Bhutanese bow.

[crosslandkelly]

I was just going through some photos, and came across the Bhutanese bow making skill share I did with the Suffolk group last summer. I thought you may like to see them. Thanks to Wayne of the Forest knights, for teaching me, at the 2013 moot, I now know how hard a job it is. Hope you like them.

 

[OurAmericanCousin]

A wonderful collage of images to both demonstrate your lessons and remember the experience by. Building a bow is not the easiest task.

Is that photo of a cleanly snapped bow the outcome of your efforts? Tragic, to be sure, but not a game-ender. The break (if that's what it is) can be splinted/spliced from the belly and be good as new......if not even better. A good treatment of sinew backing/wrapping and hide glue in layers over your repair will make the break a distant memory.

Fun pictures and thanks so much for sharing. Looks like a blast. Great job.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Thanks for your comments, it was a fun but full on day. I'm afraid the break was due more to impatience and bad luck, rather than material.

 

[OurAmericanCousin]

Ah, yes. The curse of the scratch builder/DIYer. The only lure more powerful than the motivation to build something is wanting to get it done and play with it. I'm a sufferer, myself.

 

[forrestdweller]

now you give me an idea...:You_Rock_
recently i started a thread about getting a bow (as i plan to get into archery in spring)- if i build a bamboo bow like yours first i could start ""warming up"" my muscles with it and buy the ""real"" bow with a slightly higher poundage (saves me some money ) now i need to harvest some bamboo on weekend (are all bamboo species equally suitable?! we have 2 or 3 different large ones here...) and dig up some infos how to build it tonite!

 

[crosslandkelly]

I would guess that most Bamboo species would be fine, though I am no expert. The bows we made pulled from between 15lb and 24lb at 28", so not the most powerful bows. another option would be to make a father and son bow, like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEIHNJCHwA

 

[forrestdweller]

I would guess that most Bamboo species would be fine, though I am no expert. The bows we made pulled from between 15lb and 24lb at 28", so not the most powerful bows. another option would be to make a father and son bow, like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEIHNJCHwA

i just did a search for the tutorial (==i had no time this morning as i was on my way to work...)
one of the bamboo species grows to up to ca. 6"" in diameter and can be almost 1" thick right at the base- so i plan to get a piece on weekend, split it and then let it dry until i get the time to work on it (no workshop available in evenings, so i have to wait until spring when it's warm enough outside...)

for some reasons youtube does not work on my PC, so i'll have to wait until that is sorted to watch the clip.... . i also got a fiberglass pole wich i use as the core in a simple longbow made from two pieces of PVC pipe forced into each other; another project waiting for spring to be finished ....