Author Topic: Tools of the trade?  (Read 20697 times)

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Offline Kitsu

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Tools of the trade?
« on: March 19, 2009, 10:15:47 am »
if you had a choice of 2-5 tools to make a bow with, what would they be (no power tools/expensive tools), please state your reasons too, this is mainly to help me learn what else to buy, (i have other tools these are what i use most :P)

the ones i couldnt live without are:
My handsaw
Pocket knife
and My hatchet

my reasons , handsaw to clean up hatcheted trees, or to cut down larger trees that i cant hatchet down in a day :P

My pocket knife because i can use it like a draw knife due to its length and i can push on end of knife and handle and use it like that, plus it is useful for shaping and other purposes.

and my hatchet for cutting down smaller trees, rough shaping my bows, splitting the log into staves, and numerous other reasons.

other tools i like that i CAN LIVE WITHOUT:
Rasp+file (for arrow notches and rough shaping and tillering)
Cheese-grater/hand-plane(dont know the real word for it but it is great for working in the handle :P)
5 lb splitting wedge (for splitting logs into staves :P)

Post your major stuff, and minor stuff, possibly prices and reasons why
"If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you build within come tumbling down
And a new world will begin" ----- Queensryche, "Silent Lucidity

R.H , Southeastern PA/Western PA.

Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2009, 10:23:11 am »
Must need:
 hatchet, knife and draw knife

Nice to have:
Swedish push knife, 4 way rasp, cooper's tools

Saves my back:
stationary, 6 x 48, belt driven sander with 40 grit paper.

I've built bows with the first 3.

Jawge
Set Happens!
If you ain't breakin' you ain't makin!

Offline Pappy

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2009, 12:02:28 pm »
Must needs
Draw knife/Farrier's rasp/Scraper/.Hatchet
Nice to have
Band saw, 4 way file /chain saw /wedges/ Nicolas 49/50 files /tiller tree/ chain saw file
I have also made several with the first 4 ,but it is sure nice not to have to anymore.
The band saws probably,if used right save the most time. :)
   Pappy
Clarksville,Tennessee
TwinOaks Bowhunters
Life is Good

Online Pat B

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2009, 12:07:40 pm »
I agree with Pappy's list!
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Kitsu

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2009, 01:19:30 pm »
ah cool, define a tillering "tree" whats the major differences between that and a tillering stick?
"If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you build within come tumbling down
And a new world will begin" ----- Queensryche, "Silent Lucidity

R.H , Southeastern PA/Western PA.

Offline stiknstring

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2009, 01:30:47 pm »
Tools I use and require....

Handsaw
Hatchet
Farriers Rasp
Knife....


I use others of course but these are what I use most....

When I first started it was just a Saw, Four Way Rasp, and a Butcher knife for scraping

Online Pat B

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2009, 01:32:01 pm »
My tiller tree...



Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline kiltedcelt

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2009, 02:29:09 pm »
I'm pretty inexperienced, but I'd say my must haves are:

Surform rasp
Nicholson file/rasp
scraper

Now, that being said, I've made a bow using those tools in the brute force manner and it ain't fun. Too much sweating. However, I don't have the space for a bandsaw so my tool kit now consists of:

Bosch jigsaw (for roughing out profile - don't use if for shaping belly though)
draw knife (for general roughing out of belly)
spokeshave (for finer roughing out)
9" smooth plane (for getting flat bows FLAT)
scraper (for tillering)

It probably takes me twice as long to make a bow as someone using more power tools (ie. bandsaw, stationary belt sander), but I do enjoy using the hand tools to work the wood and there's something satisfying about a big pile of wood curls on the floor. If I ever wanted to really make money selling bows, I'd probably get a bandsaw, but then I couldn't work inside my apartment - guess I'd need a shop then.

Offline DustinDees

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2009, 05:49:50 pm »
i made my first bow with a large tooth 3"x16" ferriers rasp and a handsaw pair of C-clamps... id say those are my must haves, id probably have to add in my dollar store scisors for scraping now that i have figured out how to get them working right.  ;D

nice to have:
bandsaw saves tons of time on shaping fades and handle
electric sander (palm variety)
tillering tree and scale

Dustin D
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's Relativit

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2009, 06:42:18 pm »
"MUST HAVE"

Journal for ideas and data

Good, large pair of scissors

Mini hacksaw

Crosscut saw

Small sledgehammer

Hatchet

Pocket knife

Swiss small rasp files

Good quality sanding paper

Pot and aluminum foil for steaming staves and shoots


Pail of water for cleaning up hide glue & water-based paint......and for dipping sinew.....as well as many other uses

Candle warmer for warming hide glue and pitch

Squeeze bottle for fish glue.....my all-time favorite.....best stuff in the world  :)

And, of course....a yardstick


"MUST HAVE" POWER TOOLS (my personal favorites)







Fan for blowing away dust, cooling things down, and drowning out the kid noises.... ;D


"MUST HAVE" ELECTRONICS

Kitchen scale (reads in pounds and ounces)

Grain scale

Chronograph



"NICE TO HAVE" POWER TOOLS





AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST..."NICE TO HAVE" BIG STUFF

Work benches

Work Shop

Work Trailer

Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

Patrick Blank
Midland, Texas
Youtube: JackCrafty, Allergic Hobbit, Patrick Blank

Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
How to Cook It?  200° for 24hrs then 275° to 500° for 4hrs (depending on type), Cool for 12hr

Offline Kitsu

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2009, 11:57:23 pm »
"MUST HAVE"

Journal for ideas and data

Good, large pair of scissors

Mini hacksaw

Crosscut saw

Small sledgehammer

Hatchet

Pocket knife

Swiss small rasp files

Good quality sanding paper

Pot and aluminum foil for steaming staves and shoots


Pail of water for cleaning up hide glue & water-based paint......and for dipping sinew.....as well as many other uses

Candle warmer for warming hide glue and pitch

Squeeze bottle for fish glue.....my all-time favorite.....best stuff in the world  :)

And, of course....a yardstick


"MUST HAVE" POWER TOOLS (my personal favorites)







Fan for blowing away dust, cooling things down, and drowning out the kid noises.... ;D


"MUST HAVE" ELECTRONICS

Kitchen scale (reads in pounds and ounces)

Grain scale

Chronograph



"NICE TO HAVE" POWER TOOLS





AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST..."NICE TO HAVE" BIG STUFF

Work benches

Work Shop

Work Trailer



if you had a choice of 2-5 tools to make a bow with, what would they be (no power tools/expensive tools), please state your reasons too, this is mainly to help me learn what else to buy, (i have other tools these are what i use most :P)

u kinda went a little overboard
"If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you build within come tumbling down
And a new world will begin" ----- Queensryche, "Silent Lucidity

R.H , Southeastern PA/Western PA.

Offline sailordad

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #11 on: March 20, 2009, 12:11:13 am »
jackcrafty may have went a little overboard but his bows are usaully sweet as all get along with all his other stuff
so ifn thats what he needs then thats what he needs

personally i dont use near that much,but then again my bows dont compare with his either.

i use a sur form,a cheap #49 rasp,chain saw file,scraper blade from a wall paper remover,micrometer

                                                              peace,
                                                                    tim
i always wanted a harley,untill it became the "thing to ride"
i ride because i love to,not to be part of the crowd

Offline Timo

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #12 on: March 20, 2009, 08:54:09 am »
A good hatchet: this could be used for alot of the work.

A vice: so many uses for bow building.

A very good rasp: The ubr 10 is the best I have ever used.(sorry but it is a bit costly)

Goose neck scraper: I use this tool all the time.

Tillering tree: This depends on how well you want your bows tillered.:)

Offline Dane

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2009, 10:24:55 am »
I can’t hone it down to just that few, but here is my list of must have tools:

Adz
Hatchet
Japanese hand saw
Farrier rasp
Spoke shave
Wood rasp
Jack plane and block plane
Cabinet scraper w/steel
Wood clamps
Work bench
Tillering tree

Critical tools:

Digital camera
1” mortising chisel and mallet
Pencils and pens
String for marking center line
Ruler
Various types of files
Oscillating belt sander
Thickness planer
Drill press
Anvil on tree stump
Tiny forge
Propane melting furnace

The thing about tools are, some can be used for different operations, but don’t force a tool to do a job it is not designed for. And some tools I use are not for bows, but for catapults and other projects. The anvil, for instance, is also nice for processing sinew, and just looks cool in my shop :)

Think of tools as investments, and try to get the best quality you can afford when you can. I always try to justify the other uses a tool will serve. Plus, they are therapeutic; after a day or week of work, using my hands is a pleasure and an escape.

Last, many hand tools can be found in antique stores or on Ebay very cheaply but very high quality. I found a superb 100 year old drawknife at a local store, and my best planes come from antique stores.

Dane
Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Kitsu

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Re: Tools of the trade?
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2009, 11:28:11 am »
ah, so i should try to go to some antique stores later then :P
"If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you build within come tumbling down
And a new world will begin" ----- Queensryche, "Silent Lucidity

R.H , Southeastern PA/Western PA.