How to Make a Bow Out of Wood
Making a bow is not a difficult task but it does take patience and effort. A bow can mean the difference between eating and starving if you find yourself lost in the wilderness. You can find many of the supplies needed to create a bow in the wilderness if you pay attention to your surroundings. A bow takes practice to use and the more frequently you use a bow, the better you will get at hitting what you aim at. Learning to use a bow can be a recreational activity or a professional sport. Whether you use your bow for sporting purposes or for hunting, learning to use it is a skill that everybody can benefit from.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Strong stick about 3 feet in length
- Thin string that does not stretch
- Knife or axe
- Several straight sticks about 1-1/2 feet long
- Feathers (optional)
Instructions
-
How to Make a Bow Out of Wood
-
1
Find a sturdy piece of wood about 3 feet in length. Make sure it is as straight as possible. The piece of wood should be dry but not brittle. There are several types of wood that you can use for the bow. Oak, hickory, black locust, and teak make fine bows. However, in a pinch, you can use pine for your bow.
-
2
Shave or cut small sections off the ends to make both ends of the wood the same size, but thinner than the center of the wood. Also shave a small amount of wood from one side of the thicker middle section of the wood. This section will face the shooter when the bow is completed.
-
-
3
Cut a notch on each side of the stick about one to two inches from the end. Do this on both ends of the stick. These notches will hold the bow string.
-
4
Locate something to be used as a bow string. Rawhide, thin nylon rope, thin strands of cotton, or even thin vines can be used for the bow string. Make sure that the string you use is not stretchable. The string should also be strong enough that it will not break easily.
-
5
Wrap the string through both notches on one end of the bow and tie tightly. Bend the bow slightly and wrap the string through both notches at the other end of the bow.
-
6
Making an arrow to use with the bow is very simple. Locate a stick that is as straight as possible. Goldenrod, mullen, or small straight limbs will all work as an arrow for the bow. The sticks for the arrows should be approximately 1 ½ feet in length.
-
7
Carve a notch at one end of the stick to hold the bow string before you shoot the arrow. Carve a point at the other end of the stick to form an arrowhead. You can add feathers to the bow by tying them on the blunt end of the arrow with string. However, the arrow will work fine without the feathers.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can use green wood in a pinch, but it does not bend as easily. To use green wood, soak it in water and then peel the bark off. A bow and arrow can be useful for survival. Practice making a bow with items found in nature. Shooting an animal with a bow and arrow is difficult but it can be done. A bow and arrow can also be used for shooting fish, just tie a string on the end of the arrow so that it can be easily retrieved.
Always shave the wood away from your body to avoid injury. Never aim the arrow at anything that you do not intend to kill. Never aim the arrow at a person. Always be certain what you are shooting at. Never shoot into a moving bush. Always keep the bow and arrow out of the reach of children.
