I am planning on starting a wood working class for the clients I work with. We were looking through patterns the other day and we ran across this article. I thought it looked pretty interesting. I don't know scratch about making bows, so ordering a kit seems like a viable solution. Once you order the first kit and get the forms and heater box, you can then order additional bows for 120.00. I have included the link I was looking at. read and enjoy. God Bless.
 
http://www.americanwoodworker.com/

I made my first bow from a publication entitiled:

The Bent Stick by Paul Comstock.

The total cost of the bow and string was in the neighborhood of about $10.  I thought for sure that it would not work out or that it would break... it did not happen.  The wood was from a selected straight piece of wood purchased from a local cabinet maker.

I took to heart the fact that there is nothing mysterious about making a bow... unless you start messing around with fiberglass or such.

My daughter was the first beneficiary of my limited bowmaking and I filed, sanded and finished it out while sitting along the sidelines as she played soccer.

well Jay, like I said, I don't know scratch about making a bow, but I think I will definately try this. for some reason, these bows are starting to peak my interest. It is only a matter of time before I make the crossover. what are the differences between a recurve and longbow? I can order either. God bless.

The longbow is easier to make since you don't have to have forms to shape the bow... nor do you need fiberglass.

The type I prefer is the flatbow although I have a couple of longbows that were made for me.

David, if you can find the time, skip down to the local library and take a look at The Traditional Bowyer's Bible.  There are now 4 volumes but volume #1 is very interesting.  Tim Baker demonstrates that you can make a bow out of just about every wood by simply changing the design of the bow.  You can even make a bow out of Cottonwood!

Comstock's book (The Bent Stick) demonstrates that bows from thousands of years ago are really high tech.  At first they thought the bows were crude but on building a bow of exactly the same design made out of the same materials... they found it out performed modern bows.  A real eye opener.

For years we were told that only certain woods were necessary to build bows That is what we were told by bowyers.  Wrong!  It is the design (according to the type of wood) and the straightness of the grain that governs the process.

Here is an image of the 'Bowyer's Bible'... I understand there is a Volume Four and I intend to gather it in.

There's a couple of fine books by Jay Massey; Primitive Archery and The Bowyer's Craft.  Osage flatbows were his favorite.  I had the pleasure of meeting him back in the late '80s.

Nels

I'll be look'n for that book, Nels'..........We got Osage around here and
always wanted to try    hand crafting    a bow    out of that type
of material in tradition from scratch...........Maybe a project for me & my
grandson (lil' fellar)...........................................................................BH51.....

I bet you would have fun bowhunter. looking forward to seeing the end result my friend!!! God bless.

bowhunter,

Unless you're intent on cutting your own from the tree, you might find some good staves for sale as fence posts.

Where I grew up, a lot of folks didn't cut or burn it because it was hard on chainsaws and threw sparks and embers from the fireplace.  Occasionly someone would bulldoze out a hedgerow and cut the more straight trunks out for fence posts.

Nels

Everybody uses black locust for fence posts around here, abundant and
when cut in late fall or winter and allowed to season properly, last 30 yr..
Naw...got my eye on one in a hedgerow already, I'll have to throw a saw
in it, myself...got a cabinet shop...I can see it happening.....................BH51....