What are /r/Bowyer's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

https://openbazaar.org/

"A Free Market for all. No Fees. No Restrictions."

The concept is: the store front software is running on everyone's computers, so there is no center to 'shut down' but also no center to 'take a cut' of your sales.

It has roots in the 'darknetmarkets' but OpenBazaar is trying to aim for mainstream.

Things like this:

Silicone heating strip, 120C/248F

https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Heating-Blanket-Controller-Bending/dp/B07CVX163R/ref=asc_df_B07CVX163R/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385182471061&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2504886431679826934&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt...

You can make a bow out of green wood, but it might not last very long. There are techniques for making bows with it, but there is some drying involved. I've not made a bow that way, so I can't really give you any tips. I don't believe willow is a good bow wood. You need to really "over build" the bow with willow, very long and quite wide. https://sites.google.com/site/onemississipp/bowwoods

That should give you some tips on good woods to use for bows. You may be able to find something near you that could work.

When tillering, it is important to bend the bow very slightly, and never pull it more than the target draw weight- otherwise you are putting too much strain on the wood and it will deform more than it should. Bend the bow only a bit, then make sure it isn't bending too much or too little in any specific area. Make sure both limbs are bending equally. Then and only then, bend it a little bit further. It can take a while, especially if it is your first bow.

> How-to' Construct the Asiatic Composite Bow

That's the video. Jeffrey Schmidt is the guy with the glasses.

> this DVD here

That's the right one.

It's not really a surprise that there isn't much literature. If you look back a decade or three, there's just the bowyers of the first generation like Jaap and Lukas Novotny, who don't share much.

Nearly everybody who manages to be consistently successful at making them turns to produce commercially (at least to a degree). You won't get much not-in-the-book-info out of this crowd for obvious reasons.

Scholarship runs into a wall with the subject, because you either need to get busy yourself, or have one of the experienced guys share their secrets. Alot of info is also not translated, if you take epic sources like Unsal Yücel's book on turkish archery.

Research on the issue is in it's infancy.

Btw, here's some general guidelines for hungarian bows.

https://www.academia.edu/11151943/The_Hungarian_Bow_of_9-11th_centuries_-_recommendation_for_bow_constructions_2011_

https://www.amazon.ca/Diamond-Nicholson-Farrier-American-Rectangular/dp/B004HW6AV0/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=farrier+rasp&qid=1605638929&sr=8-5

Rasp with a very aggressive cut on one side for rapid wood removal and then a good less aggressive side.

I'm not sure if there are better places than others because Amazon has just about everything these days.

The price point I gave for draw knives were for used drawknives on ebay that you'll have to sharpen yourself. This is the one I'm using and it's fantastic. It'll last a lifetime if I take care of it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UQ0QX0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Of the tool list I gave you, there are some redundancies and I'll give you my opinion based on the experience of my most recent bow.

1. Shinto saw rasp over the farrier rasp. Cuts into wood incredibly easily. Downside is that it's not quite as durable.

2. Fiskars Scissors removes shavings just as easily and cleanly as my cabinet scraper so I use them interchangeably.

3. Spoke shave is completely optional. It's a halfway point between the fine side of my shinto rasp and a scraper. I generally transition to it once I feel like I'm beyond the course wood removal of a rasp, but not quite into final tillering. If you go without, you can just use your scraper more aggressively.

I’d like to recommend this book as a start. There’s a volume two, but the series was never finished. However, I believe that it should cover the area you’re interested in nicely.

https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Native-American-Arrows-Quivers/dp/1558219927/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=native+american+bows+arrows+and+quiver+book&qid=1597530029&sr=8-1

A stave is simply a rough cut piece of wood that is intended to eventually become a bow. Of course you can't cut a log and call it a stave, but usually something close to the final dimensions of the bow is considered a stave

Tiller - is the bend of the bow. This is especially important when talking about the construction of a wooden bow due to the fact that how the wood bends determines the success or lack thereof of the bow.

I highly Recommend getting your hands on the Bowyers Bible. It is how I first started making bows and has guided me since

http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Bowyers-Bible-Jim-Hamm-ebook/dp/B00SFSV5PS/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442374872&sr=1-3&keywords=the+bowyer%27s+bible

So I actually worked on it a good bit more since that newest post and am about to post another. I have this, it seems to read about 53 lbs on a moderate pull. I could probably get it to 60 if I pulled as hard as I could. I am not sure how accurate it is as it was only like $20. I am not sure what poundage I am going for, I want to hunt with this bow, ideally deer! It has to be at least 35lbs to legally hunt deer with it where I live. Hey if you want to wait about 5 minutes after I send this message I will have a new tiller check out!

Bro please just get you two of these and unzip that thing

ATP Disc Brake Pad Installation Caliper Piston Press Steel Spreader Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HVH9VK/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_GXDD0N4571AE4EGDB72A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks, is this a good one?

B-50 Dacron Replacement RECURVE Bowstring - 14 Strand Bow String for Bows UP to 50 LBS. - Actual String Length in INCHES - by Traditional Gear Archery Products (Multiple Sizes) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H81CDAY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_EB86280KDKNMPRKK1FDN?psc=1

I’d go with Hope’s or Milk Paints. Both are good. The cheapest (marginally) per oz is Hope’ if you buy the single 128oz container. Slightly less money than milk paint. For some reason it is more expensive to buy the two pack than two of the singles though. Go figure.

As for the “tung oil finishes” they’re usually fine finishes, they’re just not tung oil and will behave according to what else is in them.

Link to hope’s: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O9INP6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_TG701RMNGPHFNQV7MVSX?psc=1

a shinto rasp is a great tool for quickly removing wood and not a bad price.

A good spoke shave would be useful for this as well but getting quality, cheap spoke shaves is a bit trickier.

Last photo says .4" (I'm assuming diameter), which is a bit big.

Might want to try a chainsaw file. I picked up a set at Harbor Freight that have worked fairly well for a few sets of nocks. Like this. Should note they seem duller now and I keep a brass brush to clean it out, and one broke at the handle from pushing too hard, but that is typical Harbor Freight. There should be something higher quality on Amazon.

I've also seen some use a hacksaw with a rod saw blade like this one, but I haven't used that method myself.

From what i have read it should be once piece.
But The book Ottoman Turkish bows, manufacture and design would be able to give you a better anwer. I'll try and look through it when I get home

String and jig on Amazon. Nice and simple.

thanks! i think im gonna grab this shinto saw rasp based on some other users comments. They seem to like it a lot more than the surform.

It's really important that you get a tool that's right for you. As you notice, I don't recommend planes, the other guy did.

I have reasons but they are mostly my own. For eexample I wouldn't recommend planes because they will only work when working on straight grain. The moment you encounter a knot, you'll be struggling. And on top of it, planes are expensive and only the expensive ones are worth getting. A cheap drawknife or rasp works fine but a cheap plane is gonna make you cry.

Now, you were saying you don't wanna file for 10 hours. I think you're a little bit mistaken about rasps. You will probably be surprised how quick a good, coarse rasp is. They can devour wood. The reason why you need a rasp is because there will be spots in wood where the grain is running off. A cutting tool will struggle to cut when grain runs off but a rasp will still work.

Alright, I recommend the following. Get yourself a rasp. I have no particular recommendation. Check out ebay and see if you can get one there. If not, get one from harbor freight. Look for a big one. Possibly these 4-in-1s.

Then, get a Morakniv knife. The company is famous for making high quality bushcrafting knives. These knives are absolutely amazing for working on wood.

And a knife is better than a plane or drawknife if you don't have a workbench. Just place the wood against the ground and your foot and use the knife.

On Amazon for $14, the companion. https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Outdoor-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004TNWD40

It's one of their cheapest and great. They come with a scandi grind. It's the best grind for woodworking and easiest to resharpen.

Thanks so much!

I do have a few questions, though. I was doing some reading on the sub before making my post, and I had seen some people recommending the Shinto Saw Rasp over the Stanley Surform Rasp (I assume that links to the correct one?). What's your opinion on the matter? I know nothing about rasps (Which I hope to correct) so I'm not sure what makes one rasp better than another.

Also, how does one determine what the draw weight of a bow that they've made is? Is there a way to alter it if it turns out it's too heavy? Again, I haven't read the books in full yet, but I just wanted to get that question out of the way while I was still thinking of it.

Are there any kinds of finishes that are more conducive to making a good seal on a bow that won't potentially affect it? (assuming that adding a stain or finish can affect the performance of a bow)

This is what I've got So far it's done pretty good. Then went to Home Depot and bought a hatchet which really helps for slimming down the wood. But until I've got my own house (in an apartment right now) this is the best I can do :/

At minimum I suggest

Removal Tools:

• A saw (jib/table/band/hand)
• Rasp/chisel/scraper/axe
• Sandpaper/block/file

Other Tools

• Jigs for bending/bowstring/tillering
• Ruler/Tape & Square
• Clamps

If your going down the hand-tool route, I suggest getting a japanese pull saw like the Gyokucho Razor Saw. It's the best saw I've used thus far.

Yep, Jim Hamm’s Bows & Arrows of the Native Americans: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Wooden Bows, Sinew-backed Bows, Composite Bows, Strings, Arrows & Quivers is an affordable option for that, or get his Traditional Bowyer’s Bible Series. It’ll be challenging to make at that length though and will require a length of wood with excellent grain and/or sinewing.

Traditional Archery from Six Continents: The Charles E. Grayson Collection has a number of photos as well as descriptions of similar bows, though most are highly ornamented.