OT How do you make a bow (as in bow and arrow)?

[Night Train]

Have you got a lemon tree? Lemon wood makes good bows.

You need to take a triangular section out of the log, like a slice of cake, Mmmmm cake!









Where was I?


Oh yes, the section should look like a slice of cake when you look at the end of the log and be long enough down the log to get the length of bow you want.

With the sapwood, the wet bit under the bark, to the front and the heart wood, the centre of the tree, towards the back that should give you the direction the bow is to be used.

The bark and some of the sap wood needs to be planed, or carved, away following the growth rings so that the front of the bow is one continuous and undamaged growth ring. That can make the bow a funny shape but it will be stronger.

Then do the same for the back of the bow, planing or carving away the growth rings from the pith towards the sapwood keeping to a continous growth ring.

The finished bow should have some sap wood to the front and some heartwood to the back. The thickness and width of the finished bow will depend on the amount of draw weight you want.

If you haven't got a lemon tree then raid your local church yard for a yew tree. Yew bows tend to be a bit more curly though as they don't grow as straight.


Does the law still stand that all men should spend two hours at archery practice after church on a Sunday?

 

[Arch]

Does the law still stand that all men should spend two hours at archery practice after church on a Sunday?

<fights urge to make extremely crude remark based on own surname>

 

[Cubist]

<fights urge to make extremely crude remark based on own surname>

Ooooerrr!

 

[Cubist]

http://www.ehow.com/how_7723444_make-homemade-bow-arrow.html

 

[Maz]

When I was a kid I used 2 garden canes; one bent slightly for the bow, the other grooved for the arrow.
Worked pretty well.

 

[summerdays]

The stick does need to be slightly bowed (well duh!) when strung to work, and it's no good if all the spring is actually in the string, not the stick - I think that's what makes the arrow dive.

I think that was the problem that he was trying to get the string to do the work.... (I didn't make bows as a kid)

Tell him to fire it in the air... it looks more impressive to a boy that way...

Hmm... lets think ... quick Risk Assessment here.... err Arrow goes UP ... and Arrow comes DOWN... and ... opps ..... yep I'll tell him it looks better that way....

This topic seems to have brought some of the grown up kids out of hiding ... with lots of detail. He's gone to bed now with the bandaged finger ... wondering if its bad enough to getting him out of school swimming lessons tomorrow!! (No!! i isn't )

He also knew he couldn't take in his pen knife to school but wondered if I could give it to his teacher to give him at lunch time !!!

 

[Norm]

Hmm... lets think ... quick Risk Assessment here.... err Arrow goes UP ... and Arrow comes DOWN... and ... opps ..... yep I'll tell him it looks better that way....

When I was a kid, a particularly dumb friend (who we'll call Guy, because that was his name) with a crossbow said "Here, I wonder how far it will go..." and immediately fired it straight upwards.

It was out of sight in about half a second.

About 2 seconds later, and with myself and another friend, who we'll call Paul, giggling at him, a look of concern spread slowly across Guy's face and he immediately dropped and spread-eagled himself on the ground.

Paul and I were laughing aloud by this point, Paul just about managed to get himself together enough to point out to Guy that he'd just maximised the size of the target for something which was going to drop out of the sky.

We were hysterical, though, as Guy then got back to his feet and ran as fast as he could whilst keeping himself as narrow as possible, his knees locked together and his hands by his sides, to stand beside the nearest tree.

He never did hit anything with that bloody crossbow but, blimey, what a beast of a weapon.

He also knew he couldn't take in his pen knife to school but wondered if I could give it to his teacher to give him at lunch time !!!

I hope that he's not planning on taking a knife to a bow'n'arrow fight.

 

[Sambu]

not sure if its been stated but i cant be bothered to read the whole lot
But, the stick needs to be straight and its better if its dry. i spent hours making bows out of lovely bow shaped sticks when i was younger, never worked.

 

[summerdays]

When I was a kid, a particularly dumb friend (who we'll call Guy, because that was his name) with a crossbow said "Here, I wonder how far it will go..." and immediately fired it straight upwards.

It was out of sight in about half a second.

About 2 seconds later, and with myself and another friend, who we'll call Paul, giggling at him, a look of concern spread slowly across Guy's face and he immediately dropped and spread-eagled himself on the ground.

Paul and I were laughing aloud by this point, Paul just about managed to get himself together enough to point out to Guy that he'd just maximised the size of the target for something which was going to drop out of the sky.

We were hysterical, though, as Guy then got back to his feet and ran as fast as he could whilst keeping himself as narrow as possible, his knees locked together and his hands by his sides, to stand beside the nearest tree.



I hope that he's not planning on taking a knife to a bow'n'arrow fight.

I think he has decided there is better bow material in the nature area.