A bow I made a few years ago.

Very cool. Bows like that have a certain elegance modern designs can’t match.

-- Making the best of what I have!

Nice! I may pm you later, my son has been wanting to make a bow. My first attempt was …um….well….it broke!!!

-- Dave www.bluesagehues.com

So Ipe must be good under compression then eh? I am also wondering what you use for the string.

-- And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord... Colossians 3:23

I’ve been meaning to try and make one of these

Looks like fun, nice bow.

-- Mauricio - Woodstock, GA - "Confusion is the Womb of Learning, with utter conviction being it's Tomb" Prof. T.O. Nitsch

It looks like a very fine bow. I would love to know how to make one of these. Congratulations on having the skill to do this.

helluvawreck
https://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

helluvawreck,

There are a lot of good resources on how to make bows. Go to www.paleoplanet.net for a whole boat load of experts willing to share their knowledge and experience. PP also has instructions on building your first bow. Go to Main Page > Bow Building Tutorials > Tim Baker’s Your First Wooden Bow.

The Primitive Archer message board is a good place, too. http://www.primitivearcher.com/pages/community.html

Also, if you can get your hands on The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible vols I and II, you’ll be well on your way and once they have whetted your appetite you can pick up vols III and IV. There are other good resources, but “The Bibles” cover everything you need to know with methods that work; from wood selection, tool selection, string making, etc.

These are just a few of many.

Good luck!

-- "I asked my wife if I look dorky in the video below where I'm planing that long piece of wood. Her reply: "It's all dorky."" - Mitch Roberson from his blog Furnitude

I would also recommend The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible series. I have read through only the first one and it covers everything a beginner bowyer needs to know.

-- And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord... Colossians 3:23

Thanks very much for your post. I have been looking for the right inspiration to kick start a bow project. My daughter and I have enjoyed shooting those 20$ sporting good store specials, but when she took an archery class, it really highlighted how big a difference a good bow can make in satisfaction with the sport. I think that building her own (and my own of course!) bow would be a great project! I have been doing some research, and a look at your finished project has sealed the deal for me!
Thanks for sharing.
Well done.

-- Central Ohio, Still got 9 and 15/16 fingers!

Yes, Ipe is quite strong in compression. It’s also fairly cheap as a belly wood since you can get it at most places that sell decking. The string on that bow is made of B50 Dacron. I also use natural, unbleached linen for my more primitive looking bows. For the higher strained or really high weight bows (I’ve made them from 18-130#)I will use a material called FastFlight plus.

I’m glad you guys liked it.

John

-- My mom says I'm handsome.

What!? No full draw pics? You should know better. Sweet bow.

-- I was born at a very young age, as I grew up, I got older.