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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Bowhunting + Bows, Spears & Knives
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peter
removed


Reged: 11/04/07
Posts: 1493
Loc: denmark
selfbows
      #92583 - 25/12/07 04:12 AM

so people

are any of you off the training wheels, and if you are, do you make them yourself.

i will show you some of mine, and hopefully you will show me yours.


this one is a copy of the maglemose bow, made in hasel. pullweight 45#


this is a self bow made in yew, it was an experiment, that went fairly well. pullweight 50#

now let me see yours
peter

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AspenHill
Sponsor


Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
Re: selfbows [Re: peter]
      #92690 - 26/12/07 10:10 PM

Peter,

Wow, they look nice, do you hunt with them? How long did each take to build?

I have never made one nor shot one someone else has made. The closest I have gotten is a couple of recurves that I have. I don't really shoot them much as they are so different that my hunting bow which is a compound.

--------------------
~Ann

Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.

Aspen Hill Adventures

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peter
removed


Reged: 11/04/07
Posts: 1493
Loc: denmark
Re: selfbows [Re: AspenHill]
      #92694 - 27/12/07 01:08 AM

hi ann

yes i hunt with them every now and then. i like to do it this way, because i rely on instinctive shooting both with my guns and the bows.

the time each bow takes to make, differ a lot depending on configuration and the end user.
from 14 hours to 14 days is the normal time range per bow , but then i have to do my other jobs as well, so from start to completion usually 6 months.

a selfbow draws a lot different than a compound bow. the weight gets harder as you draw back as oppose to a compound bow where the hard part is in the first 4 inches.
so sighting has to be swift because you dont have a lot of time before your fingers fail.
(hence the little crack about training wheels as the selfbow is a lot harder to shoot good)

i have a jennings compound bow for the fun of it, but most days it lays in the barn simply because the others are just more fun to shoot.

i highly recomend the expirence, also building them is great fun and not as hard as it may seem.

if there is any idea in this i could do a quick photo run down next time i make one.

regards

peter

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26499
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: selfbows [Re: peter]
      #92706 - 27/12/07 03:16 AM

My bro and I have been making self bows for some 15 to 18 years now. We started off by buying the set of 3 "Bowyer's Bibles". With these books and the information they provide, your first bow can be successful just as our's were.
; We've used Yew, Osage (Bodark), Ash, Hickory, Oak, Lemonwood, Maple and including moose sinue backed plains Indian bows. Moose sinue is nicer to use than deer sinue, due to it's length and the amount you get from just one moose.
: Weights have run from 15 pound kid's bows to 65 pound hunting bows for large game. Styles ranged from the sinued short bows, to a full 72" at a low 53 pounds in a long maple laminate slim flat bow, to Pyramid shaped bows that were popular in the Queen Charlotte Isands of BC. Most of our bows run in the 48 to 55 pound range, 60" to 66" in length. I haven't an pictures handy right now, but will post some later.
; Time to make a bow depends on how fancy the 'customer' wants it or how we 'feel' at the time of making it. I built one "D" section Oak Cherokee bow, 68" long at 58 pounds, finished with tallow that I was shooting 4 hours after I started. Other times, I've taken 6 hours to make a bow and 2 days to apply a good weather resitant finish.
; If making bows from short staves joined at the handle, there's the epoxy curing time needed - 48 hous for a complete bond. Laminated maple or hickory backed bows require up to 40 or more clamps and 48 hours curing time, so time spent depends on the bow.
; It's a very worthwhile hobby or business if one is so inclined. Unfortunately, arthritis and other problems rear up to reduce or pevent continued bow making for some of us.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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Rustyzipper
.275 member


Reged: 20/10/03
Posts: 83
Loc: North of the Zambezi, in Miser...
Re: selfbows [Re: DarylS]
      #93097 - 01/01/08 03:47 AM

I'm not building yet. But I have thought of building the Penobscot compound bow. The one the Penobscot Indians made without training wheels centuries ago. I may get a roughed out kit form first. It is getting the right time of year to cut staves. So I may go for cutting some Bois de Arc and mulberry staves. The mulberry wood is closely related to the Bois de Arc and may be a good wood. Good luck. Rustyzipper

--------------------
NMLRA Life, NRA Annual,DRSS, .......

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Nakihunter
.375 member


Reged: 13/10/07
Posts: 588
Loc: New Zealand
Re: selfbows [Re: Rustyzipper]
      #94178 - 13/01/08 07:45 PM

This bow & arrow set was made by Khasi tribesmen from North East India. It is over 35 years old. I have had it since 1973 when a mate at university gave it to me.

The entire bow, bow string, the loops for the bow string & the arrow shafts are made from bamboo. The bow itself is made from a very strong species of bamboo that is about 8 to 12 inches in diameter. The bows are cut, shaped & then dried over the village wood fire for a season. They become extremely strong and springy. The bow string is made from the same type of bamboo - the piece is selcted with two knots at the correct lenth. The heads of the string are carved out of the knots & then the skin fibre of the bamboo is whittled out & the whole string is dried out. The loops are just twisted bamboo skin fiber. The arrows are from a different species of bamboo & are cut off at the knots. The feathers are tied on with a very intricate weave of thread. The arrow heads are barbed & North South in orientation for shooting animals with ribs that are vertical. Their war arrows (before the 1950s) had barbs with East West orientation for penetrating human ribs. The barbless arrow heads were used for shooting birds.









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Always shoot through the target & not just at it.

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DarylS
.700 member


Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26499
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...
Re: selfbows [Re: Nakihunter]
      #94195 - 14/01/08 05:31 AM

All arrows rotate in flight due, in part, to the curl of the feathers. Head orientation at release means nothing in regards to ribs or hip bones for that matter, other than that some bows shoot best with North/South fitting while others shoot better with East/West orientation. The self-bows that shoot best with vertically mounted broadheads are few indeed. Some bows don't care and are usually bows with narrow handles or cut-out arrow rest shelves.(more centreshot). Just attend the North American Long Bow Safari and note how most broadheads are mounted. The North American Long Bow Safari is a broadhead-only, animal silhouette competition.
; The feathers, even though mounted straight, are either left wing or right wing. This makes them rotate right or left. Mixing feathers from both right and left wings onone shaft would help stop the arrow from spinning but would result in an innaccurate wobbly arrow due to the 'fight' between the fletches. Broadheads need good steerage and the shaft must spin to be accurate. Most self-bows shoot best with horizontal (East/West) mounting. This is due to the width of the bow at the arrow/rest location. The arrow bends around the bow upon release. If the broadhead is mounted vertically, the flat sides of the head try to steer the shaft and disrupts accurate flight iwht most, but not all bows. Arrow shaft 'spine' is very important and more important yet, the more 'obstacals' shoved in it's path.
; Straight fletched or helically fletched arrows will impact with the broadhead vertically oriented only at a specific range, which actually changes form arrow arrow to arrow, shot to shot. Try it out at a specific range and see if the arrow always impacts with the same orientation. Straight fletched arrows spin with less rotational speed than helically fletched arrow, of course, but still spin. Release, hold and bow dynamics will vary the actual orientation at impact from shot to shot. This is another instance where theory fails - slightly.
; That is a really nice bow and arrow set to own Nakihunter - display it with pride of ownership. Any idea what the bow's poundage would be?

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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Nakihunter
.375 member


Reged: 13/10/07
Posts: 588
Loc: New Zealand
Re: selfbows [Re: DarylS]
      #94203 - 14/01/08 08:11 AM

Thanks Daryl. I am not an archer & have never tried the bow at full draw. I know that the Khasi use it on small deer & monkeys up to 30lbs weight. I have shown the bow to athlete friends & asked them to try & bend it. The bow does not flex more than a couple of inches if bent by hand. The string draw does make a big difference. I had a shorter string which required the bow to be bent a fair bit to fix the loop - that was not easy to do.

What I found amazing was the use of bamboo skin with knots at the head for a bow string. They are of course replaced regularly.

Yes, I plan to mount the bow & arrow on my gun room wall. I have just finished my rifle cabinet - I restored a Rimu wood wardrobe, Danish-oil stained the wood & lined it with green felt. Not being a technecian, I am pretty thrilled with the amature job!

--------------------
Always shoot through the target & not just at it.

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Judson
.300 member


Reged: 21/09/05
Posts: 192
Loc: St. Albans Maine U.S.A.
Re: selfbows [Re: Nakihunter]
      #96856 - 16/02/08 12:05 PM

Yes I have built many self bows, however now with R.A. I do not do as much shooting as I used to.
Now I spend most of my time building custom rifles but archery is still on my mind.
The Penobscott bow is my weakness and I have built 17 of them in several of their different styles. Researching these bows was fasinating but took several years. I did several articles for Primitive Archer magizine and we ended up on the front cover it was really great. I wish that I could shoot the way I used to but time does not allow it now as I do not work as fast as I used to but the bills remain the same. If you go to webshots I think some of my bow pictures re still there. Search for Penobscott bows I think you will find them.
Your bows look great and also the arrows, unless one builds a self bow and makes their own arrows from natural materials they do not know the work. Nor do they know the thrill of hunting with a bow and the arrows they took days to create. Nor do they know the pain of loosing one on an iffy shot at a 3D course!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAH where is it????? If any of you want info on the 6 different styles of the Penobscot bow feel free to contact me. The last version is actually Mic Mac design and the only one of the designs that was actually a war bow. It is kind of cool as the back bow is extreamly reflexed and the back bow strings slide on horn "glides and atetch close to the grip on horn knocks. If you want to contact me feel free my # is 207-938-3595

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It is the small calibers that are the biggest bores.

Edited by Judson (16/02/08 12:12 PM)

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