The problem with this tutorial is-your'e trying to make a wooden bow based on a fibreglass one. Regardless of the wood, it will take less strain and cannot bend so much in the handle, the main bend should be in the mid-limb. For the best info and i mean really essential get the Traditional Bowyer's Bible-has everything you need to make a bow out of any wood and pretty much any design.
i don't know the first thing about making a bow, but to me it just seems sensible to use your hands to sand/shape the wood. the initial shape is one thing, but trying to get a smooth consistent taper using a dremel would be near impossible. i think if you had started with a wood that was more suited to making a bow, and done the finishing work by hand, you would have had a better result on your first build.
You were doomed from the start. Great effort but you didn't tapper it. When I saw you flexing the bow I knew how it would turn out. If this is your first bow don't give up, keep at it and learn from your mistakes. Lord knows I broke my fair share before I got it right!
@BOBAbladeMAR ..... and I'm sure you could have done a better job? Give the guy some credit why don't you? He tried, and it didn't work. If it weren't for all the failures of the inventors, we wouldn't have single product in this world worth anything at all. It takes a great many failures to get a fine end product.
Should have done a little more homework before starting. If serious about this, I suggest buying a do it yourself kit which is economical and very educational. Always try to consult a bowyer before attempting this the first time. Most are very, very helpful.
Well we learned as well as you. Now all you got to do is start over. Or the resin Idea might work good luck PLEASE Post what happened! Joseph T (fly2000jtb)
advice for any next bows: something that helps the limbs support the weight is either tying string around the limbs, or leather or something... it stops the wood from cracking because it holds it together. but it might increase the draw weight though...
has anyone tried traditional fish/hide glues in bow making with any success not having looked at old traditional lamination techniques to a great extent.
excellent as a tutorial for new bow makers but as has been said before you need epoxy resin as poly resin dont like wood but a nice looking bow all the same ash and hicory would make a better wood combo though
That area was bound to break sometime, in your previous video it was bending far to much at the fades, you should have left the thickness where it was there and had the bow bending more midlimb.
im so sorry but how could you not see that coming i mean it was bending soo much at ther fade outs and i believe thats where the wood was warping and the grain was off
6.24 on video 5 you pushed it... You should of had more patience.. It was looking reall nice aswell, I had an ash bow break on me today.. I was working on it for months!!!
Imo, you weakened the inside of the limbs too much so there was too much bend, if you had shaved down the ends and middle of the limbs more it would have been more even.
Next time use epoxy resin, and not cheap polyester resin. The poly resin is famous among boatbuilders for not sticking to wood, and delaminating at first chance. It's also more brittle.
You can tell in Video 5 of this series where it was going to break (quite evident at approximately 6:22)
When you use the tillering stick, you should really use a pulley and stand far back, not just so if it breaks you wont be close to it, but so that you can see where the wood bends the most or least. You want it to bend evenly,and its hard to see objectively up close (as well as its dangerous)
Thanks for taking us through your journey, it was a great effort! It was a beautiful bow! =)
Looks like you did your homework before you started. Some of the things that jumped out at me right away were that you shouldn't have removed wood so close to the riser, instead taper away from that stress point. Another stress point are the corners on the face of the limb. Round those off from end to end. Don't let that one break get you down.
argirotoxos92 STFU! this guy put a lot of effort into making that bow and he did a great job even if the bow broke. it's important to try even if you fail. you get better with time because you learn what is good and what is bad. from my point of view the bow was a success because he learned from the experience not to mention it was also fun.
@jackatube ....... an absolutely fantastic way to look at it, and I agree, with you here. I too think it was a huge success because he learned a great deal from building this first one.
good job bro. real shame it snapped ( perhaps too much pull )very interesting all the same and hope you have another go...i'll be keeping a look out !
In essence you were making a traditional wood bow then switched. It seemed a good grain choice to, with this directed correctly you will be away. Next time keep wood, never pull beyond finished weight,tiller with a too long string. When 60% finished weight apply a backing. Now tiller to finished weight, do not weaken at handle! Allow recurves to bend like a cam with most bend at mid-limb bow bending evenly throughout. Market recurves use glass lengthwise, try hickory to back.
Tillering is making sure the limbs are bending equally all the way accross, almost like trying to make the bow completely symetrical. Red Oak is a brilliant bow wood, tried and tested many times, but try making another one working more with your eyes. Don't try it mathematically this time.
You should try some Osage you would come out a lot better(as far as the bending) The prob with red oak is when you put that kind of bend in it to rips the fiber of the wood. The whole thing looks very nice.If this was your first try my hats off to you. I have been making bow for like maybe a year or two and my first few came out the same way. Also the tiller is the most important part, try bending it one the floor and work the wood the way you would like it to go. All in all Very good job
Sorry that your bow blew up. Really impressed with your work and how far you got. That was really a professional looking unit, and a great video showing your creative thought process along the way.
if you giver another try make the body of the handel a little longer and taper it in to the limbs further down most diffenaitly a good job at what you for not haveing any training or such and realy hope you do try it again nothing is more gratifying then harvesting game with a bow or just shooting one you have made but to harvest something with a bow that you made is so much more rewarding
Sad to see it snap. I've been clenching the arms of my chair every time you tillered it, and when you said you heard a cracking noise I cursed... I hope you have another go if the mend doesn't work out.
whoa whoa whoa dude... did you say you were using oak??? try using some ash and hickory... its like making a bokken with layers... soft inner core and a hard outer surface which has more tension and protection against any other damages... hope that helps but otherwise good construction methods ^_^
Damn thats harsh mate, I have just been watching since part 1, by part 3 I was thinking wow this is a labour of love making this bow. Sad to see it turn out like that. Don't give up tho, as you've learn't some vital lessons on the way and I am sure you will build a great bow that you have much pleasure using.
mate i recon you did a great job, what a bugger that it broke! definatly if you wanna try another one go check out Bingham Products like hoosierarcher suggested, they have all the right materials and even offer some build along packages.
enjoyed the vids and the comantary. good luck with the next one!
Good work, I love the craftsmanship of your grip and arrow shelf. You really ought to check out the Bowyer's Den and post pictures as you go along. Your tiller in the last video was pretty horrible, with hinges all through the limbs. The crack was inevitable. Such an elaborate recurve design was a bit ambitious for a first bow, but with a little more understanding of tillering and the woodworking skill you clearly possess, you could definitely have a hunt/target worthy bow quickly.
Hate to see that bow break... but it seemed inevitable (hinges and flat spots did their job). I wouldn't recommend glueing the limb, it just doesn't worth the trouble (be safe). I agree with some of the comments posted...try to build a board bow with no recurves,deflex-reflex etc. just the simplest design you can get. Practice your tillering skills and get confident with them. We can't treat wood as fiberglass, wood needs to be asked politely..to bend! ;)
I can't disagree with any of this. I knew this was highly likely when I started, and I knew of all the alternatives. And taking all that into consideration, that's why I decided to start with an 8 dollar piece of wood.
if that last ocmment was unclear what i mena is.. you should do some of these thing sot improve reliability- better wood type, inwidth of the bow, and lenght of working limb. increase those. working limb is total length, minus handle lenght, munis nocks, and minus recurves. so if you reduce handle, remove recurves, and increase lenght of bow, it iwll be more reliable. thats y im making a board bow
so post avideo of what happened?? im anxious cuz the same hting happened ot another bow of mine. if i may, you should spend more ime tillering, and also try makeing your bow wider, and the handle shorter. this will increase the working limb. im making a hickory board bow and its 2 inches thick, and only 9 inch handle. ONly then can you rely on a high draweight ( imshooting for a 55 at 29) but righ tnow im at 23 inches and 55 lb. wish me luck!. O and i hope your gets fixed.
hehe looking forward to see what the resin is gonna do. Pretty interesting stuff to watch, i've been thinking about making a bow of my own aswell. Maybe i can learn a little from this ;)
i knew it would have broken from the begginging it just didnt look right on the curves
sad to see that it broke but atleast you learn something from it
ime making a hazel compound bow myself using primitve methoods only
the most modern tool used is a hand drill
xMrjamjam 2 months ago
The problem with this tutorial is-your'e trying to make a wooden bow based on a fibreglass one. Regardless of the wood, it will take less strain and cannot bend so much in the handle, the main bend should be in the mid-limb. For the best info and i mean really essential get the Traditional Bowyer's Bible-has everything you need to make a bow out of any wood and pretty much any design.
minxel16 2 months ago
would doing thinner wood laminations improve the strength?
truman289 4 months ago
i don't know the first thing about making a bow, but to me it just seems sensible to use your hands to sand/shape the wood. the initial shape is one thing, but trying to get a smooth consistent taper using a dremel would be near impossible. i think if you had started with a wood that was more suited to making a bow, and done the finishing work by hand, you would have had a better result on your first build.
xheartinhandx 5 months ago
it's the only way to learn my friend...... just take what you've learned and make another
lpilk2007 1 year ago
soy argentino, no entiendo nada de lo que decis, pero si lo que mostras en video, la verdad que esta muy bueno, TE FELICITO CAPO
guaya033 1 year ago
if i where you i would saw out the handel and make it like the same bow you showed in part 4. just make new limbs and your ready to go again.
SNIPERL0V3 1 year ago
We tend to learn more from our failures than from your successes.
MoreCleanFun 1 year ago 2
god sorry about the bow you must of been pissed of when that broke
SMG59 1 year ago
I suppose practice makes perfect. I don't know how you stayed calm after breaking it I would have thrown it out the nearest window lol
jayjaysherro 1 year ago
@jayjaysherro Same here. I'd have been spitting fire and pissing bricks!
acheface 6 months ago
lol i watched all ur videos for nothing ... i thought i was going to see u shoot the darn thing.....nice try.
bebc2005 1 year ago
You were doomed from the start. Great effort but you didn't tapper it. When I saw you flexing the bow I knew how it would turn out. If this is your first bow don't give up, keep at it and learn from your mistakes. Lord knows I broke my fair share before I got it right!
MWFass 1 year ago
I watched all your videos on making this bow and when I got here I was really sorry to see this happen.
I think you were doing a terrific job on this bow son, and you should be commended for your efforts.
Good luck with the next one.
OldEphram1 1 year ago
this guy is classic america douchebag, and i am glad you broke your fucking bow
BOBAbladeMAR 1 year ago
@BOBAbladeMAR ..... and I'm sure you could have done a better job? Give the guy some credit why don't you? He tried, and it didn't work. If it weren't for all the failures of the inventors, we wouldn't have single product in this world worth anything at all. It takes a great many failures to get a fine end product.
OldEphram1 1 year ago 5
@OldEphram1 this douchebag is a failure, as a man, and as comunist.
BOBAbladeMAR 1 year ago
@BOBAbladeMAR Take a look in the mirror.
morriswil32 6 months ago
bad luck dude it was a good lookin bow though
TheSOULSTRIKER 1 year ago
Keep trying, just bad luck this time. I have made several this way and all have proved very functional, never had one break yet.
speedemo 2 years ago
too much stress just beyond the grip and fibre glass/epoxy needs mass to work. i think the oak should be thicker.
iworkforme 2 years ago
Re-curve bows tend to be laminated from many thin layers of wood, instead of shaped from one piece of steamed wood....
Bad luck though, ive had two bows break on me, i know how it sucks :(
drahcirdier 2 years ago
On the 5th video it have seen an unnatural bend where the bow broke. It was interesting video.
sturmer100 2 years ago
Should have done a little more homework before starting. If serious about this, I suggest buying a do it yourself kit which is economical and very educational. Always try to consult a bowyer before attempting this the first time. Most are very, very helpful.
realisticfacto 2 years ago
wtf. i made a drum out of un un used laminate floor and goat skin. took me many, many tries but it sounds good. Keep trying!!!!
iworkforme 2 years ago
Never a complete waste of time - not if you learned from it.
Consider cutting the limbs off at the break point (and corresponding off side) and rebuilding it as a takedown recurve using a larger riser.
ppofandt 2 years ago 10
This comment has received too many negative votes show
what a waste of time...
nazihitler666 2 years ago
sad it broke in the end but t looked superb before that.good luck next time.
saker110 2 years ago
use it for fire feeding. there is no other use after breaking.
NeoAndersonn 2 years ago
Well we learned as well as you. Now all you got to do is start over. Or the resin Idea might work good luck PLEASE Post what happened! Joseph T (fly2000jtb)
fly2000jtb 2 years ago
tough break, no pun intended. Glad to see you kept your cool (on camera at least). Best of luck with your next attempt.
monokeye8 2 years ago
advice for any next bows: something that helps the limbs support the weight is either tying string around the limbs, or leather or something... it stops the wood from cracking because it holds it together. but it might increase the draw weight though...
walatalalaw 2 years ago
has anyone tried traditional fish/hide glues in bow making with any success not having looked at old traditional lamination techniques to a great extent.
sasadler2007 2 years ago
excellent as a tutorial for new bow makers but as has been said before you need epoxy resin as poly resin dont like wood but a nice looking bow all the same ash and hicory would make a better wood combo though
sasadler2007 2 years ago
That area was bound to break sometime, in your previous video it was bending far to much at the fades, you should have left the thickness where it was there and had the bow bending more midlimb.
bmackinnon2 2 years ago
Well... This almost beats the ending to Neon Genisis lol.
Nice work on the videos, very interesting and good moral at the end
Dont work hard or else you will be disapointed
Eoph 2 years ago
im so sorry but how could you not see that coming i mean it was bending soo much at ther fade outs and i believe thats where the wood was warping and the grain was off
unlucky, just one of those days
sup3rd3viou5 2 years ago
you did all that job and in the end you crap it
shbeqiri1983 2 years ago
did the repai work?, will be nice to find out
atomdongle 3 years ago
6.24 on video 5 you pushed it... You should of had more patience.. It was looking reall nice aswell, I had an ash bow break on me today.. I was working on it for months!!!
maxpullara1 3 years ago
i'd be so pissed i'd throw my dog down the stairs
spb884 3 years ago
Imo, you weakened the inside of the limbs too much so there was too much bend, if you had shaved down the ends and middle of the limbs more it would have been more even.
Exfactor44 3 years ago
Check this link out. I think that you will find it useful. Click on the link "Make a recurve bow plans".
BIGMATT1965 3 years ago
Next time use epoxy resin, and not cheap polyester resin. The poly resin is famous among boatbuilders for not sticking to wood, and delaminating at first chance. It's also more brittle.
ErieLestatLuvr 3 years ago
oh man...that sucks, having that much work destroyed in a matter of seconds. :D
don't despair, it happened to me a lot of times.
zmelkoow 3 years ago
You can tell in Video 5 of this series where it was going to break (quite evident at approximately 6:22)
When you use the tillering stick, you should really use a pulley and stand far back, not just so if it breaks you wont be close to it, but so that you can see where the wood bends the most or least. You want it to bend evenly,and its hard to see objectively up close (as well as its dangerous)
Thanks for taking us through your journey, it was a great effort! It was a beautiful bow! =)
ixamraxi 3 years ago
1;19 till the end ahahha so funny
sente33 3 years ago
Oh but its heading to be a nice bow in the 5th part. I wish to make bow.
hathathatkilenckilen 3 years ago
The steambox is sweet, I would just start with greener wood, myself. Good luck, don't give up!
taliesin369 3 years ago
Well done and hard luck. Serious learning curve. Look forward to seeing the next bow!
systemterror 3 years ago
Looks like you did your homework before you started. Some of the things that jumped out at me right away were that you shouldn't have removed wood so close to the riser, instead taper away from that stress point. Another stress point are the corners on the face of the limb. Round those off from end to end. Don't let that one break get you down.
Rheritage1st 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
omg tottally loser it was supposed to be a video that shows how you make a bow and it was a first timer rookie tottally loser
argirotoxos92 3 years ago
Can you do better?
taliesin369 3 years ago
argirotoxos92 STFU! this guy put a lot of effort into making that bow and he did a great job even if the bow broke. it's important to try even if you fail. you get better with time because you learn what is good and what is bad. from my point of view the bow was a success because he learned from the experience not to mention it was also fun.
jackatube 3 years ago 3
@jackatube ....... an absolutely fantastic way to look at it, and I agree, with you here. I too think it was a huge success because he learned a great deal from building this first one.
OldEphram1 1 year ago
haha that sucks!!!
snapperblue 4 years ago
good job bro. real shame it snapped ( perhaps too much pull )very interesting all the same and hope you have another go...i'll be keeping a look out !
shutityatube 4 years ago
In essence you were making a traditional wood bow then switched. It seemed a good grain choice to, with this directed correctly you will be away. Next time keep wood, never pull beyond finished weight,tiller with a too long string. When 60% finished weight apply a backing. Now tiller to finished weight, do not weaken at handle! Allow recurves to bend like a cam with most bend at mid-limb bow bending evenly throughout. Market recurves use glass lengthwise, try hickory to back.
Tossdart 4 years ago
Tillering is making sure the limbs are bending equally all the way accross, almost like trying to make the bow completely symetrical. Red Oak is a brilliant bow wood, tried and tested many times, but try making another one working more with your eyes. Don't try it mathematically this time.
Great job though, well done
hullbowyer 4 years ago
You should try some Osage you would come out a lot better(as far as the bending) The prob with red oak is when you put that kind of bend in it to rips the fiber of the wood. The whole thing looks very nice.If this was your first try my hats off to you. I have been making bow for like maybe a year or two and my first few came out the same way. Also the tiller is the most important part, try bending it one the floor and work the wood the way you would like it to go. All in all Very good job
Howlingwolfoflakota 4 years ago
Sorry that your bow blew up. Really impressed with your work and how far you got. That was really a professional looking unit, and a great video showing your creative thought process along the way.
yougnuman 4 years ago
if you giver another try make the body of the handel a little longer and taper it in to the limbs further down most diffenaitly a good job at what you for not haveing any training or such and realy hope you do try it again nothing is more gratifying then harvesting game with a bow or just shooting one you have made but to harvest something with a bow that you made is so much more rewarding
1967welder 4 years ago
nice job despite the outcome, man. it was really inspiring to see this kind of effort.
hope you gather the strengh to try again.
BRUNOGGALLO 4 years ago
Please try again! Please
ickycan 4 years ago 2
what a bummer....
outlaw223850 4 years ago
Sad to see it snap. I've been clenching the arms of my chair every time you tillered it, and when you said you heard a cracking noise I cursed... I hope you have another go if the mend doesn't work out.
raindog951 4 years ago
travishammer u put to much pounds on it dude u wolden't pull it that far any way i think it still looked good looked like a pro craft
siemak110 4 years ago
whoa whoa whoa dude... did you say you were using oak??? try using some ash and hickory... its like making a bokken with layers... soft inner core and a hard outer surface which has more tension and protection against any other damages... hope that helps but otherwise good construction methods ^_^
Masahiro121 4 years ago
Thanks for the lesson. Great job. I hope I have decent result on my first build. Hope you try another one.
kwanyx 4 years ago
Damn thats harsh mate, I have just been watching since part 1, by part 3 I was thinking wow this is a labour of love making this bow. Sad to see it turn out like that. Don't give up tho, as you've learn't some vital lessons on the way and I am sure you will build a great bow that you have much pleasure using.
wareswez 4 years ago
mate i recon you did a great job, what a bugger that it broke! definatly if you wanna try another one go check out Bingham Products like hoosierarcher suggested, they have all the right materials and even offer some build along packages.
enjoyed the vids and the comantary. good luck with the next one!
bushbuck999 4 years ago
Good work, I love the craftsmanship of your grip and arrow shelf. You really ought to check out the Bowyer's Den and post pictures as you go along. Your tiller in the last video was pretty horrible, with hinges all through the limbs. The crack was inevitable. Such an elaborate recurve design was a bit ambitious for a first bow, but with a little more understanding of tillering and the woodworking skill you clearly possess, you could definitely have a hunt/target worthy bow quickly.
prxrb 4 years ago
Hate to see that bow break... but it seemed inevitable (hinges and flat spots did their job). I wouldn't recommend glueing the limb, it just doesn't worth the trouble (be safe). I agree with some of the comments posted...try to build a board bow with no recurves,deflex-reflex etc. just the simplest design you can get. Practice your tillering skills and get confident with them. We can't treat wood as fiberglass, wood needs to be asked politely..to bend! ;)
oswaldito440 4 years ago
I can't disagree with any of this. I knew this was highly likely when I started, and I knew of all the alternatives. And taking all that into consideration, that's why I decided to start with an 8 dollar piece of wood.
travishammer 4 years ago
Oh no my bow just snapped as well,
Im gutted.
hallandrew70 4 years ago
Hard luck mate.
nice try.I made a bow out of oak mine works great.Its a Flat bow lamanated out of 2 strips of oak,with a third strip in the center.
hallandrew70 4 years ago
You went the long way around the barn to make a bow. Look up Bingham Products and they can point you along the right way.
hoosierarcher 4 years ago
if that last ocmment was unclear what i mena is.. you should do some of these thing sot improve reliability- better wood type, inwidth of the bow, and lenght of working limb. increase those. working limb is total length, minus handle lenght, munis nocks, and minus recurves. so if you reduce handle, remove recurves, and increase lenght of bow, it iwll be more reliable. thats y im making a board bow
tkwndo55 4 years ago
so post avideo of what happened?? im anxious cuz the same hting happened ot another bow of mine. if i may, you should spend more ime tillering, and also try makeing your bow wider, and the handle shorter. this will increase the working limb. im making a hickory board bow and its 2 inches thick, and only 9 inch handle. ONly then can you rely on a high draweight ( imshooting for a 55 at 29) but righ tnow im at 23 inches and 55 lb. wish me luck!. O and i hope your gets fixed.
tkwndo55 4 years ago
hehe looking forward to see what the resin is gonna do. Pretty interesting stuff to watch, i've been thinking about making a bow of my own aswell. Maybe i can learn a little from this ;)
DweebSter1234 4 years ago