Hey Tom, firstly I want to say that I have enjoyed watching your videos about this stone aged self bow. I am making one atm from Birch and I have to say when it was wet like it is atm it started to form very nicely and after day two I started on the tilering at the handle to set a width point and am now currently waiting for it to dry out a bit before I go at it again as the spoke is starting to jump when I shave it. Is it a good idea in your experiance to leave it to dry before continuing?
i cut a sapling about 3 months ago and the temp has been about 30-50 degrees outside, do you think the bow is seasoned enough? will it gain more weight?
That's hard to say. Is the sapling still in one piece with the bark on? Or did you start making a bow out of it already. If you haven't started making a bow out of it, I would start to reduce it down to bow dimensions bending it against the ground to "floor tiller" the piece as you go. When I got near finished looking bow dimensions, I'd weight the piece somehow and then let it sit for a week or two and weight it again. When it stays the same weight 4 about a week, it's probably ready. Tom
I am trying to make a bow with a piece of oak. I am not sure if oak is a good wood or not. It started to crack up on me pretty good. Is there anything I can do to counteract that or is it gone for good?
you want the bow to bend evenly, so that the stress of bending is evenly distributed, because we want the energy of the draw to store it's self to an area as large as possible.
You acn leave some stiff spots on the bow by leaving more wood there.
the wood I used for this bow was California Walnut. There's lots of other wood to use: Oak, elm, hickory, ash, walnut, and a real lot more I can't think of now.
about 1 to 2 inches, depending on the bow length. if the bow is longer, it can be bent more. if it is shorter, it is more stiff. just use what feels right.
your a cool guy, seem really intelligent. archery is my passion, but i dont own a proper bow, i made a survival bow out of bamboo, and its not very strong, and my arrows are self made but i LOVE shooting. i plan to buy one soon, seeing this video is really awsome! keep up the good work! *and bows*
You people are way to kind. I'm just a hack making bows. I don't sell anything, but am more than willing to help people make their own bows and arrows. If you want to learn to make bows, check out the "Bowyer's Bible" series of books. I have chapter in the most recent book in the series - A Copper Age Bow"
I gave all chapters 5 stars, I have made my own bows (with todays tools) since 1990. I have to say your way was very cool to watch. How long have you been doing this??
what about using charcoal instead of the pencil? in the bowyersbible 2 theres a chapter about making a stone age bow. he ties a loop around the limb opposite to the one hes working on and puts his foot in it. that would make it really stoneage doesnt it? i love your vid, its possible im looking for a stick while ur answering me, because your bows have alot more character than my board bows. about the stick, how thick was it? is a 2inch stick wide enough? greets nick
I agree brother. There are several reasons why I chose to use the shaving horse. I'd talked a bit about that issue in the 2nd chapter of the video (where I admitted it was "cheating" a bit).
Primarily, it was because the purpose was to experiment using stone woodworking tools for sake of personal learning experience, and not to actually recreate full-on stone age means and methods. (to be continued below)
There are several techniques to hold the work that I might have employed had I been able to do the work in a woodlot rather than in my surburban back yard. I don't believe I have sufficient space here to explain. Apologies for my sarcastic reply above. Cheers.
This is awesome, I'm going to be using this to make a board bow soon. I got a question, do you want the bow to be at the same thickness all the way to the handle, or do you want it to bevel as it gets to the handle?
well i remember in one episode he said that you would want the bow to get narrower to the sides, but in this vid it looks like he's making it thinner to the edges and the handle is the thickest area.
Hey Tom, firstly I want to say that I have enjoyed watching your videos about this stone aged self bow. I am making one atm from Birch and I have to say when it was wet like it is atm it started to form very nicely and after day two I started on the tilering at the handle to set a width point and am now currently waiting for it to dry out a bit before I go at it again as the spoke is starting to jump when I shave it. Is it a good idea in your experiance to leave it to dry before continuing?
MaxiTaxi26 1 year ago
and i also forgot to ask dont you also keep one side round and if so wich dside does the round go outside or inside
ashnbrandon1 1 year ago
is it fine to use reguar stuff like a real axe a knife to split it a knife to scrape and sand paper to fix the roughnesss or do i have to use rocks
ashnbrandon1 1 year ago
i cut a sapling about 3 months ago and the temp has been about 30-50 degrees outside, do you think the bow is seasoned enough? will it gain more weight?
jacksoncole79 2 years ago
That's hard to say. Is the sapling still in one piece with the bark on? Or did you start making a bow out of it already. If you haven't started making a bow out of it, I would start to reduce it down to bow dimensions bending it against the ground to "floor tiller" the piece as you go. When I got near finished looking bow dimensions, I'd weight the piece somehow and then let it sit for a week or two and weight it again. When it stays the same weight 4 about a week, it's probably ready. Tom
Paleoaleo 2 years ago
I am trying to make a bow with a piece of oak. I am not sure if oak is a good wood or not. It started to crack up on me pretty good. Is there anything I can do to counteract that or is it gone for good?
Tpekron 2 years ago
Oak makes good bows. It's hard to say whether yours can be saved without seeing it in person (or at least photos!). Tom
Paleoaleo 2 years ago
these videos are great, thank you.
enjoistaind 2 years ago
how do you make parts of it stiffer than others?
darkmerlin152000 2 years ago
you want the bow to bend evenly, so that the stress of bending is evenly distributed, because we want the energy of the draw to store it's self to an area as large as possible.
You acn leave some stiff spots on the bow by leaving more wood there.
anderec 2 years ago
that basalt seems to work better then some of my steel plains. thanks for this series i really enjoyed it!
82f150 3 years ago
do you sell bows
amp5589 3 years ago
heyy can u make an video for a spear?? plz
sk8orsoccer04 3 years ago
thats a great idea!
i want to see a video of how to make one too....
but it can't be that hard.... the hardest part is probably the spearhead.
mangadude9 3 years ago
Nice.hard work,but worth it!
kaleroman 3 years ago
i tried making a bow but it tried to twist to much. how do u keep it from twisting?
huntingcrazy5 3 years ago
hmmm I have a BIG Qestion.what wood do you use?please PM me or post it here
Akamascurse 3 years ago
the wood I used for this bow was California Walnut. There's lots of other wood to use: Oak, elm, hickory, ash, walnut, and a real lot more I can't think of now.
Paleoaleo 3 years ago
willow? O_o
mangadude9 3 years ago
NEVER. sure, it will be good for about 3-5 weeks but then it's just going to steadily loose power. i think the best wood to use is hazel.
JohnTheRipper2 3 years ago
make a vid of u shooting it.. pleas?
hogiedada 3 years ago
The last one has a few shots, but only a few test shots. One of these days I'll make another shooting video and will include more with this bow.
Paleoaleo 3 years ago
how much shorter must the string be to the bow?
AinokeA365 3 years ago
about 1 to 2 inches, depending on the bow length. if the bow is longer, it can be bent more. if it is shorter, it is more stiff. just use what feels right.
JohnTheRipper2 3 years ago
thanks for the advice!
AinokeA365 3 years ago
your a cool guy, seem really intelligent. archery is my passion, but i dont own a proper bow, i made a survival bow out of bamboo, and its not very strong, and my arrows are self made but i LOVE shooting. i plan to buy one soon, seeing this video is really awsome! keep up the good work! *and bows*
shortmansrq 4 years ago
You people are way to kind. I'm just a hack making bows. I don't sell anything, but am more than willing to help people make their own bows and arrows. If you want to learn to make bows, check out the "Bowyer's Bible" series of books. I have chapter in the most recent book in the series - A Copper Age Bow"
Tom
Paleoaleo 4 years ago
how much would you charge for one of those bows and a dozen arrows
kroganeye 4 years ago
I gave all chapters 5 stars, I have made my own bows (with todays tools) since 1990. I have to say your way was very cool to watch. How long have you been doing this??
sirjohnrambo 4 years ago
what about using charcoal instead of the pencil? in the bowyersbible 2 theres a chapter about making a stone age bow. he ties a loop around the limb opposite to the one hes working on and puts his foot in it. that would make it really stoneage doesnt it? i love your vid, its possible im looking for a stick while ur answering me, because your bows have alot more character than my board bows. about the stick, how thick was it? is a 2inch stick wide enough? greets nick
nickfennema14 4 years ago
why use stones to work the wood when you are useing an elaberate modern bench ?
this is not stonage archery sorry.
rattyarchery 4 years ago
Thanks for your input Ratty. That's an amazingly astute observation on your part! Thanks for pointing it out. lol...
Paleoaleo 4 years ago
sorry i think you missed my point ;-)
what i meant was if you are making a stoneage bow why not make it the authentic way without using a mixture of modern equipment with a stone?
im sure stone age man never had a bench like that.
rattyarchery 4 years ago
I agree brother. There are several reasons why I chose to use the shaving horse. I'd talked a bit about that issue in the 2nd chapter of the video (where I admitted it was "cheating" a bit).
Paleoaleo 4 years ago
Primarily, it was because the purpose was to experiment using stone woodworking tools for sake of personal learning experience, and not to actually recreate full-on stone age means and methods. (to be continued below)
Paleoaleo 4 years ago
There are several techniques to hold the work that I might have employed had I been able to do the work in a woodlot rather than in my surburban back yard. I don't believe I have sufficient space here to explain. Apologies for my sarcastic reply above. Cheers.
Paleoaleo 4 years ago
i undererstand now.
i should have watched the other parts of the chapters before i jumped to a conclusion.
i humbly apologise :-)
rattyarchery 4 years ago
shut up and enjoy the video you ingrate
BoredStr8M8 4 years ago
obviously an intelligent chap :-D
rattyarchery 4 years ago
how did u get the stone
pierre451 4 years ago
ebay.
mrjamesw 4 years ago
This is awesome, I'm going to be using this to make a board bow soon. I got a question, do you want the bow to be at the same thickness all the way to the handle, or do you want it to bevel as it gets to the handle?
patio87 4 years ago
well i remember in one episode he said that you would want the bow to get narrower to the sides, but in this vid it looks like he's making it thinner to the edges and the handle is the thickest area.
AinokeA365 4 years ago