i need some encouragement please

[blades7558]

 so i started bowyering  a couple weeks ago and im on my 11th, yes thats right  my 11th bow and i still have yet to make one thats successful. the closest ive come is tillering a cherry flat bow to 22 inches and #45 it then cracked at a slight hinge so i super glued it and that did nothing it subsequently broke in half. it really sucks to put all this work in and have no fruit can any one give me tips or just reassure me it'll get better?

[Aries]

Bud i hat to hear that. one thing i can certainly tell you is that if you have been through 11 bow attempts in a couple weeks then you need to SLOOOOOOOOW down .   I've heard it before and ill say it again...  patience is a bowyers greatest ally. speeding through the bow making process no matter what tools you might be using will lead to alot of fire wood fast. and if your speeding through the tillering process then set or breakage is what you get.   diligence before strength when it comes to workin wood.  IMO   Good luck sir, if you have any specific questions feel free to ask away, some one will have an answer.   Ty

[Pat B]

I agree with Aries. For your next bow, spent two weeks on it. Work for a while and then think on what you have done and what is your next step. Take your time and make every move a thoughtful one.
   Good luck!  Most of us have been through lots of bows before we got one we were satisfied with. It is part of the process.   

[blades7558]

well i guess technically ive only been through 5 actual bows. ive started 11 but i chose bad wood for most of them it was rotten most of the time. two of the bows that broke were eastern red cedar and the knots are what got me. but yeah i guess your right i do need to slow down a bit. its just frustrating.

[Josh]

Eastern Red Cedar is very unpredictable bow wood too.  Sometimes well tillered ERC bows blow up without warning.  Go to the How to's and Buildalong section of this forum and click on the top message entitled "Link to Jawge's Website.  It will take you to the best bow information for the beginning bowyer.  If I were you I would try a more forgiving wood than cherry or ERC for a better chance at success.  You can go to Home Depot or Lowes and find a red oak board for around 6 dollars that you can make a bow from that will last many years.  Jawge's site also shows you how to pick the right board too.  Good luck and as every one else has said SLOW DOWN, the fastest bows are crafted slowly.   

[blades7558]

i am starting a maple long bow from a board i got at home depot, i have read the bowyers bible part 1 and im working on part 2 they are great resources. ill take a look at the site you mentioned thanks.

[Josh]

Cool, all four books are a wealth of knowledge.  Welcome to the addiction, once you get that first success, you will want to make another and another and another.  I think I am hooked for life!  If you need any help along the way with your tillering, post a pic and every one here will try and help steer you in the right direction.  i post a pic of mine whenever I get stuck and fresh eyes are always a big help.  That's what is so great about everyone here is their willingness to help each other out.   Good luck on your maple bow I look forward to seeing some pics of your finished bow!   

[straightarrow]

I broke three before i got my first shooter. A friend I know, that has made a ton of bows asked me how long a bow took me to make. I replied about 21 hours and He said it should take 21 days. Basically he was telling me to slow down. Another thing was the wood I was using. Get a piece of hickory or osage and try that. Its a lot more forgiving then other woods. Some folks will disagree and say save the osage and pracitise on a board. I would say you have a lot of pracitise in and its time to make a shooter!! These woods forgive mistakes.

Another suggestion is to post pictures on here during tillering and let the guys give opinions. Sometimes the opinions will be mixed  so just go with the majortiy. One thing that really helped me was taking a picture and sending it to paint. When I was unsure.....I stopped....and  thats what I did. Also I used the scale constantly.......never going beyond my desired weight..

I am five in a row now using osage and hickory.

Keep your chin up.......You will never forget your first shooter!!!! You will be on cloud nine for days!!!

Jon

[hillbilly61]

By no means am I anything but a rookie at this. Best advise is 1. slow down 2. Read George's web site. Slow down 3. go to Lowes or Home Depot and pic a good piece of red oak  or hickory 4. Slow down 4. While tillering you'll start double guessing what you're seeing in the bend. Take a pic of it and post it. These guys on here will help you tremendously. Good luck and did I mention Slow down

[Parnell]

I'm with the advice given above.  My first shooter was a red board from the superstore, but it had chrystled badly.  Still shoots though, I actually just sent a few arrows out of it last evening.  I highly recommend the hickory board.  It is very difficult to break it.  Use the Osage flatbow dimensions in TBB1 but go a bit wider for the limbs - see the data in performance chapter, they'll give you the appropriate width.  Scrape a little where you need to remove wood then restring and EXERCISE

[Parnell]

Sorry it posted without my intending to.  Exercise the limbs about 30 times.  Never pull over ultimate draw weight! 

POST PICTURES!!!

Best advice is slow down, you'll get there.  I broke about 8 and then had some successes. 

[recurve shooter]

i would suggest just getting a redoak board, and following the instructions on that jawges site. thats the only way i have had any success anyway, lol. 

[George Tsoukalas]

Thanks, recurve. I am glad you are using my site. I broke 14 before I got a shooter. Back then kiln dried wood was anathema. Thanks to Tim Baker it is now widely accepted. Here's my site. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

[gstoneberg]

Wow, even 5 bows in 2 weeks is really a healthy bow addiction.   Don't forget that the journey from the stave or board to the new bow is at least half the fun.  The only thing I can add to the excellent advice you've already gotten is to try to find another bowyer, a traditional club or even better, a rendezvous or primitive event going on someplace within traveling distance.  Get yourself around an experienced bowyer or 2 and you'll learn more in 2 hours than you would in 2 months on your own.  When the bug bit me I drove from Nebraska to Montana to learn the craft from John Strunk.  That was the best money I ever spent.  I have helped a couple new bowers in the Dallas area in the past year or so.  I get more enjoyment from watching somebody build their first bow as doing one myself.

George

[Canoe]

Howdy Blades,

Admitting you have an addiction is the first step.  Now, lets fine tune that addiction from breaking bows to making bows.

George T.'s bow making site is a great asset.  Here's another good site for beginners..

http://poorfolkbows.com/
(However, this guy glues FG (fiber glass) onto the back of his bow -  We at Primitive Archer don't go there. )

Try.  Fail.
Try again.  Fail better.
Keep trying.

All the Best,
Canoe