Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: fisher2 on May 05, 2013, 06:37:49 pm
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i know its not very primitive but im looking to take a thickness planer and make board bows as for me doing it by hand takes too danged long i would be looking to make the main board say as close to 60# as possible then i'd be adding a wood backing to bring it up 10-30#
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One of my first bows was a board bow that I had made using cherry and maple boards that had been planed down to near final size. It works quite well, but you will not completely get rid of all the hand tools. Tillering is still best done with finer hand tools like cabinet scrapers, spokeshaves, or really any sharp edge that you can drag along the surface (I know some people use old scissor blades or even skate blades).
Also for board bows, those weight expectations may be a little high for a beginner (I'm just assuming you are a beginner, if not just disregard that comment). Boards can be finicky do to their multi-ring backs and you may have better luck shooting for a 40-50 pounder.
Also, I've learned from experience (and several small explosions) that backing board bows is just good planning. I recommend it strongly.
I believe my best results came from starting with a 1/2 inch belly lam and a 1/8 inch backing strip if I remember correctly. That bow came out at 55# @ 28 inches so if you are going heavier you should beef up the belly a bit. Be sure to rough up both surfaces for the glue up because a good solid glue line is key.
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i've made 3 by handtools thus far im hoping that if i use like maple as my belly and bamboo as my backing it should hold up just fine at heavy weights
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I learned long ago that any time one thinks about grabbing something that cuts faster, stop, go have a cup of coffee and stay away from your wood until these feelings have passed.
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No, stick with hand tools until you've made several bows. I tend to shy away from using tools in a way different from the way they were meant to be used. My site has info. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/index.html
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A board already cuts enough work out for you it should be no problem using hand tools
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i know its not very primitive but im looking to take a thickness planer and make board bows as for me doing it by hand takes too danged long i would be looking to make the main board say as close to 60# as possible then i'd be adding a wood backing to bring it up 10-30#
There are no shortcuts. Tillering has to be done by hand, with patience. If you want to avoid that, make FG bows.
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I made a taper jig for a table saw I cut a taper from tip to handle fade,,,shape the bow out on a belt sander tillerd it with a sureform rasp and a scraper,,,was was shooting a 50# bow in less than an hour. I felt dirty and wierd for a week :) jeff w
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But... you still tillered it with a rasp and scraper by hand. If it only took an hour, good on you. It just means you're getting better.
It often doesn't take me more than an hour or two to tiller a bow, but that is certainly not the amount of total time it takes to make a bow from start to finish. I find I spend WAY more time finishing bows than tillering them. For me, the actual tillering is probably the least amount of actual continuous work. That would depend on the stave, of course. A challenging character stave would obviously take more time, but I can pound out a backed board bow in very little time.
With experience, you can dimension your staves to require minimal actual hand tillering. That was the one single thing that sped up my bow making. BUT... you still have to teach that wood to bend, and that requires patience and knowing what to do when.
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Building a board bow can help your muscles if you are using a hard wood such as oak, and a not-too-sharp hand plane;)
I learned that one the hard way. I made an unbacked oak bow while learning to shoot a 50#@28 F-gl@$$ recurve.
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i already shoot 80# with ease how much can a tool help my shoulder lol
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i already shoot 80# with ease how much can a tool help my shoulder lol
it might help endurance:)
Thats pretty impressive. 80 pounds with ease.
I can go to about 55 with ease, 28" draw.
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check this out http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35312.0.html
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i do 100 reps a day and 40 bale shots every 3 hours when im off and at work i keep a bowfit and on my breaks i use the safari model my entire break, its not easy but i love the challenge up upkeeping the strength to keep going higher in draw, i have a 120# warbow coming soon
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i need to buy a tablesaw haha
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Wow, I only get to shoot about 2 times a week. For like an hour.
I like warbows, but there is no way on earth I can draw one.
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i shoot for form at 5 yards every day and once a week i shoot at 10-40 yards still focused on form
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Board bows aren't quite as simple as people think!
Planer thicknessers do not leave a very good surface for gluing. They are rippled and hard. Use one to get close but then you need to make sure it's properley flat before gluing. Thick glass and sandpaper will work to flatten the surfaces and make them more accepting of glue but a drum sander is the correct machine if you want to go down that route.
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yeah i'd be using the planer to get 1/8" away or so then use the sander to finish it off