Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: kinkfeather on July 06, 2010, 12:46:02 pm
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can you make a cedar self bow an be a good sturdy bow.i think cedar is too soft but what do you think need help.i just want to make a 40#cedar self bow.can you back the bow an make it work or is the wood too soft.i have some seasoned planks 4 yrs seasoned.they are straight an with out knots.please help me on this matter.i am a nuby.joe kinkfeather
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if you have seasoned planks i assume you mean boards , if thats the case i could back them with as thin of a hickory or ash strip as you can cut or have cut.another option would be to rawhide back the board , either of these ways should get you a decent weight bow. unbacked and self cedar bows are heartbreakers and not a good choice for a beginer. good luck post pics and ask questions
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thanks alot ken,how about drywall faberglass tape an add layers,would that work.
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I've seen several unbacked Eastern Red Cedar self bows in person and on this site. There used to be a Gentleman from Goodletsville, Tenn that made quite a few 90#+ Warbows with it, unbacked. JMO, but if you are going to back it with drywall tape you might as well order a kit from Bingham and use real glass. Rawhide, sinew, or bamboo work perfectly well.
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thanks ken,rawhide it is,
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good luck post up pics of the progress
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yeah, what ken said- ... there are two types of cedar- if you can dent it with your fingernail- it's probly western- which is no good. of course one can build a bow with almost anything, but for a beginner, you want a nice hard wood like oak.
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You don't have your location listed, so it's hard to tell which species you're referring to. Eastern red cedar (actually a juniper)-yes. Western red cedar, no. Northern white cedar and eastern white cedar, no.
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i am going to take your advice start with oak plank bows an make or try to make a self bow.start slow an work up .i do have 3 hickory staves drying now.the problem is me i want to build it now no patience.i tryed my first hickory self bow an made a mess of it.i get in too big of a hurry.my goal was to make a self bow before hunting season.i believe it is too late for that.i have 4 longbows an 4 recurves laminated.but i did not build them.i want to be strictly traditional.it is more simple an more fun.i shoot wooden arrows.i can not see why anyone would shoot the others.i am retired an have plenty of time an have the tools.so my question is how long would it take to build a red oak plank self bow an not get in a hurry.i make my own arrows an strings.kink feather
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If you make a red oak board bow for your first bow, make it bend through the handle with no glued on riser. I made my first bow from a red oak board 66 inches nock to nock and 45 lbs at 28". It was a 1x2 board from Lowe's with very straight grain and I made the whole thing in a week working on it after work for a few hours at a time. Started on it on a Sunday night and was shooting it in the following weekend. I used a hand plane, a yardstick, a pencil, and a chainsaw file to make my first one too. :) Good luck to you, it is not impossible but you DO need to take your time and not get in a hurry. The fastest bows are crafted slowly as someone much wiser than me once said. :)
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eastern red cedar.i am poor old country boy from kentucky.worked hard all of my life with my hands.love working with wood not very good at it but i try.
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thanks josh i am going to get me a red oak plank.1x2x6 an start.
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the plank is red oak good grain.72"what is the best lenght on the fades.
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go to this site, it helped me when I first started, Jawge has the dimensions you are looking for in the board bow category. good luck! :)
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/
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well ive never used oak
but have made many hick board bows
i make most of them 72" long,1.75" wide at the fades,with a straight taper to .5" nocks
i make all stiff handle bows,my fades on hick board are no more than 1.5" past the handle
never made a bendy handle bow,doesnt neccasrily need to be done on your first
most of my board bows now are at 66" long,still stiff handled
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how long do you make the riser.
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the handle area itself is 4" long
on most,but it al depends on the style of handle too
i have some where the nadle area is aboot 6" plus the 1.5" fades on each end
most my bows dont have a cut in shlef,just a floppy so the hadle area is 4" on them
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i am like you i do not want a shelf.6"riser an 11/2"then fade to 1/2' end ok
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Like Josh said, go to George's site. It will help you a lot. Go there before you buy a board and learn how to buy the right board. Georges site will show you how to pick out a board that will give you more of a chance to complete a bow. All boards are not created equal. ;)
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I've made 3 red oak board bows. Two from a 1 x 2 that was 72". And one from a 1 x 3 that was 72". With the 1 x 2's, I left the boards full width until 15" from the end. So, of course I had to taper the belly as well. With the 1 x 3, I made a pyramid bow. So, no tapering of the belly at all. The easiest bow, by far, is the pyramid bow. There is very minimal tillering involved, as opposed to the others. IMO, if you just want to get a quick and easy selfbow under your belt, get a 1 x 3 and make a pyramid bow.
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rain man,i have already bought 1x2x6.i have a 11/2 months to get it ready with all of you alls help.15"fades,8"riser will be tapered 2" which all make a 4" handle NO shelf shoot off the hand.need to learn to tiller with you alls help.slow an easy.
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cut out fades,glued riser on last night.now i am starting to work the belly down slow not in the middle.but from the edges to the center.can any one tell me what a pyramid bow looks like.i do appreciate you alls help.i will treat every one with respect an honor.i love working with wood.thanks again
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kink pyramid bow will have a straight taper viewed from the back widest part (usually round 2inches) will be where your handle fades into the limb. from there it tapers to nock ends ,usually( 1/2 to 3/8th wide). on this style bow the taper in width of the limbs gives you your tiller , the belly of the bow will not taper but retain its thickness for the length of the bow. the difference in tiller viewed from a distance (using a tillering tree) this bow will bend in more of a circle than d bows they should look eliptical. hope this helps also added a pic
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thanks alot ken.but i think i have a d bow by accident.i have a friend from years ago that i helped make longbows steve martin.he made d bows.the handle on this bow is d bow.the fades are from the handle to the nocks.there is a slight fade in the belly.the fades in the belly are 3/4"to 1/2".the back is 1 1/2" from handle to 1/2" to nock.i have another plank the next one will be pyramid.i like the looks of yours.i believe your bow has less hand shock than a d bow.put it on a tiller tree with long string it was to 33lbs @ 10".i need to slow down do you think.i am shooting for 45/50 lbs @ 27"my first thought the bow will blow up hope not.ken thanks for the pics.is scraping my next move.kink