I'm not buying that!

[Wilderbeast]

Hi all,
For next project I want to make a decent bow but the tutorials i've seen have said to use a drawknife.....but I really can't justify buying another piece of kit!!! What can I use as an alternative....do I even need analternative??
Thanks
Wilderbeast

 

[Aaron]

Hello mate, choose a piece of straight green hazel or ash maybe 6 inches long, if possible with a knot about half way down. Bang the tip of your knife into the knot, and if you like you can bind either side to reduce splitting. Should do the job.

 

[dogwood]

I make several bows a year and I use seldom use my drawknife. My Stanley Surform Rasps get the most work and TONS of bowyers here in the States use them exclusively.

They look like this:

or this:

Either does a great job. I don't know if you have Stanley tools in the UK, but you must have something similar. The rasp surface is a series of tiny blades (like a grater) that can be replaced as they dull.

Failing that any rasp or longish blade pulled carefully works. For real fun -- and I'm not being sarcastic -- embed a nice sharp flint shard in a wooden handle and make it the old way. Nothing feels quite so good...

The Stanley Rasps cost between $12 and $17 US.

 

[Walks with dogs]

When I did my bowmaking course we used a piece of glass instead of a drawknife. Have to say it worked very well.

 

[BigShot]

Wilderbeast...
...I'm starting a bow soon, got a stave of ash from Dwardo.

I'll be making it with an axe, a spoke shave, a block plane and a frosts woodcarving knife if the need arises.

I also have a surform lying around - there's actually one that's a cross between the two that dogwood posted, the handle swivels around to switch from file to plane. That's the one I've got.

They get through material incredibly fast. I used mine on plastic and polystyrene foam when I made a surfboard, but I can't see them struggling on a bow either.

 

[Kerne]

Buy it. When you die, the man with the most tools, wins.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

I don't know if you have Stanley tools in the UK

We do in deed quite a lot in fact

 

[Gill]

i,ve just finished my third in a couple of weeks,i used a wetterlings axe, a good sharp knife , a block plane and sandpaper ,that was it .i would,nt buy a draw knife mate.i made all of mine from yew ,if you look back on my threads there are pictures of the bows.

 

[BigShot]

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...s<{10083}&fh_refview=summary&ts=1234379461207

That's the Surform I've got.
I tend to keep it set up as a plane but it's nice to have the option.

Oh and yes, we not only have a lot of Stanley tools in the UK - most "box cutters" get called "stanley knives" here.

 

[OldFingersGreen]

Buy it. When you die, the man with the most tools, wins.

I LOVE THAT MOTTO!

and didn't stanley originate in england? something to do with sheffield steel? i may just be making this up though........

good post, i've been wandering what to use on my bow, i've roughed out with an axe and its drying now but i dont have a draw knife or spoke shave and i'm skint. Do have an old surform though! problem solved

 

[dogwood]

I LOVE THAT MOTTO!

and didn't stanley originate in england? something to do with sheffield steel? i may just be making this up though........

good post, i've been wandering what to use on my bow, i've roughed out with an axe and its drying now but i dont have a draw knife or spoke shave and i'm skint. Do have an old surform though! problem solved

Stanley is an old US company -- from the 1800s (old for Yanks, not old for Brits) -- but according to Wikipedia, they entered the market in the UK in 1937 by buying J.A. Chapman in Sheffield -- so your memory is amazing in my book.

I'm glad you've got an old surform about, rest assured you can do anything a drawknife does (and more) with the surform.

If you have some cabinet scrapers for the fine tillering, all the better. If you don't here's a tip: the edge of steel metal ruler makes a terrific cabinet scraper in a pinch. As mentioned elsewhere, sandpaper can be used too, but I find a cabinet scraper to be better.

Good luck!

 

[Steve M]

There is a picture of a knife/twig based one on the front cover of Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft.

 

[OldFingersGreen]

good tip! sure i have an old metal ruler somewhere.

not a case of good memory, only 21! , can't remember where i got the sheffield link from, it could just be that most of the steel came from sheffield back then...

can't wait now! really want to get the bow shooting but apparently patience is the best policy. pity it wont fit in my hot box!

 

[trail2]

Use an old knife or a piece of flint as a draw knife. You can make a good bow by justs using a knife and rasp then finish with sandpaper.If you need to make small adjustments while tillering a piece of glass makes a good scraper.
Jon R.

 

[robin wood]

I am not a bowyer though I have made a dozen or so. There are I reckon 3 processes.

I rough shaping, I would do this with a small sharp axe or hatchet.

2 refining shape and general thinning down untill it begins to flex evenly, this can be very fast with a drawknife but to use one efficiently you also need to build a shaving horse, not worth the hassle unless you will use it lots. This stage can be equally well done with a knife (&#163;10 mora?) or a nice wooden spokeshave (&#163;3 at car boot sales)

3 final shaping and tillering. This is where you want scrapers, glass etc. You can scrape with the edge of your knife (knife held at 90 dgrees to wood not cutting action) The trick is to avoid getting any part too thin and all the bend in one place, if that starts to happen mark it, leave it alone and thin either side until the bend becomes more even.

last thought I have alwasy made d section long bows out of yew and ash, simply because I did a lot of research on medieval wood, have handled the Mary Rose longbows and it seemed the obvious thing. My next bow will be a flatbow. These were standard in Europe in earlier times (eg Oetzi the iceman had a flatbow) from what I have read they are quicker easier and more forgiving to make.

Watch these vids I have not seen anyone make a "quickly made bow" that shoots so well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFrT16vPHEg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIRVAc23ubw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y40KyGF1fY

 

[bothyman]

I have a Shinto Rasp it's like several hacksaw blades riveted together

MickT