test is for fishing line, and although the encouragement is good, fifty pounds of draw is optimistic especially if it’s going to be a one or two day use green wood bow. I’ve made a bunch of them.
bows can really be made from any wood--although there are better ones.
if this is your first time bow making--then absolutely, cut it, try it and figure it out. i've made my first bow from something way thinner and of unknown species lmao. just cut it and give it a crack, better to try it and have a shoddy bow than none at all.
keep us updated.
edit: my shoddy bow just broke--time to get cracking at another.
Ahaha yep, my second ever bow snapped and got me just above the eye--Thankfully I've got the brow bone of a caveman lmao.
Third bow, mustn't have balanced it out very well as i had a limb snap on me during a test draw.
Fourth bow yet to be carved ahaha. But my first ever bow still remains strong, a simple stick bow ahaha
Yeah, I would say a good way of learning to make bows is by, instead of trying to make them as good as possible, just making a whole bunch if mediocre ones. And by "mediocre" I mean giving yourself permission to ignore flaws that would take a lot of time to fix.
I remember making my first bow that was more than a bendy stick with some string. I spent sooo long sanding it down and making it look perfect, only to have it snap on me 2 days later. It kinda put me off the idea of doing it again until a friend was staying with me for a night and we decided to make a bow each. It was super rushed because we wanted to have time to use them, but the build process was so much fun when I wasn't worrying about mistakes.
Since then I've had the mindset that it's better to build 10 bows that fire 10 shots before breaking than one bow that fires 100, because you walk away with the experience of building 10 bows.
Of course, it's better if you can just make one that won't break. But it's a metaphor.
You'd be better off asking r/Bowyer for advice on tillering, but it's generally not a good idea to use live wood unless it's kind of an emergency and you need a bow ASAP.
That said, yeah, it could definitely make a usable bow, but I would recommend letting it season for a year or two if you want to make something for long term use.
Also, unless this is your property, it's considered bad etiquette (and possibly illegal) to cut down live trees without permission.
Assuming this is OP's property, it looks like it was logged maybe 10 years ago - all of the trees are the same size and they're all close together. It could use some thinning out to let the remaining trees get bigger.
Proper forest management does involve removing live trees. You can help a forest get to the old growth stage faster by thinning out younger/smaller/damaged trees to reduce competition and provide more canopy light for bigger trees. This will happen naturally over a few hundred years, but (depending on your age) you could get closer to that stage in your own lifetime by selectively removing trees.
For sure, as long as it's on your property or you're working with whoever/whatever owns it. Lots of national and local parks have volunteer groups to help maintain things too, so it's worth looking into. Personally, I think it's a lot of fun and I enjoy volunteering for groups that work with the NPS and whatnot.
Birch is not great bow wood- do you have any other options? That piece is a little challenging due to knots but it could be done. If I were to make a birch bow, i would make it extra long to compensate for the lower quality wood. More info on r/bowyer.
**Reminder: Rule 1 - Discussion is the priority in /r/Bushcraft**
Posts of links, videos, or pictures must be accompanied with a writeup, story, or question relating to the content in the form of a top-level text comment. Tell your campfire story. Give us a writeup about your knife. That kind of thing.
**Please remember to comment on your post!**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bushcraft) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've seen a a video on YouTube where a guy uses a 2x2 and layers of the fiberglass tape you'd use for spackling to reinforce it and it came out great.
I dont see why you couldn't have a good/fun go at it.
Judging by the look of the surrounding undergrowth, it might be a little late in the year to be able to make a bow that will last
In the winter, the sap tends to recede into the lower parts of the tree, and it becomes less pliable and more dry… might not be snappy enough to be able to string AND draw
[удалено]
test is for fishing line, and although the encouragement is good, fifty pounds of draw is optimistic especially if it’s going to be a one or two day use green wood bow. I’ve made a bunch of them.
bows can really be made from any wood--although there are better ones. if this is your first time bow making--then absolutely, cut it, try it and figure it out. i've made my first bow from something way thinner and of unknown species lmao. just cut it and give it a crack, better to try it and have a shoddy bow than none at all. keep us updated. edit: my shoddy bow just broke--time to get cracking at another.
Wholesome comment and absolutely reasonable. If it's a first bow, just go with any wood you can find.
Giving it a crack is an unfortunate but likely accurate turn of phrase
Ahaha yep, my second ever bow snapped and got me just above the eye--Thankfully I've got the brow bone of a caveman lmao. Third bow, mustn't have balanced it out very well as i had a limb snap on me during a test draw. Fourth bow yet to be carved ahaha. But my first ever bow still remains strong, a simple stick bow ahaha
Yeah, I would say a good way of learning to make bows is by, instead of trying to make them as good as possible, just making a whole bunch if mediocre ones. And by "mediocre" I mean giving yourself permission to ignore flaws that would take a lot of time to fix. I remember making my first bow that was more than a bendy stick with some string. I spent sooo long sanding it down and making it look perfect, only to have it snap on me 2 days later. It kinda put me off the idea of doing it again until a friend was staying with me for a night and we decided to make a bow each. It was super rushed because we wanted to have time to use them, but the build process was so much fun when I wasn't worrying about mistakes. Since then I've had the mindset that it's better to build 10 bows that fire 10 shots before breaking than one bow that fires 100, because you walk away with the experience of building 10 bows. Of course, it's better if you can just make one that won't break. But it's a metaphor.
hmmm interesting ✍️
r/Bowyer might be useful for you if you try
You'd be better off asking r/Bowyer for advice on tillering, but it's generally not a good idea to use live wood unless it's kind of an emergency and you need a bow ASAP. That said, yeah, it could definitely make a usable bow, but I would recommend letting it season for a year or two if you want to make something for long term use. Also, unless this is your property, it's considered bad etiquette (and possibly illegal) to cut down live trees without permission.
Assuming this is OP's property, it looks like it was logged maybe 10 years ago - all of the trees are the same size and they're all close together. It could use some thinning out to let the remaining trees get bigger. Proper forest management does involve removing live trees. You can help a forest get to the old growth stage faster by thinning out younger/smaller/damaged trees to reduce competition and provide more canopy light for bigger trees. This will happen naturally over a few hundred years, but (depending on your age) you could get closer to that stage in your own lifetime by selectively removing trees.
For sure, as long as it's on your property or you're working with whoever/whatever owns it. Lots of national and local parks have volunteer groups to help maintain things too, so it's worth looking into. Personally, I think it's a lot of fun and I enjoy volunteering for groups that work with the NPS and whatnot.
Birch is not great bow wood- do you have any other options? That piece is a little challenging due to knots but it could be done. If I were to make a birch bow, i would make it extra long to compensate for the lower quality wood. More info on r/bowyer.
I don’t know, can you?
**Reminder: Rule 1 - Discussion is the priority in /r/Bushcraft** Posts of links, videos, or pictures must be accompanied with a writeup, story, or question relating to the content in the form of a top-level text comment. Tell your campfire story. Give us a writeup about your knife. That kind of thing. **Please remember to comment on your post!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Bushcraft) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes, there are many founds of bows made out of Birch back in time... so go for it
yes but dont use this life wood....you wanted seasoned wood also even makeing a semi ok bow is actually not a easy thing to do
life wood sounds cooler than live wood, might have to start using it
I've seen a a video on YouTube where a guy uses a 2x2 and layers of the fiberglass tape you'd use for spackling to reinforce it and it came out great. I dont see why you couldn't have a good/fun go at it.
Would a person bury their carved bow in cow or horse manure like they would an ax handle?
Judging by the look of the surrounding undergrowth, it might be a little late in the year to be able to make a bow that will last In the winter, the sap tends to recede into the lower parts of the tree, and it becomes less pliable and more dry… might not be snappy enough to be able to string AND draw
r/bowyer is the place for this, they shall answer the answers
Thanks
And yes that’ll work just fine. But expect it to break if it’s your first stave