need a new bow , suggestions?

[15yearold.archer]

hello i just recently finished my first bow wanted to use it for deer hunting this fall but it came out way to light and would leave only a wounded deer in the forest, i live in pembroke,ontario about an hour to ottawa but here i only have limited supplies ,all ive been able to make are boardbows cause thats whats at homedepot any suggestions or ideas on how i can come out with a nice laminated bow to have for deer hunting, and just to let you know im still pretty new to this stuff so try and make it understandable also like i said supplies are limited but im willing to use any combonations of wood or fiberglass to come out with a nice 50+ pound bow , pleease help me

[sailordad]

find your self i nice hick board,1/4 sawn
back it with fabric

i do this and dont have problemd making 50-55lb bows
i keep it 1.75" wide at the fades,with a straight taper to 1/2" tips,68"long

[15yearold.archer]

were do i get a hickory board ? im just really new to this but i understand the building part of it an how much will you usually pay for one?

[sailordad]

well i never have had luck finding them at the box stores
some guys find it ther,but not me
i go to sawmills here in minnesota and get it
i call them first to save a trip if they dont have any

[15yearold.archer]

okay thank you , and if i cant find any what else do you think i can try? , is it possible to make a red oak board bow strong enough to take a deer easily? all depending on the backing and stuff , what about a a red oak board laminted with maple backing and fiberglass

[Pat B]

You can make a very good hunting bow with Home Depot red oak. You have only made one. Each one you make from now on will be better than the last. If you are a fast learner, one or 2 more bows and you will have what you need to hunt with.
  Have you read George's web site? If not, do your self a favor and read it twice. You will find George's site at the top of the "How To" section.

[El Destructo]

There is no reason that you can not make a  hunt worthy weight Bow from a Red Oak Board....and if you really want...go back to Home Depot....Lowes....or any other Box Store ...and ask where they keep their Veneer Wood...and look through them and find one with good grain....and back it .....if you have any Saw Mills around...thats where I would go...or Google Hardwood Dealers near you.....if you want Fiberglass....try Tradgang.com....

[KenH]

Hi Fifteen!

Don't let these guys bother you with their wacky suggestions.  You told them all you have access to was a Big Box.  It is true, however that you can order bow woods like Hickory, Red Elm, and Osage from some places on line.
 
One thing you do have to understand about this site - we don't use the "F" word here - fiberglass.    ! Folks here build bows from wood sometimes combined with other "natural" materials like sinew, snake or fish skins, natural fiber cloth, etc.  But almost no one admits to using that "f-stuff"

You can certainly make a hunting weight bow from HomeDepot Red Oak.  You'll want at least a 1x2 (actually 3/4" thick x 1.5" wide) plank that is 6ft long and as straight as possible;and then a shorter piece to make the add-on riser/handle.

This is the address for "George's Site" mentioned above.  It has some easy to follow building instructions:
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

Here's another site with easy to follow bow-building instructions:
http://poorfolkbows.com/

[15yearold.archer]

ok thanks alot guys the tutorial really helped me  out , but still i am always more convinced that hunting with a laminated bow will really pack the punch when i hit that deer because they seem to hold there shape more and are less sluggish any ideas about that , and il post some pictures of my bow as soon as i figure it out

[bubby]

if ya  really want a lam bow ya might buy a stave from one of the sponsers on PA, my first backed bow was boo backed epe, was kind a leary about the glue up then so I bought a floor tillered stave from rudderbows.com and Jim at rudderbows was a lot of help. And trust me, a boo backed epe is anything but slugish. Any of the sponsers should give ya good products, I just don't have any personal experiance with the others, you can also contact a cabinet shop, the can get ya hooked up with a hardwood dealer.

[zenmonkeyman]

If you're lucky, Marc St. Louis will chime in, he's from your general area and would have some pointers on locally available woods.  I'm sure if you talked to an arborist, or a tree service/removal guy, he could put you into any one of many stave woods, like elm or ash.  Or you could go tramping through the woods near where you live and find some chokecherry, or serviceberry, or hazelnut, or what have you.  You should be lousy with sugar maple, too.  If you've already made a successful (if light) board bow, you're probably ready to try a sapling bow.  Just a few more things to consider.

[El Destructo]

First ...The "F" Word......now all wood bows ...are generally sluggish.....does this  Boy want a Bow...or a battle......wholly-huh....eh.......  ......

[KenH]

Fifteen;

I'm not sure where you're getting your information - except perhaps from F-bow manufacturers' marketing hype.  You said "i am always more convinced ...a laminated bow will really pack the punch...they seem to hold their shape more and are less sluggish..."  most of which is totally inaccurate if you really look around.

Better to do a little more research, than to make statements that are not totally true and accurate.


"a laminated bow will really pack the punch" - true. You must understand that "laminating" with F is just a modern attempt to equal the quality of "laminated" bows that were developed over a thousand years ago in China and the Asian Steppes.  We "laminate" all-wood bows all the time - combining the best of several woods to optimize a wood that is strong when compressed (stiff wood for the belly) with a wood that is strong in tension (stringy wood for the back).  We just don't call it "laminate".  Laminate is what you do when you make plywood.  We call it making compound bows.  Some of us glue together 3 or more strips of wood together for beauty and strength. The point is that there is no "pack a punch" magic in F - you can get the same effect naturally.

"...they seem to hold their shape more..." -  we sure would like to know where you got that information.  Are you talking about Set?  Every bow subtly changes its shape during the shooting in process - even bows made with F.  Every bow, if left strung for days or weeks, will change it's shape - even bows made with F -  which is why we don't leave them strung.

"...they...are less sluggish..."  - again, where did you get this blatantly biased and not true information?  From some F-word manufacturers' marketing hype?  Sluggish compared to what?  All bows are sluggish compared to even a .22 rifle.  Compared to some metal-and-wheel compound bow?  So What?  What does that have to do with hunting?  Stalking ability and accuracy are much more important in bringing home Bambi.  Have you actually fired an F-word bow in side by side comparison with a well made composite wood bow to see what differences there might be?  There are a lot of wooden bow builders here who would love to show you how sluggish F-word bows can be compared to wheat they can make.  I know from personal experience that one of the most sluggish bows I ever shot was a commercially-made composed of nothing but F-word.

[Marc St Louis]

I'm about 2 hours west of you and there is Ironwood, Elm, Rock Maple and White Ash growing here so it must grow in your area as well.  Elm is certainly abundant around here and makes an excellent bow.  I may be going to a Pow Wow in your area next month so perhaps we can meet up

[mullet]

 Hey, Mr. KenH, Do a little research before you make a blanket statement. One of the worse things you can do to a 'glass bow is to string and unstring one. It doesen't hurt to leave a laminated 'glass bow strung all the time. I have some that have been strung for months at a time and they aren't sluggish.