I made a bow today

[dipbait]

Went for a walk and found a straight osage orange limb about 5.5 feet long an inch and a half in diameter. Cut it down ,scraped the bark, bent it a lot, to loosen the fibers. Then tied a string to it. My first and only shot was with a crooked stick. The bow was strong . I pulled back and let loose. It worked. The stick went flying. The string hit my forearm so hard that I was afraid to shoot it any more. Ouch!! Heck with that.

 

[grease-man]

Hey that's cool! Did you make the string out of something you found along the way, or was that something you already had with you? -Matt-

 

[Myal]

longbows tend to bite or at least tear yer whiskers out ..

long sleeves or am guard fix that tho , Ive used even cornflakes box and sting as arm guard ... wiorks , doesnt look profesional but it works

 

[dd61999]

Thats funny, I made one with my son today as well in the woods.

The thing was over 5 feet high and could not shoot more than 15 feet.

any tips out there

 

[andrew7978]

Went for a walk and found a straight osage orange limb about 5.5 feet long an inch and a half in diameter. Cut it down ,scraped the bark, bent it a lot, to loosen the fibers. Then tied a string to it. My first and only shot was with a crooked stick. The bow was strong . I pulled back and let loose. It worked. The stick went flying. The string hit my forearm so hard that I was afraid to shoot it any more. Ouch!! Heck with that.

Any pics??

Thats funny, I made one with my son today as well in the woods.

The thing was over 5 feet high and could not shoot more than 15 feet.

any tips out there

We would need to get more information about what you did before we can really help. If you cut one live branch and tied some string on it to make a bow, the reason it did not work well was because that one branch did not have enough spring to it. What I recommend is you get 5 or 6 pieces (about the diameter of your thumb or less) of decreasing length, each about 8 inches shorter than the last. Tie them all together. Then put the string on the largest piece. This will give you strength in the middle but also flexibility. The other thing you need is a real arrow. Just a stick won't fire that well as its probably not the right straightness, weight, and has no feathers. Remember the tighter the string is, the more pull/spring you can get out of your bow. Good luck.

 

[CanDo]

Everyone should get into bowyery as far as I'm concerned. It's pretty awesome. Don't expect to just grab a stick and make it work. It takes a lot of patience; by the end of making the bow, you are using a piece of sharp glass or high grit sandpaper to affect the tiller. Check out this forum to get started:

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/forums/18/t/Archery-Primitive-Bows.html


Here's my first:

The lower limb is a little wack, but it was my first shot. It shoots well, has low shock, and is powerful enough to take down anything in the Americas.

 

[dipbait]

Hey that's cool! Did you make the string out of something you found along the way, or was that something you already had with you? -Matt-

I had a bow string already with me. I would post a picture if i knew how.

 

[dipbait]

CanDo, thats a neat bow. Mine was just a crude stick. Just wanted to see if one could be made quickly.

 

[CanDo]

dipbait,

If you already have the picture on your computer, just check out photobucket.com, upload the picture, and there will be a little box with the code used to post the image in a forum.

 

[CanDo]

Thanks dipbait. There's a lot to be said for "green bows", especially in a survival situation. Again, ask the folks on PaleoPlanet about them...

 

[mtnfolk mike]

cando-- great looking bow, for a first time... right on...:thumbup: it is definately not easy to do.. i have yet to make a good shooter, i've tried it twice and always seem to end up screwing something up at the last minute.... i actually have a nice chunk of juniper and walnut, cureing as we speak...

 

[dipbait]

Ok, here it goes.

 

[Dannyboy Leather]

Went for a walk and found a straight osage orange limb about 5.5 feet long an inch and a half in diameter. Cut it down ,scraped the bark, bent it a lot, to loosen the fibers. Then tied a string to it. My first and only shot was with a crooked stick. The bow was strong . I pulled back and let loose. It worked. The stick went flying. The string hit my forearm so hard that I was afraid to shoot it any more. Ouch!! Heck with that.

Excellent! I love to read about such experiences as this. :thumbup:

Some of my students, and myself, have gone into the woods with just hatchet and knife, fashioning green bows, string cordage, arrow shafts (don't need shaft fletching if made correctly!), and have taken small game with such. Green bows do best when they are made very long (6 ft. or more). With the longer bows, there is less compression on the belly and less expansion on the back of the limbs making the bow more durable. Too, if the handle area is a working handle (tillered with the limb balance), there will also be less stress on the limbs and the bow will last longer. I don't like working handles on any other type of bow since it can rob the bow of speed, power, and contributes to hand shock. However, for survival purposes, a little speed, a little kinetic energy with a sharp point can translate into a rabbit, bird, squirrel, etc., for the fire or pot. Only brace (string) the green bow when you are ready to shoot with it.

BTW, cant your bow over to one side and bend your elbow slightly to keep the shaft from hitting your arm or wrist. Too, it is possible to select or make your green bow center-shot (no archers paradox). That comes after green bow number 12.