Well... I'm buildin my own bow...

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I am working a 20 hour shift, so I'm taking an hour for lunch and researching how to make a long bow. I have decided to buy some red oak and give it a shot. I will post pics as I go, and would appreciate any tips. I will be using poorfolkbows.com as my guide. I am not a wood worker by any means, but I really hope I can build a pig killer with enough time and effort... This trad thing is addicting

[ABroussard]

Good luck! Post pictures along the way

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I will. I'm kinda wonderin how on earth I'm ever goin to make a bow function, but I guess it can't hurt to try

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What do you guys use for backing? I'm not going to spend a lot, because I don't want to waste money if the bow ends up breaking because I don't know what I'm doing...

[SamHarper]

Go to the women's pants section of Goodwill and find some 100% linen pants. You can sometimes get them for $2, and one pair of pants will back a few bows. Apply it with Titebond III.

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Go to the women's pants section of Goodwill and find some 100% linen pants. You can sometimes get them for $2, and one pair of pants will back a few bows. Apply it with Titebond III.

Thanks! Btw, I'll be following your build along to make my bows. I hope that I can get the tiller thing down without too much frustration...

[Selfbowman]

I have built some without backing. Pearson built hundreds. The grain has to be straight though.

[AJMag]

One of mine I built using paper bag for backing. Bought a pack of those lawn trimming bags for home depot because they;re big enough to cover the limbs and splice at the handle, and you'd never see it with some kind of grip material. Plus you can draw or paint all over it without any fabric imprint showing, or it somewhat matches the wood color if left alone.
Just make sure you get a piece of wood with a clean and straight grain, as said above. A good rasp is nice, and decent cabinet scrapers help a lot with tillering. Just take tillering slow.

[SamHarper]

Thanks! Btw, I'll be following your build along to make my bows. I hope that I can get the tiller thing down without too much frustration...

Make yourself a "tillering gizmo." It makes tillering practically idiot proof. Here's how to make one and use it:

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/TF/lw/thread2.cfm?forum=23&threadid=195108&messages=38&CATEGORY=4

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Hey Sam, can you just use a belt sander to do the filleting after you rough it out?

[SamHarper]

Filleting? You mean tillering? Yes, I use the belt sander to tiller. Another thing I sometimes do because it gives me more control is wrap some sand paper or emery cloth around a piece of wood and use that to tiller. If you need to remove wood from small areas, that method works really well. You can also use cabinet scrapers, and that reduces the amount of sanding you have to at the end. I usually tiller my bows around 2 or 3 lbs over the final target weight because I figure after sanding and shooting in, it'll lose 2 or 3 lbs and hit my target weight. And if it doesn't, I don't mind being a pound or two off.

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Filleting? You mean tillering? Yes, I use the belt sander to tiller. Another thing I sometimes do because it gives me more control is wrap some sand paper or emery cloth around a piece of wood and use that to tiller. If you need to remove wood from small areas, that method works really well. You can also use cabinet scrapers, and that reduces the amount of sanding you have to at the end. I usually tiller my bows around 2 or 3 lbs over the final target weight because I figure after sanding and shooting in, it'll lose 2 or 3 lbs and hit my target weight. And if it doesn't, I don't mind being a pound or two off.

Yea, I typed tillering... Stupid auto correct

[M.E.B.]

I know a guy who buys silk ties at Goodwill for backing.

20 hr shifts! I'd be napping.

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So I'm thinking of goin with a 66" longbow.... Is that too short???

[Bisch]

So I'm thinking of goin with a 66" longbow.... Is that too short???

Not unless your draw length is like 32" or more!

Bisch