Dire Wolf and Fred Arnold got me interested in selfbows. Who got you interested?

My five year old cousin. Neither of us knew it at the time Bjrogg

I got interested on my own, but then Dean Torges was quick to throw gas on the fire.

Jeff Durnell

Thee Roy Painter

:)

I always wanted to build one but Bob Holzhauser of Silvermans Arrow Archery, which is now closed, stoked the fire. Jawge

Robin Hood

This stone point my cousin found when he was five.

Bjrogg

His younger brother found these when he spent a lifetime of spare time searching for them.

It’s a story that wrote itself. I just took pictures and typed it into my phone. Never dreamed I would do that.

Bjrogg

I case you want to know “the rest of the story”

Had a love Paul Harvey

Bjrogg

PS first picture is pg. 2 Second picture is pg.1 I’ll see if I can find pg. 3 for anyone board enough to read it.

Last page.

“And now you know the rest of the story”

Bjrogg

I always had a love for them, but I thought there was no way I had the skill to make one. Jeff Durnell got me going with help from Pearl Drums, George Tsoukalas, Eric Krewson, Dean Torges and many other fine bowyers on this site.

The main one was Mr. Durnell,.......Thank you Jeff.

I just wish I had got started many years sooner.

I started being interested from the time I could read and my Dad made me the token strung sapling bow.

I remember cutting and splitting pretty large tree trunks when I was about 9 years old.

The interest was always there, with all things Indian.

I flirted with a wheel bow for awhile because my parents bought me a compound for a gift when I was about 13. My dad wanted to get back into bowhunting and figured I would enjoy it also.

We bowhunted pronghorn, and a guy in camp was shooting a longbow. That was in 1989, the year Trad Bowhunter Mag started up. Through it, I discovered Jay Massey, and picked up a couple of his books. I built a couple fiberglass bows.

Then during college, I cut down an ash tree and built a bow, but a sliver lifted on the back. I didn't know enough to back it or how to fix it like I would now.

Small living spaces, school and work kept me from really pursuing building for many years, but I still shot trad equipment. Once I had a workspace to build them, that's when I really started build a bunch of self bows.

I found my first arrowhead on the desert in the S W about 15 years ago and that made me want to learn how to make them so I took up knapping. After learning the knapping trade I decided I want to learn how to make a self bow and kill a deer with an arrow, bow and stone point and the rest is history.

I killed a deer with a stone point using a longbow but yet to kill one with a self bow but it ain't because I haven't tried.

I have met some mighty fine folks in the knapping and selfbow building world, B.J., Pearl Drums and the Outlaw to name a few.

I saw a crazy Snakey bow at a shoot in either South Carolina or Georgia. And said what the heck is that. Then bought some primitive archery magazines.

One of my shooting friends, Paul got me interested. All he shoots is unbacked self bows that he has made. He gave me a Hickory stave and I was able to make a working self bow in 2012, and at #63 @ 28”, it has held together, it just doesn’t shoot my arrows very fast.

John Stelly introduced me to my first selfbow, a hickory backed cherry bow.

In my forefathers blood. The idea i could make one shoot netter for me than some other person

BY

In my forefathers blood. The idea i could make one shoot netter for me than some other person

BY

Dean Torges, Hunting the Osage Bow

Joe Mattingly... he shared his love for selfbows with many people and was a key part of the original MoJam. I think about Joe every time I'm working on a bow.

Mickey Lotz

I have become interested by reading the posts on here about self bows. Thank you for the inspiration. Getting ready to take the plunge but wary it wi;; be a total disaster !!! Be safe...Des

Im cheap lol

Started shooting a recurve in 1977 (Kodiak magnum). And it was a natural progression from there. A lot of trial and error, and help from some of the above mentioned folks and the Traditional Bowyers Bible, all volumes.

My 5 year old cousin is who got me started in a very round about way. Without the help of Marc I might not have ever really found my way on this awesome journey. I can’t even name all the people who have helped me down that road.

I’m forever in debt to them and to PA for giving me a place to meet them.

Bjrogg

I traded Fred Arnold an old all wood Ben Pearson recurve for one Osage Stave. On our swap and trade thread. He sent me 3! One with a ring already chased. Two of them I’ll have to chase a ring. I fell off the self bow horse when my Ash bow broke. But I think I’m just about ready to get back on it again;) Thanks for all the help Brian.

For me it was a guy I met by chance at the hunting club that was shooting a selfbow, up to that point I had never seen one.

As soon as I got interested in selfbows I was blown away by all the printed bow building material that was coming out at the time and read everything I could find, I bought all the videos as well. Dean Torges writings influenced me greatly.

I live in an osage rich aea so I had good wood to work with from the start which made things much easier.

It was 2004 when I decided I would be archer till I could no longer pull a bow. I also decided I should make at least one bow. My glass bowyer would not help me but told me to buy the Bowyers Bible. I did and here I am. Wished I would have met the forums then. Arvin

It was 2004 when I decided I would be archer till I could no longer pull a bow. I also decided I should make at least one bow. My glass bowyer would not help me but told me to buy the Bowyers Bible. I did and here I am. Wished I would have met the forums then. Arvin

Pearldrums... JF

Same here...PearlDrums got me interested, and now I just have to prioritize my time to finish the one I started....

I got started in making wood bows, because I always wondered how proficient our natives made their bows to survive. After making eastern wood land bows, plains bows, west coast bows,etc, and with a chronograph I have a much better understanding now, and much respect for our natives. I also like working with wood. Great hobby.

All the selfbow guys on here, starting w/ Jawge, Arvin, Jeff, Pearl, and last but not least, Mr. Jim Fetrow, "Dire Wolf", may he rest in peace!

Fetro was one of the best of the best. Not only making bows. Wish I could have really got to know him. Arvin

There’s so many I’d really like to make some shavings with. I don’t think I have ever meet one I didn’t like.

Bjrogg

I met one I didn't like; I was at a big tournament at Tannehill park in Alabama, I had been making bow for a few years but wasn't great at it.

This heavyset sawed off guy came walking by with a really nicely made bamboo backed osage bow. When I saw his bow I told him "that is a great looking bamboo backed osage bow".

When I said that his face got red, his eyes bulged out about an inch and he shouted "THAT ISN'T BAMBOO IT'S TONKIN CANE"! At which point he did an about face and stomped off, I mean liderly stomped off.

I thought "what a jerk". He also didn't know squat about Tonkin cane, it doesn't get big enough to back a bow with.

Lol I never meet that guy Eric

Bjrogg

Did he not realize Tonkin is a type of bamboo?

Even if that's not what was actually on his bow.

Obviously he bought it and didn't make it.

I don't make them but i got interested in them last year by watching a couple guys shooting them on our league night. I picked up a used one and loved shooting it.planning on making a board bow this winter

Jim Hamm.

That’s a funny story Eric thanks for sharing.

A gentleman by the name of Alton Hill from Virginia is the one that sparked the light about Selfbows.

Tim Baker, Paul Comstock, John Strunk.

I don’t know about the rest of you. But I sure enjoy seeing any self bow threads. I hope some of these recent selfbow threads Will get the spark going in some of the old time self bowers and maybe ignite a spark in some new guys thinking about making a self bow.;)

I sure appreciate and enjoy them, Don.

Now I don't have to go back revisit the old threads as much... been doing that a lot lately, it's nice to go back and read posts by the old timers, many of whom no longer visit here or are no longer with us. Torges, Fetrow, Mims, DRT, Ak in Pa, pablo, Rusty Craine, and many more.

Can't say who first got me interested, but I've always wanted to make one or ten. Just recently started on a couple osage staves and a maple board bow. First osage is on the tillering rack I made in my basement, board bow is in the vice and the other osage I think I need a supervisor on. Due to time constraints and not wanting to screw up a generous guy's gift of a stave, I'm taking it slow. Probably spend more time on them after late season ends. Most likely start a thread here as a "help along" to learn and hopefully other guys will, too.

Some Osage goodness.

Great picture. Love osage..

I went to a two day class on building your own bow about ten years ago and got totally hooked. Unfortunately, I seem to get the most enthusiastic about "gathering materials", but someday I may use most of the stuff squirreled away in my garage!

Norm Blaker

Stim Wilcox

John Strunk in about 1988. I used to haul a load of yew logs down to him every winter. He'd show me all the bows he was working on in his shop. Then he made a yew selfbow and it arrived in the mail one day. :)

Eric Krewson, I had just about given up on building a bow untill I was contacted by Eric Krewson. He helped me build that first bow and I was hooked. Made a good friend in the process.

Joe Don Jones

Well the greats that Pioneered the remaking of the self bow. And the many people that they inspired along the way. And made Many friendships along the Journey. Hopefully those Who are passionate about making Selfbows Will keep that spark going and going. And Continue to pass on their knowledge and the fun that goes along with it. Like the first pioneers did. Hope you all enjoyed this thread as much as I did.

The "Warrior's Trail" cut across my grandfather's farm. We use to find all types of artifacts. Still take a day or two each year walking creeks. Was taught about my families Delaware/Cherokee (Bird Clan) lineage. Love the connection, simplicity of primitive tools.

Ishi got me started on the path, over 30 years ago now.

I was at a traditional shoot in the SE. Florida, Georgia or South Carolina I think Georgia. and saw my first one in action then years later when I had a shop to work in I bought some hand tools, bowyers bible books, Osage, Vine Maple and Hickory and started. Then 20 years ago my barn with my shop inside burned down. And I didn’t start back up til last year.

In the last 1.5 years I’ve made perhaps 25-30 and I am completely hooked. Trying to learn more with each build. The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.

That’s the cycle Jeff. I learning never stops. I haven’t had any shop time for awhile, but I’m hoping to get some soon.

Bjrogg

When I was a kid back in the '50s, any farm boy worth his salt made a bow sometime so he could play Indian. I learned how to do it right from Tim Baker and Paul Klopsteg.

Was interested in it for years, but on my search for material I came across Clay Hayes. Down the rabbit hole I went.

My interest started when I was a kid. My older brother never really shot bows, but he liked making things, including bows. We were in Boy Scouts, and in those days, the organization was focused on the outdoors. We were also fascinated with everything Indian. Skip forward 30 years, and I met Doug Rutter at a 3-D shoot. We hit it off and Doug invited me to attend the Oklahoma Selfbow Society Jamboree hosted on his family's farm. So, real answer: Doug Rutter.

Fred Humphries , Gary Davis and Stim. The old books i read from 1930’s

SS

I’m glad some of you posted pictures. That Osage darkened beautifully runner. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Jawge.

Friend in South Mississippi by name of Virgil Lewis . Made me a snakey bow and I love it. Have since lost contact with him over last few years. Good man who made many self bows for members of Alabama Society of Traditional Bowmen.

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