Nice huh any input would welcome. thanks Matt

looks like the tiller needs to be better and maybe a little backing.

Those are looonnngg handles, the longer the handle the more the limbs have to work. Try a 4 1/2" handle with 1 1/2" fades and back those bows.

well I think it might be more the wood on some of the breaks,, it looks like the grain might not have been so good,,

Ok it looks like it might be ash,,,, could you try hickory,, oak,, or red oak,,,,,,

try a board with the edge grain going from top to bottom,, pretty straight...

no need to make a handle section at first... just see if you can get it to bend even...leave the handle wide for now.. once you get some shooting bows you can refine the design,,,

when you get it to start bending post pics so we can see how its going...with a good piece of wood you can do it for sure,

Make sure you work in the fibers of the wood real good and often by flexing the bow wood,if you get in to big of a hurry that can easly happen . And sometimes grain run off can be the guilty culprit. I your a beginner this is expected to happen.When I started I broke more than half of the bows I made until my skills improved I have even had bad runs where 3 or 4 would bust in a row. Dont give up just figure out what your doing wrong and learn from it. There will be times it seems they break for no reason sometimes theres just an unseen imperfection in the wood but thats part of the game.Dont let it get you down.Go back to your Bowyers bible and your bow making dvds and try again.Good Luck.

Matt - it looks like you do a good job of laying out the limbs, and shaping them as well. I agree with SteveCo - shorten up the handle section and get your limbs bending gradually - take plenty of time and remove small slivers of wood from the belly when you get it bending. Trying to pull it too far before it's ready will likely blow a board bow every time - happened to me!! Don't be afraid to thin your tips some too. Check out some of the board bow links like "Jawges". That will help a lot. Most of all - don't get too frustrated and give up - you'll get a shooter. Have some fun with it - Good Luck !!

Tell us more about where you have looked for instruction already. Have you seen this: http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/brdbows.html

what does the non working section of your bows measure from fade out to fade out ? I have found 10" to work pretty good. Also make sure you floor tiller before even putting it on the tiller tree. And every time you shave wood off bow make sure you flex it 30 times or so before you draw it farther. I'm no expert but these things seem to make a difference for me.

If you read Jawges site and Sam Harpers site and gain all there is to digest there you should be able to get a working bow with your very first try.

I've got a collection like that...

You can't narrow the handle on a 3/4 inch thick board. Thanks, gameslayer. Jawge http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/

the three g's 1) grain: get a good grain, 2)go slow: tiller slow, scrape little ,flex/bend often,3) gaze :look often and closely. hope this helps. irondawg(kevin)

Yes shorten up your handles.And either learn to bach your bows or start getting staves.Do the last part and and the fire in the old stove will go out. I was taught that board bows are a good cheap way to start learning.

read Tim Bakers "first bow" and you will have a bow in one afternoon. I have made lots with home depot oak 1x2 x 6' long. don't narrow the handle till you make your second bow. the widest part of a english longbow is the handle. If you can't find the "first bow" let me know and I'll send it to you

http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/brdbows.html

Check that link out. It's to The Ferrets board bow instructions. It's a bit better layout than the one you are using. These instructions make both limbs the same length, but you can easily shift the grip down toward the bottom limb an inch if you want.

thanks for the input guys i will put it to use.

I have two bows just like yours, blew at the fades just like yours. I think the qwood was too dry or I got in a hurry too much db

I really second the idea of not making a handle till your second bow.. keep it as simple as possible at first..

This one made me laugh

Remember, "If you ain't breakin, you ain't makin!" Lol. At least at first;-)

I know this is an eight year old thread. My old site listed above is defunct. But I transferred Mickey's Board Bow instructions to my newish site. In case anyone wonders why the one above doesn't work.

http://sticknstring.webs.com/ferretsboardbow.htm

Finding a real nice piece of wood is the first step. Great instruction and support here, I ended up backing my board bow with heavy brown paper, because of the run offs, I was lucky , but again had great advice during the tillering process. Thanks George, and others.

Welcome, Tracker. That first bow is so sweet.

I know this is an old thread but the same advice applies for your first bow using boards.

Choose straight grained stock. Do not glue on a handle. Let the handle bend. Do not narrow.

There is a build along on my site. You can narrow to 1 3/8" to get a 45# bow if you tiller correctly.

The url has changed several times since this thread.

http://traditionalarchery101.com

Jawge

trappermatt was my old handle.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here