Beo
11-01-2007, 12:18 PM
I know this is in another thread titled "How would you make these", but we got way off point, the man asked how would you make these.
Ok, here's how to do it.
Choose a piece of wood for the bow. Find a piece of dry, dead hardwood--oak, hickory, yew, black locust, or teak for example--about 1 meter (1 yard) in length. The wood should be free of knots, twists or limbs. Green wood can be used if absolutely necessary, but it should be avoided because it does not provide the same power as dry wood. If using green wood, try for pine. It is the easiest to cut, and clean. Steel wool is usuable to clean it off but u probably don't have that so rubbing it softly on a flat rock works also.
Determine the natural curve of the stick. Every piece of wood will have a natural curve, no matter how slight. As you construct the bow, be mindful of the curve.
Shape the bow. Ideally, you will want the bow to be strong (and hence thicker) in the center. A thick center will also serve as a good handle. Using a knife or similar tool, shave wood off the inside of the curve (the side that faces behind you when shooting) on the thicker half of the stick until it has the same width and pull as the thinner half. If the stick is roughly the same diameter all along its length, you may need to shave both ends to some degree. You want the bow to end up with a thick, strong center portion flanked by two thinner, more flexible end segments of roughly the same thickness and length. Cut notches to hold the bow string. Use your knife to cut notches about 1-2 inches from each end of the bow. The notches should be in the shape of a half moon on the outside of the bow's curve. Select a bow string. The string can be made of rawhide, thin nylon rope, hemp cord, strands of cotton or silk from caterpillars, perhaps even vines or sinew. If you are stranded in the wilderness, it may be difficult to find a suitable string, and you may need to try a variety of materials before you find one that has the necessary strength. The string should not be stretchy, as the power comes from the wood, not the string.
String the bow. Attach the string to the notch at one end of the bow. It is best to wrap it around the notch a few times before knotting it off. Then bend the bow and attach the string to the other notch. The string should be taut, and you should be able to feel the tension in the string and bow as you pull the string back even slightly. To make the bowstring reusable in the even that it should break, use a slipknot on each end.
Select sticks for arrows. Arrows should be formed from the straightest sticks you can find. The wood should be dry and dead, however green wood does work if you can give it some extra time to dry out naturally, as the sap may ignite if placed over a fire to dry; each arrow should be about half as long as the bow, or as long at the bow can draw back. It does not do to have arrows that can't be pulled back to the bow's potential.Shape the arrows. You will need to whittle the wood smooth around the circumference of the arrow. You can straighten an arrow by gently heating the shaft over hot coals--do not scorch or burn the wood--and then holding the arrow straight while the wood cools. Carve a small notch at the back end of each arrow to accommodate the bow string. Construct the arrowheads. The simplest arrowhead is simply a carved point on the front of the arrow shaft. You can whittle such a point with a knife and then fire harden it by gently heating it in coals (again, be careful not to burn or scorch the wood). You can also construct an arrowhead from metal, stone, glass, or bone and attach it to the arrow's tip by notching the wood, inserting the arrowhead into the notch, and then lashing the arrowhead to the wood with some sort of string or cord.
Find some feathers to make the fletchings and glue them (if possible) onto the back ends of the arrows. If fletching is not feasible, skip this step. While fletching improves the arrow's flight, it is not necessary for a field-expedient weapon.
Hope this helps.
Beo,
Ok, here's how to do it.
Choose a piece of wood for the bow. Find a piece of dry, dead hardwood--oak, hickory, yew, black locust, or teak for example--about 1 meter (1 yard) in length. The wood should be free of knots, twists or limbs. Green wood can be used if absolutely necessary, but it should be avoided because it does not provide the same power as dry wood. If using green wood, try for pine. It is the easiest to cut, and clean. Steel wool is usuable to clean it off but u probably don't have that so rubbing it softly on a flat rock works also.
Determine the natural curve of the stick. Every piece of wood will have a natural curve, no matter how slight. As you construct the bow, be mindful of the curve.
Shape the bow. Ideally, you will want the bow to be strong (and hence thicker) in the center. A thick center will also serve as a good handle. Using a knife or similar tool, shave wood off the inside of the curve (the side that faces behind you when shooting) on the thicker half of the stick until it has the same width and pull as the thinner half. If the stick is roughly the same diameter all along its length, you may need to shave both ends to some degree. You want the bow to end up with a thick, strong center portion flanked by two thinner, more flexible end segments of roughly the same thickness and length. Cut notches to hold the bow string. Use your knife to cut notches about 1-2 inches from each end of the bow. The notches should be in the shape of a half moon on the outside of the bow's curve. Select a bow string. The string can be made of rawhide, thin nylon rope, hemp cord, strands of cotton or silk from caterpillars, perhaps even vines or sinew. If you are stranded in the wilderness, it may be difficult to find a suitable string, and you may need to try a variety of materials before you find one that has the necessary strength. The string should not be stretchy, as the power comes from the wood, not the string.
String the bow. Attach the string to the notch at one end of the bow. It is best to wrap it around the notch a few times before knotting it off. Then bend the bow and attach the string to the other notch. The string should be taut, and you should be able to feel the tension in the string and bow as you pull the string back even slightly. To make the bowstring reusable in the even that it should break, use a slipknot on each end.
Select sticks for arrows. Arrows should be formed from the straightest sticks you can find. The wood should be dry and dead, however green wood does work if you can give it some extra time to dry out naturally, as the sap may ignite if placed over a fire to dry; each arrow should be about half as long as the bow, or as long at the bow can draw back. It does not do to have arrows that can't be pulled back to the bow's potential.Shape the arrows. You will need to whittle the wood smooth around the circumference of the arrow. You can straighten an arrow by gently heating the shaft over hot coals--do not scorch or burn the wood--and then holding the arrow straight while the wood cools. Carve a small notch at the back end of each arrow to accommodate the bow string. Construct the arrowheads. The simplest arrowhead is simply a carved point on the front of the arrow shaft. You can whittle such a point with a knife and then fire harden it by gently heating it in coals (again, be careful not to burn or scorch the wood). You can also construct an arrowhead from metal, stone, glass, or bone and attach it to the arrow's tip by notching the wood, inserting the arrowhead into the notch, and then lashing the arrowhead to the wood with some sort of string or cord.
Find some feathers to make the fletchings and glue them (if possible) onto the back ends of the arrows. If fletching is not feasible, skip this step. While fletching improves the arrow's flight, it is not necessary for a field-expedient weapon.
Hope this helps.
Beo,