OT- Archery- making a bow

[shooter]

I don't know if any of y'all know anything about bowyery or not, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm making a selfbow, a longbow, and it's my first try at anything like this. I've shaped it, and I'm ready to start the tillering process. I want to back it with fiberglass. Do I tiller it, back it, and tiller again, or to I back it first and then tiller? Any help is appreciated. I've tried the Bowyer's Den forum, but activity over there is sporatic, so I thought I'd post the question to y'all, who seem to have a large knowledge base about a lot of different topics.

[Hobie]

If you ask me, and I'm no expert, you have a rough idea of tiller before you back it but don't/can't tiller it until it is backed. I'm sure there are as many techniques as there are bowyers...

[20cows]

Many moons ago I tried making one following directions I fond in a book written by Howard Hill. I found the book in a public library.

The technique was right, but my bowstave had a twisted grain and broke during the tillering process. I made several laminated bows after that experience. Someday I'll try another selfbow, but I have too much else on the plate as it is.

The quality of the stave is super important.

[bsaride]

I have a number of books on the subject but haven't tried it yet.
I would tiller it to about 5 lbs less than target weight, then loose
a couple pounds in finish sanding, gain them back with the backing,
then apply finish and grip.

I think I got that right. I can go look it up if necessary.

Jay

[TomD]

How much glass we talking, pathetic drywall, boatglass, or real archery stuff. In first two cases you can go either way, but normally one tillers the bow and backs it afterwards. These kinds of backing don't add much or any draw weight, they hold fibers down from lifting which can make the bow a lot more durable. With real glass backing you probably need some on the face also, otherwise it will tend to overpower, and promote warping in the wood. When you do the tapered lam thing and add glass the bow is somewhat tillered on the form, and the final tillering has to be done delicately since it can be overdone without care.

[JerryB]

The book I have does not mention tillering in the chapter on backing. I reckon that I would tiller it pretty close like Hobie said and then do the backing. After that is done any more tillering that is needed would probably have to come off the belly of the bow or could you work the glass down? I have never considered rawhide backing here in Arkansaw because of the humidity. I would like to know how your bow comes out, post some photos of it when you are finished with it.

[shooter]

Thanks guys. I planned on doing most of the tiller before putting the backing on, but I guess I just needed some reassurance. For those of you that are wondering, I'm planning on backing it with drywall tape. Not for added draw weight or anything, but hopefully to help keep the bow from developing splinters. It's my first one and I don't want to get too fancy. If I do ok with this one I may get more expensive and fancy with the next one. I'm trying to do this one as cheap as possible. I'll get some pics up soon.

[Bruce]

Shooter,

I have built many self bows, mostly from Osage Orange, but a few from hickory. I have also had the rare opportunity to handle and measure some of Howard Hills personal bows (from his family and a collector) and have built a few to his method/dimensions.

If you are serious about this, I recommend that you at least get all three volumes of the The Traditional Bowyers Bible. If you can, find someone with experience in building them and it will save you lots of mistakes. Also, I am not sure where you are from, but here in the SE there are numerous statewide traditional archery clubs where you can go and get alot of education. The Traditional Bowhunters of Florida are acutally holding their summer shoot in Ocala today through this weekend.

I am not familiar with the drywall tape, so I can not comment on it. I have backed bows with "other" woods, sinew and rawhide. Backing a bow can become very time consuming and the proper glues are very important. I doubt that a tape backing will provide very much protection. You don't mention the type of wood you used and if you followed the grain on the back or just cut it flat. If you did anything other than follow the grain, you will have to back it. As stated in an earlier post, putting fiberglass on just the back can be tricking and can cause the belly wood to compress. You can rough tiller then back it, but backing it first is the way I preferred.

Two very important things: The moisture content in the wood must be correct and stay that way once you start tillering. A correct sealing finish (properly applied) is a must.

Finally, I highly recommend bamboo as a backing for self bows.

[Rusty]

You might try going to http://www.tradbow.com they have several forums topics there with information on building. I've never tried building a bow myself except for an oak flatbow I tried once and that one didn't last very long. It broke during the tillering process. I'd do some tillering pretty soon before I put too much work into it in case there's a problem with the stave.


You might also try http://www.stickbow.com


Sorry... Tradbow was what I meant.

[Nath]

www.tradgang is very resoucefull too

Nath.

[Hobie]

There are now four (4) volumes to the Traditional Bowyers Bible series. This is something else I've been trying to get time to do.

[ceb]

I made my living for 5yrs in the late 80's and early 90's building laminated longbows and recurves, sold them all over the world. Having said that, selfbows are all together different. I've made a few, but am far from expert. Most that I have built have been osage where you follow a single grain line through out the bow. You can back these or not. Others have been hickory, where you simply peel the bark and there is the back of your bow. The backing is there to protect the bow and sometimes as in the case of using sinew you can gain a few pounds. If the primary purpose you have is to keep splinters from lifting on your bow, the tillering process itself can do that. I would rough cut the bow to shape and then glue on my backing before I put the tillering string on.

I also highly recommend the books that have been mentioned. The Tradgang.com site is the best out there!

[Batman1939]

Try googling "primitive technology". There are numerous sites there that provide information on bow-making (as well as making arrows).

You'll have to look through several to decide what suggestions to follow.

[donw]

if you choose to laminate using glass, use the archery glass...www.binghamprojects.com is one source.

you have a world of archery out there that will stun you once you get into it.

making your own bow is not difficult, mostly time consuming and can be expensive. my last one cost nearly $200.00 after all was done.

tillering a wood bow differs little from tillering a laminated bow in that the glass is the more determining factor of the poundage. width, length, thickness, taper etc all are determining factors. the design is also instrumental...ELB? reflex/deflex? flatbow? "D" bow? pyramid bow? the list goes on...the tillering of an all wood bow is to determine that both limbs work together at a given draw length. most laminated glass bows will be very close to being correct tiller right out of the form if done correctly. some adjusment may be done by slightly sanding the correct surface(s) such as adjusting for "three under" release.

as said earlier...tradbow.com, stickbow.com, tradtalk.com, bowyersden.com all provide excellent resources for "building your own"...stickbow has a section dedicated expressly to self/build it yourself. also look to "traditional bowhunter" magazine and "primative archer" magazine. they're great sources, too.