Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: youngbowyer on March 14, 2011, 10:03:44 pm
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I thought it would be helpful and interesting to start a thread about what tools and techniques people use to make their bows.
I'll start out with mine. My main tools are a drawknife, scraper, spokeshave, and a hatchet. I start out reducing the stave till it looks like a board with a hatchet. Then i lay out the bow, reduce it close to the lines with a hatchet, then i use a drawknife to get it to final dimensions(only for the taper) and then i use a spokeshave for floor tillering, and from there on a scraper. How do you guys do it?
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Great idea for a thread!
I'll join in, but keep in mind my bows are from boards:
Determine which side will be the back.
Pencil in dimensions.
Rasp, Sureform or cut (with a jig saw) the limb tapers, with the intention of leaving it a bit extra wide for fine tuning. I've pretty much given up on using the jig saw b/c I can get much better control with the rasp.
For a flatbow, I then glue on the handle riser. I prep the riser by cutting the ends with a power miter saw at 45* angle to make working the fades a bit easier once the handle is mated to the bow.
Also, at this time if I'm using wood overlays I glue those on much like the handle.
Using a rasp or SureForm I then narrow the handle and rough out the fades. If I have tip overlays, I use a sanding disc on an angle grinder to rough them in and then fine tune with rasp.
Tillering: I clamp the bow down to a table and alternate the Sureform and rasp. Those two tools plus sandpaper are all I use.
Once the limbs are bending, I use a small rounded rasp to cut the string nocks.
So my tools are basically: rasp (double sided, one side is a flat bastard cut file, other side a rounded wood rasp), Stanley SureForm, and sand paper.
When I first started, all I had was a rasp and a pocket knife, not even sand paper and clamps or a vise, I had to either sit on the bow or prop it up in a corner and lean against it to hold it will scrapping away with my little knife! ;D
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In order from the woods to a bow, pruning saw or chainsaw for bigger wood, bandsaw, draw knife or hatchet, farriers rasp, Nicholson 49,Nicholson bastard file, Nicholson knock file, heat gun most of the time, tiller tree, scraper. these are main tools I use there are other steps and tools left out but for the most part this is what I use.
The 13" pistol grip Fanno pruning saw made in Chico California is AWSOME IMO I cut allot of small diameter Vine Maple, Cascara, Hazelnut and Ocean Spray ect. and this saw zips through all of them in seconds, some up to 8 or 10" through. I used to have basically the same thing that I bought on Amazon but for 10.99 and I thought it was nice this saw blows it out of the water for ten bucks more and its made in America ;D Im not a sales man for this company but I like this saw allot ;D
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I've mostly worked from boards so far myself, so, in general order;
Block plane, to taper the sides of the limbs, and some of the belly,
Spoke shaves, regular and low angle, for 80-90% of the shaping (shaves are my real work horses ;D!),
Rasp and coarse file for getting things started where the shaves can't get to easily,
Card scraper for smoothing and fine adjustment,
Sandpaper, 100, 150, 220, 400 or 600 (depends what I can lay hands on the fastest),
Antler tine about 6 inches long for burnishing a glossy finish on.
Finishes vary, from acrylic to beeswax.
Frode
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hey guys I am new, I am looking forard to getting some neat informashion
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I used to do it all with a draw knife but now I use a bandsaw to reduce my staves to near bow dimensions. . From that point I use a rasp and scraper until I hit final tiller. I do use a draw knife to remove bark and sapwood when needed and to chase a ring.
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Pretty similar to elktracker here. Some type of saw to cut the tree, if I am harvesting my own wood.
Sledge hammer and axe/ wedges to reduce to staves, sometimes I score with a skill saw first. Sometimes I just bandsaw them if from a small enough tree.
Drawknife and scraper to remove bark or chase rings. Farriers rasp and smaller wood woorking rasp as well as drawknfe and scraper to reduce the belly and tiller.
Chainsaw file for knocks.
Scraper, sandpaper, and scotchbrite to smooth things up for finishing.
I also use a tiller stick(only for sweating and during early tillering), and a pulley type tiller tree.
Darcy :)
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I make mostly board bows. But even with these, I use a hatchet to get it to near dimension. Then I use a stanley sureform to take it down to the dimensons I want (marked with pencil) and to floor tillering stage, and usually "clean it up" with my ferrier's rasp. Then I use a draw knife used as a scraper to do the fine tillering. I also use a rattail file for the nocks.
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I also like hunting my own wood. I started with a draw knive and rasp and never changed. I'm in no hurry and feel the exture work makes me feel I've put a little more heart into the bow.
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Like PatB. ;) :) :)
Pappy
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I usually use a machete for flor tillering, a knife for final tillering, and then run it through a group of sand paper.
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Pretty similar to elktracker here. Some type of saw to cut the tree, if I am harvesting my own wood.
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Hatchet or bandsaw, belt sander, disc sander, knife (for scraping and knocks) and sandpaper. In that order. Oh yeah, sometimes sinew.
Also: Heat gun, campfire, or steam.
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One method I think is pretty cool, reduces the physical labor but takes a bit of finesse and patience. Clean the sides up on a stave where you can clearly see the growth rings. Use a bunch of small wedges similar to screwdrivers in size to tap into a growth ring carefully followed the length of the bow, do this on both sides and you can pop the whitewood off of osage all the way down to the ring you want to use, cut a notch angled down at the fades on each side of the handle and use your wedges again to pop off the belly wood down to where you want it. This will give you a very accurately roughed out bow ready to tiller. You can even use the small wedges to trim the width down following the radial grain on the bow. Steve
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Wedges? Hmmmm...
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what mateirials do you use for the wedges?
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May have to try badger's idea.
I typically split out a stave with wedges. If it's a sapling, skip that part.
I tend to use a hatchet to get rough diminsions, along with a drawknife.
Following that I use a series of rasps and knife scrapers to chase a ring if I need to. Not always.
Most of the final shaping and early tillering I do with rasps and maybe a knife.
Final tillering has been done with assorted rasps. Now I'm trying out a knife scraper. See how that goes.
Sandpaper to finish off.
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One method I think is pretty cool, reduces the physical labor but takes a bit of finesse and patience. Clean the sides up on a stave where you can clearly see the growth rings. Use a bunch of small wedges similar to screwdrivers in size to tap into a growth ring carefully followed the length of the bow, do this on both sides and you can pop the whitewood off of osage all the way down to the ring you want to use, cut a notch angled down at the fades on each side of the handle and use your wedges again to pop off the belly wood down to where you want it. This will give you a very accurately roughed out bow ready to tiller. You can even use the small wedges to trim the width down following the radial grain on the bow. Steve
Must try that method on of my big black locust staves. So the growth ring is pretty much chased?