The DIY traditional bow thread.

[lucky33]

I decided to go traditional this year, and to add a twist I will craft my own bow.  For  this project I will use only four hand tools, a plane, a farriers rasp, a half round rasp, and a draw knife.  I dont have any pictures until now unfortunately, however this is where Im at now.  I have roughed out the handle and arrow rest.  I drew lines for center shot and have done everything until now with the half round rasp.  I dont really have much of a work space, so most of this has been accomplished in the kitchen, to my wifes dismay.  Last nite i was able to feel the first indications of flex in the bow, and Ive only got about 15 hours into it so far.  This bow is being made from a 2x4 solid maple stave, and I will laminate the back of the bow with black fiberglass.  When I started I didnt really have much of an idea of what I wanted, so most of the work has been by feel.  Using only hand tools forces accuracy and tight tolerances.  I have decided on a reflex-deflex design, and I will be updating this thread frequently.  This is not my first bow, however I plan to use this next season so much stock is being put on the construction and design. The stave measured 58'' and I am aiming for 55 # of draw. 

[boneaddict]

Following along    Nice project

[superdown]

looks good so far 

[Holg3107]

tagging to follow. Looks great so far!

[724wd]

REALLY cool project!  have you perused over at piratesofarchery?  lots of awesome info over there.

[lucky33]

Ive been through lot of sites and info on the net. Ive made bows for sometime, but never really something I would bet a whole hunting season on.  Wood is one medium Ive been able work in well.  So far its going great. Tomorrow perhaps I will start the heat bending process.  I will add lot of pics through out the project.     The fact that Im using hand tools makes for lots of blisters and slow going, but Im stubbornly resisting the urge to use power tools to remove the brunt of excess wood 

[Smossy]

Ive been through lot of sites and info on the net. Ive made bows for sometime, but never really something I would bet a whole hunting season on.  Wood is one medium Ive been able work in well.  So far its going great. Tomorrow perhaps I will start the heat bending process.  I will add lot of pics through out the project.     The fact that Im using hand tools makes for lots of blisters and slow going, but Im stubbornly resisting the urge to use power tools to remove the brunt of excess wood 

Nothing wrong with that, they did have power tools back in the day either your doing a real traditional bow. Goodluck with it and it looks great.

[MLBowhunting]

I am watching also.  Very cool

[Swannytheswan]

tagged looks very interesting!

[carpsniperg2]

Looks very nice! Traditional archery will give you a warm and fuzzy filling. Just something about it that everyone should feel. I have taken many animals with a lot of different bows. Every time I pick up a long bow or recurve I get that warm feeling. Plus when you have taken your first animal with it all those hours will make it all the more special.

Now I am not a wood worker. If you ever want a stone head to put on the end of your arrow look me up. I can knap pretty well and would be happy to see one of my heads put to good use

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Best of luck to you. I hunted trad for 3 years and had a lot of fun. I took a small buck, 2 turkeys, a coyote and several small game. Unfortunately, I am just not blessed with the ability to make a good shot consistently. It was a term that was hard to deal with, but I had to revert back to a wheel bow as an ethics choice. I have $3000.00 worth of quality wood hanging on my bow rack LOL.

[Wanttohuntmore]

This is something I'd like to do.  Keep up with the photos and explanations of the process.  Good luck!

[shadowless_nite]

Awesome thread. I just finished my first bow myself as a history project for school. I did the board bow method and it worked out great other than I thinned it too much so it virtually has no poundage but it makes a great wall piece and I got a A on the project lol. Im hoping to try again when I have time and not make the same mistakes. Good luck! btw what kind of wood are you using?

[lucky33]

Well the limbs are starting to flex and it is really taking shape now.  As you can see in the picture the bottom limb has relaxed and the bottom two-third has ran off about 5/16'' inward. This will have to be corrected before I deflex the limbs. The draw knife, plane and farrier's rasp all belonged to my great-grandfather, and Im sure many interesting things were made with them.  I cant seem to find the picture so Ill post it tomorrow.

About the stave. The piece of maple Im working came out of a 4''x8''x14' beam, stamped at the sawmill as ''hard rock maple''.  It is truly hard as a rock. Planer blades chip and dull, the draw knife needs constant sharpening, and the rasp is always clogged.  To add to it all the stave has sat in a shed for 20 years, and has seasoned to the consistancy of concrete  .  It was a gift from my father.  I will continue with just the four tools until I have come along a bit farther.  Once the limbs are planed down farther I will start the heat bending process, but for now it is still slow going.  I work on it every spare moment and I have 18 hours invested in the project at this point in time.

[lucky33]

Looks very nice! Traditional archery will give you a warm and fuzzy filling. Just something about it that everyone should feel. I have taken many animals with a lot of different bows. Every time I pick up a long bow or recurve I get that warm feeling. Plus when you have taken your first animal with it all those hours will make it all the more special.

Now I am not a wood worker. If you ever want a stone head to put on the end of your arrow look me up. I can knap pretty well and would be happy to see one of my heads put to good use

  I would be interested.  I am quite fond of stone heads and would love to put one to use in a small game hunt.