how long does it take to make a bow?

[Hrothgar]

I almost forgot to mention adding a backing material.

[Del the cat]

That's the classic thorny question that I'm always getting asked.
In actual hours I'd guess about 50. In elapsed time once I pick up the stave probably an average of 3 weeks.
Mind, maybe you'd be better off asking Mrs Cat
I only work on a bow when I want to, I generally work in short bursts and spend ages just thinking about it (which I don't account for) and writing it up on my 'Bowyers Diary' blog.
As an illustration of how hard it is to actually know how long we spend, I went out to the garage 'for a few minutes' to do some final clean up on the back of my latest Yew bow which was just about finished and had already had several coats of Danish Oil (I'd noticed a few fine tool marks).
I went over one limb with scraper and fine wet & dry paper...
just so happens I'd noticed the time I when I went out, turns out I was at it for 45 minutes on one limb of a bow that may would have considered 'finished' already .
Maybe I should revise that 50 hours to 75?
Just as well I enjoy it
Del

Did one in an hour a couple of years ago with only an axe, just to prove I could!... I had 10 minutes to spare too

[bubby]

yeah with a tablesaw I can have one shooting faster than that pearlie

GENTLEMAN START YOUR TOOLS! Sounds we got a race bub!

I defer to the man with the better shop and milder case of add

[lesken2011]

I had my jointer set up to make a 90% tillered board bow in 20 minutes. I had all my measurements fingered out for both tapers. That was pretty slick.

[WillS]

I remember Del telling me something a while ago on a different forum about this.  He said

People always ask how long it takes to make a bow... you are finding that it's the tinking time that adds up.

I think with a stave (different of course with board bows) there are so many ways of approaching it that just laying down a centreline takes a while.  Then you begin to rough it out and you find things like knots, shakes and issues that require you to shift the lines and guides around a bit.  This takes far more time than the building itself in my view.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Hey Bulldog! Watch Deans Hunting the Osage Bow vid and you will see where I got it from. You just refine it from there. Use poplar boards until you get measurements tweaked, then switch to good boards. And whip 'em out.

[Weylin]

I've been keeping a detailed log of my time put into making this osage flat bow that I'm working on. From stave to full draw it has taken me about 14 hours so far. That includes chasing a ring, multiple heat corrections and only using hand tools. (I had to rough it out with the drawknife because my 'tennis' elbow hates hatchet work  ) It will be interesting to see how much time I put into the finish work but I'm hoping I can keep the total under 20 hours... We'll see.

[Badly Bent]

I once made a bow in just over 45 hours, didn't turn out to nice so I learned to slow down and take my time on em'

[blackhawk]

30-45 minutes with only a hatchet and a small sapling 

[Arrowind]

2 hours to 2 years depending on how interested I am in finishing it and how distracted  I get with other projects 

[Newindian]

On a plain Jane self bow 4-6 man hours most of my self bows probably take 10-14 hours fancy backed one's probably 3 times that easy. Or you could say two weeks to three months

[richardzane]

When a Hopi friend of mine is asked by a collector "how long did that pot take to make?"
he'll say..."thirty years"  it took him thirty years to perfect his skills and to be able to accomplish what he does today.

[JW_Halverson]

Richardzane's answer is close to mine.  I'm always getting asked how long it takes to make a bow.  I explain that it took me 10 years and 40 hours to make the particular bow the person is looking at.  Somehow they are always looking at the pricetag when they ask this question.  I often price my bow at stave plus $150.  IF they have the temerity to question the price of my work, I offer to build them any bow of their choice as long as I get paid at the equivalent hourly rate.  If they still complain I tell them I will still come in under the $150 + cost of stave, but they get what they pay for!

If they still kvetch, I point to a 5 gallon bucket of shavings and offer them a do-it-yourself laminated bow kit, glue not included!

Oats ain't cheap, unless you wanna buy them after the horse has used them!

[George Tsoukalas]

3 hrs? It take me longer than that to go down the stairs to my workshop. Jawge

[lesken2011]

I'll have to check that out, PD. I thought you skipped the easy stuff and went straight to the narley and crooked.