Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Axel on February 05, 2013, 10:34:33 pm
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I live in Arizona, and I want to try and make a bow. I've always been interested in archery and I really would like to get into it. As of now, I have no tools, no wood, and no knowledge other than what i gleamed from a few videos and discussions over the past few days. The only wood In my area (I think) that I've seen that would be any good for bow making is Juniper, and I've heard that Juniper needs to be sinew-backed or it has a tendency to explode in your hands. I also wish to make sinew string for the bow, which I have also researched into (the best source was from Jackcrafty, so I thank for your information). I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction for this project, perhaps telling me a book I need or very good videos, specific crafting techniques I will need to use, what I can do to make the bow more successful, etc.
Thank you for any help that is given,
Axel
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Axel: Chuck Loeffler is a fine bowyer out your way in Utah, I believe. He makes some of the finest sinew backed Juniper bows you'll ever see. He is a member on this forum and I believe he also has a website. You might pick his brain some.
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Axel - I am certainly not an expert at this bow building. But I have made several, and I am just finishing up a sinew backed juniper (ERC). If you are interested I could send you some pics via email - haven't figured out how to do pics here yet - new to this site. Send me a pm if you are interested.
Mitch
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You should watch the full Ed Scott videos on youtube. He makes some great sinew backed juniper bows.
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You should watch the full Ed Scott videos on youtube. He makes some great sinew backed juniper bows.
I looked him up, all I could find was his interview?
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When out looking for juniper to harvest look for clean straight branches and use the top side of the branch for your bow...and yes sinew backing juniper is the best choice for it. You could also notch out a stave from the trunk as well. You can reduce it down to near bow dimension for quick drying seeing how you have no seasoned wood,and it'll dry quicker. Junipers dry pretty quickly. First go out and find some suitable bow staves,and worry about that other stuff later when ya get there. And post your progress and pics here and folks will help you along the way. Traditional Bowyers Bible vol. I is a good book to start with to help you understand some basics.
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Axel - pics sent via email.
Mitch
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You should watch the full Ed Scott videos on youtube. He makes some great sinew backed juniper bows.
I looked him up, all I could find was his interview?
There are full length videos of him being interviewed while he is making bows. It is not a how-to video but still very cool to watch and see how he does things.
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I looked him up, all I could find was his interview?
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Ed has a website, it's called Owl bows, i believe. Good luck :)
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if you have little experience in building a bow, then start out with a basic design. no need to complicate things with sinew backings and strings, this you can add later,. if you find a suitable juniper with few knots and straight grain, you can reduce the stave toward the heartwood, but leave a good amount of the white sapwood to aid in the tension of the back of the bow. juniper is suprisingly elastic if it has some sapwood on it. once you get the basic idea for bow construction then you can add the sinew backing and string. no sense in making more work than you need. if you are worried about the bow breaking then do a rawhide backing, this will help hold it together, and is less time consuming.. on juniper it does better to have a wide flat limb profile, leave it thicker than you would think so you dont come in too light. knots are not a big deal if they are small, just fill them with superglue, it does well with steam or heat for recurves or to straighten a stave. you also dont need to worry about following a growth ring in the sapwood. cant wait to see your progress.
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A short sinew backed juniper bow would be a big bite for a first project! Advanced stuff.
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A short sinew backed juniper bow would be a big bite for a first project! Advanced stuff.
I have a tendency to jump into the harder stuff first :D
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if you have little experience in building a bow, then start out with a basic design. no need to complicate things with sinew backings and strings, this you can add later,. if you find a suitable juniper with few knots and straight grain, you can reduce the stave toward the heartwood, but leave a good amount of the white sapwood to aid in the tension of the back of the bow. juniper is suprisingly elastic if it has some sapwood on it. once you get the basic idea for bow construction then you can add the sinew backing and string. no sense in making more work than you need. if you are worried about the bow breaking then do a rawhide backing, this will help hold it together, and is less time consuming.. on juniper it does better to have a wide flat limb profile, leave it thicker than you would think so you dont come in too light. knots are not a big deal if they are small, just fill them with superglue, it does well with steam or heat for recurves or to straighten a stave. you also dont need to worry about following a growth ring in the sapwood. cant wait to see your progress.
thanks.
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HOLY COW DAVE IS ALIVE..LOL...there is some good info on here..i would do what hawk and dave said..i found out from keenan and he showed me that if you get GOOD size limbs (4'') or bigger that you will get a good ratio of heart and sap wood..western juniper is the best..i would like to find out about the reducing of wood down to bow stave..i know wood drys out fast that way BUT does juniper tend to twist and check when reduced down that much...that is my question....i finish up a juniper bow not to long ago..i might have to post it some time..john
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yes, John I am alive ;D getting the bug to start building stuff again, been a busy year. you are right juniper will twist and check if you reduce too soon. let the stave dry for a while before reducing. even then checks can develop, but once it is reduced down to bow size, filling those with CA glue seems to work well. depending on the draw length Axel wants, he may want to go a little longer than a west coast style bow, maybe 64" or so.
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Arizona has a surprising number of choices if you look at the bows made by the indigenous cultures. Oak works well if you can find a clean piece, mesquite both sinewed and not. Willow if deflexed, mountain mahogany, and maple. The catch is that most will be short with a short draw but they're plenty of fun!
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Like whostino said you should have many different options for wood in Arizona. You might have Sonoran oak in the area, that is my favorite desert wood after juniper and it bends with heat like rubber. If you're going to use juniper you could always back it with boo, Hickory or something similar. I've done many booniper bows recently and I love all of them.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,21162.msg289195.html#msg289195