Selfbow Woods

[1BowHunter]

Have question as per wood types used to make Bow?
Osage, hickory. what other have you used? wood type and design used with this wood? include your ###comments about Bow:

[nextrodeo]

I just made a bow for my boy , it is a takedown longbow with a oak riser and walnut limbs , it turned out pretty good for my first attempt , I chose those woods because thats what I had. I would like to back the limbs with something but Im not sure what or how to do it. Building the bow was kinda easy being a carpenter and having built it in my head every night for months driving home.

[ArkansasElkHunter]

Wow where to start. ###These Questions and all the others too are answered in the Bowyers Bible vol 1 & 2 by Jim Hamm. ###There is a bow in just about every piece of wood out there. ###I've even seen willow. ### If you really mean self bow (chop down a tree and work in from the bark) then Ive found hickory to be the best because its very forgiving and you can usually see growth twist in the bark, ###Most all your white woods work well, maple, birch. ###Bois'darc is avery tough, but good staves are pretty hard to come up with.

Tpi. ###De bark the hickory whilr it dries to keep the wood wasp out. ###paint the ends of the log (all wood) ###as soon as you can with a thick coat of elmers glue to keep in from checking. take it to the woods. ###It can save a bow or two. ###

Self bows are usualy "D" shaped. ###the front being a single growth ring. and the back of the limb being flat. Riser design is up to you. ###The more center shot the less primative, the more accurate. ###(somebody will jump on the accuracy statement, ###arrow spline is just not so critical). ###I like a Flat bow design. ###67" nock to nock and and 2" wide at mid limd tapering to the nock, fitted riser, center shot. ###Proven design and with a half way desent piece of wood, bullet proof. ### ###There is just too much to right it all. ###tell me what you wan't in a bow and that will narrow the field some.

NR. ###Urac 185 is a urea based glue used in bowmaking and wood fishing poles. ###It will stick anything you want to the linbs. ###Any thing that has more elasticity than wood will do. ###Formica makes a cheap back. ###Fiberglass from Bingham Bows, sinue (really better for self bows) horn, rawhide. ###Are you wanting to add weight or life to shorter limbs? ### You'll have to re-tiller after backing to lower the poundage.

[nextrodeo]

Thanks ArkansasElkHunter , I probably could have looked it up in the bowyers bible or the stickbow but it seems more fun to have somebody que me up as to what they have tried . Either that or it comes to me as a vision on one of my many long comutes.:)

[1BowHunter]

No was looking tpo see what every bodies preferance is makeing shooting in self bows.