I love most all aspects of turning a stave into a working bow, from cutting the tree or sapling to the break in arrows loosed. Every step I tire, or get bored with, but what is great about making a bow is about the time I’m getting tired of a particular part it is time to move on to the next step. I love the feeling of after about the 50th arrow turned loose I start to feel confident that it is a bow.
I really do not like finish work much. I very much like to see the works of art on here and wish that kind of detail and artistic ability came naturally to me, but every time I try to pretty one up, it goes bad. Bows to me are utilitarian, a tool, so I tend to get em smooth and seal them and call em done after they are shot in.
Another aspect that I’m not fond of is a feeling of dread throughout the whole tillering process. A feeling that I’ve messed something up, or that I’m not seeing things correctly (gizmo has helped with this a lot). Also the dread that a lot of time and effort will be spent to make toothpicks. This is a bittersweet part of it though, because when everything works out the constant dread makes the success more meaningful. I don’t think I would enjoy it as much if I knew exactly how the bow would come out in the end.
I do not enjoy making bows specifically for others. I like giving people bows I have made, but knowing that I am making a bow specifically for someone else adds stress that the person will not be happy with what I’ve made, or was less than what they expected. I much prefer to tell someone “it’s yours if you want it” after they have mentioned they are pleased with a bow I’ve made.
