Any of you folks ever make a bow or arrows? Not the ones that we made when we were all kids, but the real deal. I'm contemplating buying a bow stave and giving it a shot. My daughter is getting into archery now and has a little recurve, all I've ever used is a compound- but would like to give traditional a try. I've been looking at all the fancy laminated fiberglass longbows and recurves, but I think if I'm going to do it, I'm going to commit fully. I'll probably start with commercial arrows just to take one of the big accuracy variables out of it, but would like to, maybe by the 2013 season, take a deer with things I've made 100% by hand.
I can't help at all but I think that is very cool. There must be a website somewhere of some dude who makes his own that you can get some tips from.
I'll ask my Dad about it, he has some friends from childhood that still build and use bows to put food on the table.
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/hunting/bowandarrow/trm/trm3-1pg08.html https://www.binghamprojects.com/ http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bow-and-Arrow http://www.vintageprojects.com/archery-plans.html http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/hunting/bowandarrow/trm/trm3-1pg08.html
There are a lot of great references online. There are also some sweet hunting videos on youtube of dudes taking whitetails with them.
A lot of those medieval/roman living history types make their own or buy handmade bows made to the design and rough materials of the time. It's quite interesting. I've been toying with the idea of building a small forge at my Dad's workshop for such things but I don't think I'd hunt with them, not really something I'd considered before.
Found this in my travels, relevant to the tradition of bow making but not really to yourself. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02/02/content_800009.htm
