I'm inching closer to attempting a selfbow. For those who have made selfbows do you prefer a stave vice or a bench to sit on and hold the stave via leg pressure lever? Also, I'll be doing this in my basement, what type of lighting do you prefer? Thanks Chuck

I prefer to stand at the bench vise. I have a shaving horse but rarely use it, though it's nice to work on it outside sometimes. I have 4' led's in the shop which are quite bright, but keep an incandescent shop light near the vise and sometimes use it when chasing rings because it makes them easier to see.

I'm in the process now of building a new bench. It's an 8' long piece of bowling alley with a synthetic top surface. I got a patternmakers vise to put on it which angles, tilts, and rotates. Now just gotta build it.

I prefer a big vice. I pad mine with leather. Good light is important, but don't go too crazy having it from every angle. You want to see contours! Adjustable lighting of any sort.

Bench vice for me too. John

I don't have a shave horse. I've often wondered if I'd like one. I use a regular bench vice. I usually clamp stave by handle area as much as practical. I usually leave my handle area a good shape for clamping until the very last thing for that reason. Sometimes when I'm working on outer limb and close to tips. I have a floor Squeegee with a hollow handle. I place squeegee blade on floor and use end of hollow handle to support tip of bow.

Bjrogg

Work nice on static recurve tips.

Bjrogg

I use a woodworker's vice lined with a leather sleeve. http://traditionalarchery101.com/bowbench.html Jawge

A regular bench vise will work fine. I have a couple of stave press type vises that a friend made. They are nice for holding the bow after I get it roughed out. I prefer to stand instead of sitting while working on a bow.

Thanks for the input guys!

I use what is called a shaving mule when I want to sit and a bench vice when I am standing. Some guys just mount a bench vice on a wooden bench they can sit on. They have to build up the platform a little that the vice sits on.

Both is best.You can make a shaving horse easy enough ala cousin Roy U.

My son gave me a "stave press" from 3-Rivers last year and I highly recommend it.

My preference is standing, using a big old vise to hold the stave. I've made a number of bow benches over the years; usually donating them to the Marshall Bow Hunters for use at MoJAM. The bow bench is just a vise mounted to a heavy wood bench. Pretty handing and not hard to make. I nearly got a stave press when the fella showed up at MOJAM with several for sale. Looked like it would be right handy.

I never use my stave press unless I'm playing an away game and all I have is a picnic table to use to work on. Otherwise, I'm 100% vice user. The bigger the better. The amount of pressure put on a vice during the entire build is more than you would think. When you vice up a 72" stave and get out towards the ends you have a lot of leverage at play. Get a good vice and you wont regret it.

I prefer standing also and use a bench vise with lined jaws. I screw to the table a piece of wood that I can rotate to extend out past the edge of the table to lay the limb on to get a good stance over my work.

Something different for everyone

Same as ron and pearl.

Exactly what Pearl said.

Thanks All

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