An introduction.

[Slaughter]

Hello,

Just wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Tony and Ive been interested in making My own bow for several years,( about time I got started)........

I live in NE TN. Hopefully Ill get some good advice here.
Looking forward to the experience.

Now for My first question.
What is the best wood for a clueless beginner to start with??

[a finnish native]

HI there! The folks here are helpful so youll be in good hands. The wood thing depends on what you have available. Ash is good, hickory, osage, oak etc.

[Slaughter]

I live on about 200 acres of TN mountain so I have plenty of oak and maple.
I'm wondering though if I might not be better off starting with a precut stave???

[jamie]

welcome aboard theres a lot of fellas from tenn. on this site. im sure one of em will be poppin in soon. peace

[DanaM]

Welcome to PA Tony, before starting on a bow be warned its very addicting
For a first bow I would recommend a red oak board for Home Depot, Lowe's etc.
Not only are they cheap they are already dry. Most Likely the grain won't be perfect so I would suggest
backing it with linen, silk or heavy paper even. As you get some experience by all means move on to hickory, osage, locust etc.
Find some likely trees get them cut and split so they will begin to dry. Also do some research there are some great sites on-line and
also would recommend Traditional Bowyers Bible Vol 1 for a start or The Bent Stick by Paul Comstock and of course a subscription to
Primitive Archer magazine after all they make this site possible(shameless plug for PA )
Seeing as your in Tennesse your close to Pappy's place and some other good bowyers, if you can hook up with one of them and
you will be in good hands.

http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/archer.html

http://groups.msn.com/ferretsarcherywebpage/snakeskinbacking.msnw

Good luck and keep us posted eh

[deerhunter97370]

Welcome Slaughter, I would suggest buying a copy of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volumes 1,2,and3 if you dont already have them. From what Ive read like finnish said Ash and hickory are good starting woods. I my self started with Pacific Yew only because I can get it for free from a logger friend.

Joel

[Slaughter]

Thanx all,
Dana is there anything specific I should look for in a board? Dimensions etc.
 Also I suppose I should mention Im interested in making a short bow (plains Indian style)
as that might make a difference.

[Slaughter]

  Ive already ordered all 3 volumes.

[DanaM]

With a board its all about the grain check the sites I linked and you will see what I mean.
Glad to hear that you have TBB ordered.

[Slaughter]

Thanx again Dana.
Im looking at those sites now.

[Pat B]

Welcome Tony. All the advise so far is good. Check out Jawge's site. (Dana gave you the link). Jawge goes into all aspects of grading the board through tillering and everything in between.  Please ask all the questions you may have and we will do our best to answer them for you.
   Even though you want to build a short plains type bow, build a few regular size bows first to get the hang of shaping and tillering and woodwork with hand tools in general. This will make it less stressful for you and give you a better chance at success when you start your shorty bow.        Pat

[Slaughter]

Thanx Pat, Ill do that....Im looking at the board grading stuff as we speak.

Hopefully Ill find someone here from my neck of the woods.Id really like to see the process first hand.

[George Tsoukalas]

Thanks, pat and Dana. Slaughter I'f go ahead and cut a small sapling of 2-3 inches. Oak would be great. I'll get the directions. While your waiting for it to dry out. Make a board bow. jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

Sapling bows are a pretty neat way to start. Double you draw and add 20- 25% for a length. Pick a nice straight hardwood such as hickory, ash maple, hop hornbeam, etc. Avoid osage, mulberry and black locust. These are woods that function best with heartwood backs and a sapling wouldn't have enough heartwood. Look for a sapling 2-3 inches or so. Choose the best side for the back. Knots and imperfections on the back are to be avoided. Mark 2 lines down the length of the stave to delineate back from belly. Remove the bark Remove the belly wood with a hatchet. Mark a 4 inch handle length- 2 inches on either side of the middle. Leave that area alone while tillering. Hack away the belly wood with a hatchet. You can narrow the stave to 1.5 in wide to just past mid limb.. I use the hatchet. Drawknife too. Leave the handle full width for now Taper the width to 1 inch nocks. Later make them 1/2 inch. Begin to floor tiller the stave. Just start the wood bending. That will make it thinner and less likely to warp as it dries. Let it do so. You can check periodically with a moisture meter. 6-10% is good depending on the wood type. Hickory likes 6-8%.  You can also monitor the weight of the stave with a scale. Follow the Bow Making Directions on my site. Jawge

[Slaughter]

I'mone step ahead of you I have a split oak stave and a maple stave drying already......... I'm not sure if they are worth using  But Ive got em..
but I was thinking the board bow might be a better place to start in the interim.