PDA

View Full Version : Survival Bow



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,

FVR
11-01-2007, 08:55 PM
All throughout time, from English archers to a variety of clans to the American Indian, there have always been those special bowyers and arrowsmiths in the group. These were the men who made the bows for all, as did the arrowsmiths.

I've read many articles on survival bows, all leave out one main point, bows fail. To make a good bow, it's going to take alot of time and effort. Then you need to make an arrow. Magazine writers have months and years to put their articles together to make them sound so simple and easy.

You want an easy bow, gather a variety of lengths of 3/8" bamboo, pref. dried but green will do. Lay them out, bundle all the long ones together, then bundle up the second longest, until you have all these bundles.

Then tie them all together, kind of like a leaf spring, making sure you really tie the ends off. Make a string out of vines or twisted hemp and string it up.

Grab a few more pieces of bamboo for arrows.

Whittle in a nock or "V" right after a node, then cut to length and slice a point onto it. Oneside slice, then take the arrow and heat over a flame. Watch out as the bamboo gets hot. Take this opp. to straighten the arrow.

You can use sturdy leaves as fletching, but chances are you won't need them. This bow is a close to the critter hunting weapon. It will prob. pull in the 25 to 35lb category, enough to stick a rabbit, but have many arrows ready as rabbits usually run when they get hit. Don't expect to shoot a deer or any critter that may decide to let you know how unhappy it is to have a dart sticking out of it.

In the time that I had to use to make this bow and arrows, I could have made a few sturdy spears, gathered enough greens to make a good salad, and set a half dozen snares.

I have one of these bows downstairs, made it years ago. Nice thing about it is when it takes a set, just string it the other way. Would I hunt with it, no.

MedicineWolf
11-09-2007, 11:23 PM
Hey Beowulf, if you can make this why you need help making a self bow, samething with more detail. :D... lol... :D

FVR
11-13-2007, 08:39 PM
Tim Baker on Paleo just made a bamboo bow. Little short nodes in, bamboo bow. I've always wanted to try this, but never quite found the right piece of bamboo. Stopped looking after awhile. May just start looking again.

FVR
11-13-2007, 08:45 PM
MedicineWolf,

Here are a few pics of a couple pony recurves I made a few years back. I went through the short recurve period in my life.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/horse3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/horse4.jpg

Top bow is a 48" osage backed with sinew. Donated this one to the St. Judes auction. Made a sister to it, but sold it to a Dr. up in Pennsy.

The bottom bow is a 50" sinew backed elm bow. 55lbs at 27", still have it on my wall.

Here are a few other pics of the elm.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/horse2.jpg

Decided to make it with a little static.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/FrankV/horse1.jpg

Sinew backing. The bow had 17" of backset when I first made it. Had to use pillows and two cinderblocks to string it. High stress strining.

trax
11-13-2007, 09:18 PM
that's damn fine work FVR, a lot of the workmanship I've seen on this site is really and truly impressive.

FVR
11-13-2007, 09:26 PM
Thank you, Trax.

trax
11-13-2007, 09:40 PM
Hey man, your very welcome. I couldn't make a bow like that on my best day, now gun repair.....

Strider
11-13-2007, 10:08 PM
MedicineWolf,

Here are a few pics of a couple pony recurves I made a few years back. I went through the short recurve period in my life.




Top bow is a 48" osage backed with sinew. Donated this one to the St. Judes auction. Made a sister to it, but sold it to a Dr. up in Pennsy.

The bottom bow is a 50" sinew backed elm bow. 55lbs at 27", still have it on my wall.

Here are a few other pics of the elm.


Decided to make it with a little static.



Sinew backing. The bow had 17" of backset when I first made it. Had to use pillows and two cinderblocks to string it. High stress strining.




dude, thats awesome... the bows look great... hand carved:D and all, i wouldntve believed it... thats very nice work, m8:D

Beo
11-14-2007, 10:09 AM
FVR..... dude what can I say... those bows are awesome.
That is why I'll be picking your brain on how to make a self bow, don't let Medicine Wolf
fool you, he loves the bows as he's a real bow man himself. He ain't reply to this thread yet cause he's in awe.
Freak'n great bows Bro.

RobertRogers
11-14-2007, 10:23 AM
I am very impressed with your workmanship!

Beo
11-14-2007, 07:32 PM
My first try will be self made longbow, this winter, well it is winter but it ain't cold yet. Once the cold sets in and things slow down.

FVR
11-14-2007, 09:24 PM
I have two on the table now and I'm walking three gents through making horn bows on the net.

Broke a nice elm English style longbow awhile back. I dried it out too much. That one hurt, but you get use to it.

One almost completed is a 60" osage backed with sinew (of course), making this for a friend. The second was what looked to be a perfectly straight osage stave. Well, when I started scraping off the sapwood, it's not quite as straight as I would have thought. Matter of fact, it's down right snaky, which just happens to be how I like them.

Have a few other staves that are at diff. stages; one is a hickory that I'm waiting for my brother to send me a bow I made him 10 years back. One of the bows I made him was of a short piece of hickory, wide and backed with sinew. The bow is short and very powerful, but I did not write down the dimensions. As soon as I get the bow, I will be making a duplicate.

Have a nice osage slat that is being saved for a horn bow. May take awhile, but hey, I'm not going anywhere fast.


If any of ya'll need help, just email or call.

STB
11-15-2007, 06:33 PM
FVR im still in aww how good those bows are. me and a friend made a couple of little dinky ones as kids. But those look better then most bows you by. I have soo many questions i dont know where to start....what the heck do i start with!? id like to make a bow, would not expect anyhitng that good, but want to learn what should i start with? Any advise and what to do would be great.
thanks
andrew

FVR
11-15-2007, 11:02 PM
First ya need the wood. I would rec. hickory as you can violate a ring or two and hickory can take it.

You need a piece that is about 75" long, let's say ya want a 70" longbow, which would be a good start.

If you have a hardwood lumber store, you are in luck. They sell boards that are 70 plus inches, and 6" wide, (thats three bows).

You want a board that has straight running grain, no nots, look at the side of the board, the 1" part, follow the grain from one end to the other. Try to find a board that has the grain running right straight down the side, not fading off the front or back.

Once you get the wood, it's drawing or laying out the bow, then slowly roughing out the bow, then tillering down the limbs.

Trad. bowyers bible I is a great ref. and a must for selfbowyers.

STB
11-16-2007, 07:02 PM
Now im on the hunt for that book! What about making it from only wood in the bush? without buying the peice of wood from a lumber yard?

FVR
11-16-2007, 07:24 PM
I can do that, but for a first time bow builder it may be too much. Think, you find a nice hickory tree, cut it down, split it into 2 or 4 staves, seal the ends, let dry for 6 months. Then you split it again, find a ring for the back, rough out the stave, then start finishing by tillering.

Like anything you need to start from the beginning and get the basics. Too many go out back, cut down a tree to make a bow, put it in a pile and that is where the tree / stave stays.

Bowyers Bible 1 is a must. I prefer Reginald Laubins Indian Archery, but then I made alot of mistakes and broke alot of bows. Laubins book is awsome, but it does not go into the basics like BB1.

To make a good bow, it's going to take time. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it. It's not easy, especially if you don't have power tools. I don't use power tools, prim. thing, you can understand.

Wait till you start making arrows. You put 6 maybe 7 hours into an arrow, then you miss and can't find it. I would rather lose 6 aluminum arrows than one handmade self arrow.

Beo
11-16-2007, 07:54 PM
Damn now ya made me wanna go and switch projects and try my hand at a self bow now, damn damn damn, FVR, heading to 84 lumber tomorrow morning.

FVR
11-16-2007, 08:14 PM
I've spent many hours looking through boards at the local lumber and hardwood lumber stores.

If you are lucky, you can find a nice piece of red oak at Lowes or HD, but ya have to be real lucky. Red oak boards, I'd back.

FVR
11-16-2007, 08:16 PM
Read this prior to venturing out to get a board for a bow.

George is a member here and visits every now and then. Now he can make a bow.http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/boards.html