My first bow finnished(ish)

[mikethescout]

hey all,

here is my first bow made from ash. its suppose to be a flat bow...

its not quite finnished yet, i am still to sand it, which i am dreading )

so what do you think??

next i want to have a go at a tradional english longbow..

 

[bushwacker bob]

Look good to me, what weight does it pull at 28"?

 

[mikethescout]

how do i work that out?? hang weights off it til it reaches 28"?

im new to this whole bow making thing so dont know how to do the technical stuff

 

[budgetbus]

Fishing scales and pull to 28" ??

 

[mikethescout]

hmm dont have any of them.
did it by adding weights and got to 36lb at 28"

 

[bushcraftbob]

That looks nice im just in the process of doing my first one its addictive aint it!!!

 

[topknot]

Looks good. I'll keep watching this thread.

Topknot

 

[Pandabean]

Cant see the pictures due to the works network, but I have fancied having a go at this myself, trouble is I got to find ash first (the three ash trees I do know sit on a burial mound - bit superstitious about touching them ), also is there a good tutorial anywhere for making your own?

My main concern is when it comes to bending it gradually, my mate hadc a good and I think it snapped his after many hours of getting it to the right shape.

 

[caliban]

Nice work! That's damn good for a first. Only the elite few make a shooter first time out and most of these come in at about 20lb, I know mine did at least.

I'm a novice too but if I could suggest one thing, the back of your bow seems to have tool marks on it, looks like you've decrowned a big sapling or flatened a stave out with a plane or something. I think you want to smooth that down and stick a couple of layers of silk or linen on the back. The back should be one intact ring, or I've heard your bow can break on the draw. Just saying that for safety's sake. Cool bow!