I am having trouble trying to make a bow and arrows.

Question

I would really love to make a bow with arrows, because I love Lord of the Rings and would like to have a bow to shoot at targets or trees. However, every piece of wood I obtain always breaks when I bend it. I have a simple little wooden toy bow that bends really well, but it's too small for me. It seems like it's impossible to find a piece of wood as bendy, except for green wood, which you're not supposed to use. What should I do? If it helps, I am thirteen and am four feet nine inches tall. In your answers, I don't want you just to send me a couple of the first links that pop up when you type "how to make a bow and arrow" into Google. I would like personal assistance.

Also, what's the best way to get the arrow fletchlings to stay on the arrow?

Answer 1

Greetings;

First, I know that you don't want "just links" -- but there isn't enough room here for what you want. That said...

http://primitiveways.com/ (scroll down to "Primitive Tools & Projectiles", about 1/2 way down the page)

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index... (a place to ask questions - and get "personal assistance")

http://tradgang.com/ (another place to ask questions - and get "personal assistance")

http://sca.org/geography/welcome.html (look for the group for your region/area, and start searching for "Archery Marshals" - there may be someone in your area who can teach you)

For books on making bows/arrows:

http://boisdarcpress.com/

The "Traditional Bowyer's Bible" series is ***highly*** recommended.

As I said, there just isn't enough room here to give you the help you want. And unless you are able/willing to send clear, detailed pictures of the work in progress (or at least extremely detailed "reports" of the work in progress), I can't do much to help you through e-mail, either. What you've done, what you've tried, what has worked, what hasn't worked, etc...it all makes a huge difference.

As for getting the fletching to stay on, I use Duco cement, while others use Bohning's FletchTite (still others prefer other types of glue). If you don't want to use modern glues, you can always boil up a batch of pine pitch and use that. Either way, you have to let the glue dry/cure completely before trying to use the arrow.

A word or three of advice...when asking questions on the forums, don't be an arrogant fool and demand that only specific information be included in answers; I refer to your statement "In your answers, I don't want you just to send me a couple of the first links that pop up...I would like personal assistance". It may not have been intended as a demand, yet that is how it "sounds".

We would all like to always get "personal assistance", but many times it is not possible. The folks on the archery forums have their own lives, and they volunteer their time to help others learn. Show them the same respect you would like to get, and they will do the same.