Anybody build Longbows or Recurves?

[Random 8]

My work gets very slow in springtime due to road restrictions, and I often have a lot of time to kill while watching the maple sap boil (my other spring pastime).

I've often thought about making a bow from scratch.

This particular one will be more of an experiment in the process. Not trying to make something to kill deer with, just a functional bow that will sling an arrow in a relatively repeatable manner with a useful velocity for some target practice in the yard.

Not looking to buy any materials. As far a local woods, I have Ash (green and black), buckthorn, walnut, cherry, black spruce, birch. These come to mind as being relatively strong, springy and resilient, or easy to work for a riser, etc., but anything that grows in MN would be in play if there are better options.

 

[kBob]

You might look into finding a BSA merit badge booklet on archery from the 1950's. it may have the information you are seeking. My uncle made his own self bow, string, and arrows around 1959.

-kBob

edit PS
Just hopped over to e bay and found a copyright 1941 that was still in print in 1960. No guarentees on what you will find but at under $20 you won't loose much if nothing of value to you or it may be a gold mine

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I build selfbows, which is just the "technical" term for a solid wood un-backed bow. Of the woods that you list the ash is the best choice but the wood needs to season for at least a year after being cut. Some other woods up your way that are good would be hickory and hop horn beam,AKA-ironwood.
I would heartily recommend you buy and read Volumes 1+2 of The Traditional Bowyers Bible. 3 and 4 also have good info but the first two will teach you what you'll need to start.
There are gatherings of bow makers in various parts of the country where you can learn from guys who make bows. There's one in Oklahoma next weekend near Stillwater called OJAM, Marshall, Mi. hosts one Memorial Day weekend and the one in July called Mojam in Marshall Mo.
It's a fun hobby and shooting a bow that you made is very satisfying.

 

[earlthegoat2]

If your making a laminated bow, the wood species does not matter much as the fiberglass (or sometimes carbon fiber) backing really does all the work. At that point you just need a suitable wood for the riser purely based on strength and aesthetics.

Just saw your not looking to buy materials but your options are really limited.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I built a pretty nice 45# canvas-backed red oak longbow using instructions I found in copies of http://www.primitivearcher.com/ .
It has held up to occasional use for over five years.

 

[Speedo66]

I've read Native Americans highly prized osage orange, aka hedge apple, for their bows.

 

[Gordon]

My son builds bows .Over the years he has moved to specialized in his adaption of the Mongolian horse bow. He gets amazing velocity out of them. In the corner of my room is one he built me ,along with the first bow he built.

 

[Gordon]

 

[Gordon]

 

[MihiT]

Just saw your not looking to buy materials but your options are really limited.

Fibreglass, invented 1938.
Wood, invented...


I made one a few years back, saw a stick that had the recurve shape and thought "I'll have that".
Shaped it all out nicely, tillered it. Scraped flax (plant fibre) and hand spun my own string, Some cattlehorn on the tips.
It ended up being 20lb draw (the stick was only about 1 1/2" diameter) worked well for a while, then it snapped.

You can get as simple or complex as you like with it. I will revisit it again when I feel like it, I'd really like to make a gakgung (reflex bow as used by Korean horseback archers)