How to Make Your Own Primitive Archery Equipment
For thousands of years, our ancestors built their own hunting equipment, using basic tools, and archery equipment was no exception. Although manufactured archery equipment may be more accurate and long-lasting, self-made bows can be better personalized to the size and strength of the individual, and the purpose it is built for, whether that is sport, recreation or hunting. Being able to successfully build a working bow brings a sense of satisfaction and also is a useful wilderness survival skill.
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Instructions
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Acquire the wood that the bow will be carved from. A stave of around 5½ feet in length and an inch in diameter is desirable, and the best woods are Osage orange, yew, ash and hickory. Wood should be seasoned for a year before the bark is carefully scraped off with your knife held at 90 degrees. Pre-seasoned and stripped wood can be purchased if necessary.
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Split the stave down the middle, then carve the curved edges with your knife so that the cross-section of the wood is rectangular.
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Locate the center of the bow and measure out 3 inches in each direction.
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File down the wood in this area, which will become the handle of the bow. Do this by feel, until it fits your hand comfortably, and file from the sides only -- the front and back of the bow should remain flat. Do not carve the wood at this point as excessive carving can leave it prone to splintering and splitting.
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File the ends of the bow so that they taper down to around 3/8 inches at the tip. This tapering is necessary to balance the leverage of the string across the length of the bow.
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Test the bow to see if both limbs pull evenly. Tie a string around both ends and place the bow on the floor with your foot on the handle. Pull upward on the string gently and look at the limbs. If one is pulling more easily than the other, file the other limb a little more, then retest until they are even.
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String the bow, using cord or normal string. The string used should not be elastic. One end of the string can be tied, and the other side tied with a loop. File in small notches on each side if necessary. Create a distance of approximately one fistmele between the bow and string at the most distant point. A fistmele is the distance between the top of your thumb and the bottom of your fist when you make a thumbs up.
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Test the bow. Sometimes through no fault of your own, the bow will split. There may have been flaws or inconsistencies in the wood. In this case, simply try again.
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Tips & Warnings
Finishing the wood with animal fat and leaving close to a heat source to drive the fat into the wood can increase the strength and longevity of the bow.
Always take care when whittling wood.
References
- Photo Credit archery image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
