Wilderness Bow

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engle's-wilder

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Nov 18, 2010
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What technique would be the most effective for making a bow in the wilderness, if let's say you've got a bit of time to kill. (let's neglect arrow-making as this is straightforward enough, as is knapping). I know of the bundle bow, but this is really more of a rushed and last ditch kind of technique in my opinion. I, however, don't really know of any other way to make one myself. Anyone ever actual made a bow out in the wild? If so, what technique, and what wood was used, time taken to make, and effectiveness as a finished product? (just knowledge-seeking)

Thanks!
 
Vol. 1 of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible shows a bow made from two tapered branches or saplings.

Make each stave about equal length and taper, then cut a diagonal splice about 8-10" long at the butt ends, then wrap the splice to hold them together. Whichever stave is harder to bend, use for the bottom limb.

Sorry for not having the picture, but if you're really interested in self-bows, you should check out the series. Here's Vol. 4 (newest) on Google books, to give you an idea what they're like...

http://books.google.com/books?id=dQT9krc53isC&printsec=frontcover&dq=traditional+bowyer's+bible&hl=en&ei=SAQQTfWJIoSs8AbAwbzJDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Edit: Well, I found the picture... but the text is in German. Take a look at chapter 3, in this book... the pic in question is on page 87, but there are other good, idea generating pictures in that chapter.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_hI1XbEDmMgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
 
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Great vid Riley, hobexp has a hell of a skill set.

engle's-wilder- making a functional bow isn't hard. Making ACCURATE arrows is much harder. You don't need a good bow in the woods, just one that shoots efficiently enough to take game. I assume your question is about a "survival" bow. It was Massey if I recall that found that making an off center bow out of a naturally tapering branch, similar to a yumi bow, was capable of up to 85% of the cast of a standard tillered bow of equal draw. There are many ways to make a bow that can kill something but tuning arrows in the bush, even with duck tape for fletch, is no easy task.
 
I have a bit of experience with both Hickory and Osage Self Bows.The best thing I could tell you would be to choose a hard wood to take the least ammount of set.I would try not to cut into the back at all except to peel the bark.You want the back to be one unbroken ring so it is harder to lift a splinter and break.

You want the bow to bend as evenly as possible except for the last few inches of the tips which need to be stiff and as light as possible.

A longer than normal arrow with heavy head is the easiest to stabilize.
 
I've actually practiced knapping in my garage quite extensively and my grandfather taught me how to make my own arrows when I was young as well... he actually learned from an indian friend of his (the whole process). But he's gone now and I was never taught to make a bow (or the bowstring for that matter). I am actually quite fine with the very delicate work required for the shaft and the tip itself, but those links you guys posted look promising and should help me tackle the bow. So Thanks! I'll have to get out and practice the bow making portion of my tools knowledge this summer, and maybe learn how to make a bowstring as well. Which reminds me... I heard intestines are your best friend when it come to making an all natural bowstring; is there any validity to that? How would I go about preparing a bowstring, If I didn't have paracord on me?

thanks again guys!
 
engle's-wilder said:
Which reminds me... I heard intestines are your best friend when it come to making an all natural bowstring; is there any validity to that?
Click to expand...

Yes, split and dried, gut cord makes great bowstrings. Not as long lived as a sinew string but much easier to make. A simple reverse wrap cordage, made from two thin strips is very strong. Here is an OLD video of some of the first gut cord I made, also shows two ways to splice the cord. Only the second splice is suitable for bow strings and even that should be avoided if a long enough cord is available that you don't have to splice at all. This example is squirrel cord but it is only suitable for a 30 lb bow, not a full weight hunting bow. Woodchuck gut cord actually makes a nice string for a 50# bow and seems to be less stretchy once dried than deer cord. Good luck, post pics when you make you bow and string!


[youtube]8tLJRNZDTXI[/youtube]
[youtube]nRgeWd6yMkY[/youtube]
 
Definitely get the Traditional Bowyers Bible as mentioned previously. Vol 4 has a great tutorial for your first bow.

Alder, ash, maple, elm, hackberry, cherry are all usable woods that might be in your area (Americas Dairyland)

check out this site

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/

the primitive archery forum has more than you will ever need

Have fun man!
 
oh dude! MD25v: That was above and beyond what I had hoped for in a response, Thanks man!!! Very practical and very useful knowledge! As I said I'll be trying this out over the summer (unfortunately I have to wait that long), and I will most definitely post stuff for you guys to see how it turns out, since you've all been so helpful in expanding my knowledge-base! That Bowyers Bible has been brought up a few times now, sounds like a good read, guess it's about time I read it! and that other forum looks good too (I didn't even know there was such a forum - very useful!)

Thanks again all! I hope to be able to do the entire bow-making process sometime this coming June and in about 20-25 hours or so total... then maybe go hunting with it this next deer season!!!!

You guys are great Thanks again!
 
IMHO the best info in the Trad BB V1 is on white wood.The stuff on Osage is good except about finding straight Osage for bow building.I don't think the stuff exists.The use of a good heat gun on Osage can turn useless wood into good stuff.I guess V1 was before so many folks learned to use a heat gun.I haven't read V4 yet.
 
BCGROVER has a great video of making a bow string out of white tail rawhide.

[youtube]Fwp9VglJLxw[/youtube]

I need to shoot some more groundhog in march when it warms up a but. If you want, I can send you enough gut (split, cleaned, cut, and dried) to make a bowstring or two. Won't be until march but I usually get a mess of them.
 
Md 25v said:
I need to shoot some more groundhog in march when it warms up a but. If you want, I can send you enough gut (split, cleaned, cut, and dried) to make a bowstring or two. Won't be until march but I usually get a mess of them.
Click to expand...

Actually, I get a fair amount of rabbit as soon as things thaw out as well (I get a lot of reps in on the old Daisy Pump during this time guarding the garden). I really appreciate the offer though man, but I'll have rabbit up to my ears if I take advantage of it. Plus, now that I know that it is good for cordage it just seems a waste to not use more from what I take.

Nice Video! I'm just amazed at this whole animal gut/hide thing! It's crazy that you can get such a quality sinew out of animal fibers! Kind of a crazy concept.
 
Let us know how rabbit works for gut cord. I know that squirrel skin makes cordage durable enough to use on a bowdrill but rabbit skin is to thin. I have never tried rabbit intestine for gut cord. Looking forward to your results!
 
I think that regardless of what kind of bow you were making; ring-back, backwards, asymmetrical in the round or spliced, or bundle -in wilderness survialish mode -you would want to cut green sapling(s) rather than trying to split out a dry deadwood stave or a green one for that matter from a large tree.(not thinking so much about time but energy expenditure)

The second thing then, after some initial reduction is to start cooking it; ie drying over the fire, beside the fire.

I vote for the backward bow
 
Bows are fun, but learning how to make and use one in a survival situation is a bit late, especially finding suitable string, arrowheads and fletching.

I would suggest consideration of making an atlatl thrower and a handful of javelins for it. This would be a faster and easier-to-learn solution for outdoors game gathering.

Here's a link to several dozen atlatl plans.
http://www.thudscave.com/npaa/designs/

Here is the site home with dart plans and tips on how to use them.
http://www.thudscave.com/npaa/
 
Oh, rest assured that if I was in a survival situation... I wouldn't be making a bow (that's what the sling-shot is for). What I'm wanting this for is purely for enjoyment and for wild living (deliberately going out into a wilderness region and living for more than a month... only then would I warrant the actual application of this knowledge for anything other than enjoyment).
I've seen throwers before and they would be options if I didn't have my sling on me and my aim with rocks wasn't proving very good... good to have some other ideas and options for what could be used in an emergency (and done quickly). thanks for the links!
 
On "backwards" bow the back does not follow the single growth ring model. a split sapling using the radius bark side the belly. :eek:

I don't know much about atlatl. But don't those darts use the same design as an arrow - shaft fletch, point? Perhaps it has been proven wrong but I imagine the movement required to throw the dart and the relative slow speed flight would make the atlatl a poor substitute for archery tackle to be used by a lone hunter.
 
Briarbrow said:
On "backwards" bow the back does not follow the single growth ring model. a split sapling using the radius bark side the belly. :eek:

I don't know much about atlatl. But don't those darts use the same design as an arrow - shaft fletch, point? Perhaps it has been proven wrong but I imagine the movement required to throw the dart and the relative slow speed flight would make the atlatl a poor substitute for archery tackle to be used by a lone hunter.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's entirely correct as the darts/javelins used with an atlatl don't need to be as complicated as arrows. Depending on distance, you don't need fletching, and the points are bigger so knowledge of fine knapping isn't as important, or you can just use fire-hardened wood tips.

Javelins used from a thrower were able to defeat the armor of the Conquistadors, so I doubt that velocity would be an issue.

I've got nothing against archery, I just wanted to throw out an alternate for people learn about.
 
CWL said:
I don't think that's entirely correct as the darts/javelins used with an atlatl don't need to be as complicated as arrows. Depending on distance, you don't need fletching, and the points are bigger so knowledge of fine knapping isn't as important, or you can just use fire-hardened wood tips.

Javelins used from a thrower were able to defeat the armor of the Conquistadors, so I doubt that velocity would be an issue.

I've got nothing against archery, I just wanted to throw out an alternate for people learn about.
Click to expand...

Dear friend. Are you dreaming?

I would love to see an atlatl dart pierce a spanish breastplate or other armor. I cannot believe it possible

Depending on distance you don't need any weapon; just snatch it.

knapping is knapping; but one really would not require a fancy biface, only a sharp flake.
 
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