Pesonal secrets to building selfbows without power tools?

[D. Tiller]

Well, I have been building bows now without power tools (Or very few) for a couple years now. I have come up with a few short cuts and was wondering if anyone else has some.

One of my secrets is the use of a handsaw and a chisel. I like to cut down to near the dimensions of the bow with the saw every inch ore two and then chisel out the sections so that all thats left is the bow that I will work with. From that point out I true everything up with a Ferriers rasp then floor tiller with the harsh side until I get her bending. Then put a string on her and use the fine side of the Ferriers rasp to get it to brace height. Then switchout to finer rasps and cabinet scrapers.

How do you guys do it? Lets get some ideas and methods out there and see what really works for hand tools!

David T

[Bowbound]

I tried your method but never liked it. I am getting better at splitting so i don't have to reduce the wood as much. I use my trusty drawknife for all the labor then begin to sand the bow and use a surform or rasps until i get close. Then i use a scraper and sandpaper. I've learnt that you can split out a growth ring with a bit of practice if you want to get piggyback staves.

I have tried using a hatchet but i seemed to chew up the wood. What was the problem, i think it may have been too blunt. We should put together a must have list that has no bandsaw or anything.
Josh 

[Badger]

     I make a good share of my bows with hand tools only and find just getting familiar with my tools and better with them was the biggest challenge. I have always found while reducing staves with an axe that my forearm gets fatiqued and I need to rest it. Shortening up on the axe seems to help a bit. I also find when reducing logs a good sharp drawknife can't be beat. I switch to a not so sharp knife when I am cleaning up the final ring. Still don't consider myself fast at wood reduction but find it is fast enough to still get the job done in reasonable time. Steve

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

i use a very very sharp hatchet to reduce staves, when i get close to bow dimensions i use a macete because its cleaner and less prone to make a big mistake.  then i use a draw knife to clean it up and floor tiller, i use the draw knife like a scraper to tiller.  i hate rasps because it takes too much work to sand out the marks, i never touch a rasp to a bow unless its the grip which i will be covering with leather.  then sand with a block and steel wool.  i always use hand tools for my personal bows but when i make some to sell i just cant get them done fast enough to make a dollar and i have found the majority of non bowyer archers dont like to see tool marks..they want them perfect...so i do cheat on the bows i sell, i clean them up with a sander. if someone asks me to build them a bow using just hand tools the price would double and since i need the bow money to fund my meager hunting trips, it becomes a necessity of moving them      
 but for must have hand tools, sharp, light  hatchet, macete, cheap 3rivers draw knife and a sanding block- Ryan

[Eric Krewson]

I can take out rasp marks in a few seconds. I start with a Nicholson #49 rasp , go over the rasp marks with a Nicholson half round course file and follow up with a half pair of scissors for scraping and they are gone. I do have a couple of really aggressive rasps that leave grand canyon like grooves in the wood that would be hard to remove but I seldom use them.

[JackCrafty]

I use a hatchet to trim the stave down to near bow dimensions.  As I get real close, I choke up on the hatchet and chop off less and less.  Then I use a rasp, then my pocket knife (to scrape most of the rasp marks off), then 60 grit sandpaper.  I tiller with 60 grit sandpaper...then go to finer and finer grits until I get to 120 grit.  Then I burnish.

I can make a bow with just my hatchet and pocket knife but I hate the "washboard" marks.....so I seldom use this technique unless I'm experimenting with new wood.

[cracker]

I use a  large knife with  a blade shaped like a gukri only a lot strighter with the weight of the blade closer to the point.I'ts lightter than a hatchet so my arms don't get tired so quick.
R.C.

[Bent Rig]

It makes me feel good to hear that others just use hand tools to make their bows , I used the method in the first post , it work fine , but most of the time I use a machete and then my rasps and hand planes - the way it should be - as close to primitive as possible . 

[sailordad]

i use nothing but hand tools a draw knife, a rasp, a sureform or two, several diff types of files for nocks,scrapers,a pocket knife,sandpaper, and a shot glass
for burnishing, heck i've even used it on the bow lol

only power tools i even own for wood working are a skill saw and table saw

                                                                       tim

[Dano]

I use a power tool every chance I get, I love ta work a stave down with my drawknife, but sometimes ya just gotta get the job done.

[kerbinator]

I like to use a hatchet to reduce the bulk of the wood and then draw knife the sure form.

[grantmac]

I will use a light hatchet and then switch to my sureform and block-plane. It's slow but it makes for very nice straight lines.
   Cheers,
         Grant

[Adam Keiper]

I've done the saw cut and chop thing, and the axe and drawknife thing, but still prefer to take the width to within 1/16" of my layout line with a bandsaw.  Lets me spend more of my time on bowyerin' and less on grunt work.  Free time is precious little, so I like to make the most of it that I can.

[Dane]

But of course a bandsaw is a power tool.

[radius]

it doesn't take much time at all to cut just shy of the line with a good sharp pullsaw.  Whether bandsaw or handsaw, you still have to clean up after the cut...so it's better sometimes just to use the handsaw, since it poses less risk of cutting too far.  I especially like to use handsaw and chisel when working out the arrow shelf:  very accurate and very safe against accidents.

I usually  use power tools, but for hand tools I use a couple rasps, a straight scraper and a gooseneck scraper, block with various grits of sandpaper, a knife, and a file for string grooves.