of sealer on both ends such as melted wax, paint, varnish, lacquer or what ever you got. This prevents the moisture from leaving too rapidly which can make the wood crack.
So seal those ends. Some like to spray a finish over the entire stave after debarking but its usually not necessary unless you live in a very dry place or if your working wood that cracks easy like osage or cherry. Some people like to rough out the bow until it barely bends after they cut it down, this can increase drying speed in a safe way. This way usually takes a couple of weeks but drying it whole is another option which takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month or two. Whole logs take for ever if they are large diameter.
4.) A backing is not needed as long as you have no knots on the back of the bow or cuts. If its clean then you need not add anything to it. Just make sure when you take the bark off do not use any sharp tool unless you know what your doing. Simply peeling it off with your fingers works like a piece of cake. If you do plan on scraping it off, a good cabinet scraper is always good, just be careful not to go through any rings.
If you are not confident without a backing then I suggest you do a build a long with pictures so we can walk you through the steps.
Some tools that are good in making a bow are:
Hatchet- for getting the stave down to closer dimensions
Draw knife- can be used the same as the hatchet by working the stave down
spokeshave or hand plane- These can be used to get close to your lines after the hatchet or draw knife
Rasp (half round and flat)- Good for cleaning up the stave and can be used to get the stave ready for the spokeshave/hand plane after using the hatchet or draw knife
Scraper- This is a good tool to use when you are tillering because it takes only small amounts off slowly
Sand paper- Aways good for cleaning up and can be used for final tillering
Also a chain saw file is what most people use to file in the nocks of the bow, I prefer something around 3/16 diameter for the file.
Hope this helps, post more questions if you are still lost about something.
'
Alex
