How to make a recurve self bow out of White Oak

[@rockinHurley777]

Having it in front of a grid is very smart for help keeping it symmetrical!

[@juliehansen4381]

I’ve watched a bunch of these and I still get nervous when I hear it creaking. Great work with the white oak! Beautiful work!

[@BowtellBows]

Definitely a bowyers least favorite sound. Thank you!

[@theoldboy70]

I like the tip overlay idea, I’ll be trying it out for sure.

[@BowtellBows]

Makes for a nice, thin tip that is still strong and easy to set your string on. Best of luck!

[@DanSantanaBows]

Great stuff bowtell. Always good seeing more bowyers on youtube

[@BowtellBows]

Thanks Dan! Look forward to seeing your next recurve video

[@brynduffy]

The wood delaminated when you first put it onto the form? Tell us about that.

[@BowtellBows]

This can happen for a number of reasons and is not detrimental to the bow but surely not preferable. Causes include the wood not being heated thoroughly, too much dry heat causing wood to become brittle, too much curve for wood species, and bending the wood too fast. The main cause, in this case and in general, will be the wood grain in the bending section. Since this was a board bow, I have to use the grain as best I could though it wasn’t ideal for bending. One way to avoid this is to support the wood while it is being bent. Examples of support can be clamping the wood to the shape as it is bent, or adding a metal strip to the outside of the curve so as to add pressure on the wood being bent. Any additional thoughts?

[@DreamcraftBows]

Nice work keep it up!!!

[@BowtellBows]

Thank you! You too!

[@ScottWinters]

Nice work my friend. I so want to try making my own bow. Afraid to take the plunge though. Supporting your channel.

[@BowtellBows]

Thank you for the support! If there is something I could do to help you take the plunge into bow making, let me know.

[@ScottWinters]

@@BowtellBows thank you and have a great evening. Regards

[@txrick4879]

I have a pin oak tree . Would that work to build a bow .

[@BowtellBows]

Most oaks are wonderful for bow making. From what I can tell, pin oak should be no different.

[@txrick4879]

It's time to trim the tree and I will look for the best limb . Thanks . I have been a archer for many years now it's time to build one .

[@BowtellBows]

Best of luck! Would love to hear how it goes

[@stephenbonaventure9423]

Hey I just wanted to ask a question I am getting into bow making and wanted to know what is that graph chart that you use when you are tilloring your bow ,in other words what is it called where I can possibly look it up on the Internet or where to get one that large I appreciate the info.

[@BowtellBows]

Sure thing! Here is a link to one on Amazon: Dritz 890 Superboard Durable Kraft Board, 39-3/4 x 72-Inch www.amazon.com/dp/B0018N22FO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_YVY8024A0C5JT5TESY30

[@johnsharkey9143]

It looked like it split when you bent it to the form. Could be wrong but it looked that way. Right where you put the third clamp after steaming the first limb

[@BowtellBows]

It did a little so I wrapped the ends with the linen string. Since it is on the belly it is not a big problem but I do try to work them out so they don’t get bigger.

[@manjitkaur537]

Pls can u share full information about this longbow i mean size,lenth n thikness

[@BowtellBows]

For this bow, it was about 66 inches long, 1.25 inches wide, and about 1 inch thick at the handle section which tapered down to 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick at the hand. These are just guidelines since each piece of wood is different. Best of luck

[@itooosh9974]

Hey! How thick is this bow? I am getting close to tillering my orange wood bow and my handle is quite thin. Do you think it's possible that it wouldn't break with a handle pretty thin? The bow limbs are currently 0.7 in (needing more shaving off of them) and the handle is around 0.9-1 in. Would love if you could help!

[@BowtellBows]

Hi! Great question. Depending on the tiller of your bow I don’t think thin will be an issue. This bow is about .8” thick at the handle so I added two thick pieces of leather to make it more comfortable in the hand. As long as your thickness taper is even and your tiller looks good, you will be in great shape!

[@itooosh9974]

@@BowtellBows Thanks!!! That helped a bunch! Before I start tillering - do you have any tips for tillering without a hanging scale (that thing that measures weight, i think that it's what it's called)

[@BowtellBows]

Sure thing! I think a good tool is a tillering stick made from a 2x4 which is what I used for many years before my current setup. You can make one or buy one from 3riversarchery.com. Kramer Ammons is another bowyer on KZbin and he has a good video about tillering sticks and trees.

[@earlschultz7880]

Thanks so much for this video! I like oak, but I wonder how ash would do? they use ash for so much in handles, would it work for a bow? Opps, I went to you site and saw you did use ash on a long bow! Happy New Year!

[@BowtellBows]

Thank you! Yes, ash makes a wonderful bow as you saw. Thanks for watching and happy new year.

[@ghecot4576]

What strig u used for that bow?

[@BowtellBows]

I used a Dacron B-55 Flemish twist string

[@E-E.ADVENTUREGEARS]

I JUST FOUND YOUR CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBED COULD YOU PUT THE MEASUREMENTS IN THE DESCRIPTION PLEASE IT'LL MAKE THINGS ALOT EASIER

[@BowtellBows]

For this bow, it was about 66 inches long, 1.25 inches wide, and about 1 inch thick at the handle section, which tapered down to 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick at the hand. These are just guidelines since each piece of wood is different. Best of luck

[@E-E.ADVENTUREGEARS]

@@BowtellBows Thanks

[@richardhoule4389]

Hey man great vid. I was wondering was that white oak just cut or sawed into that stave? Did u worry about growth rings? Thanks!

[@BowtellBows]

Thank you! I made sure the growth rings lined up from end to end because it is a board bow. I found that white oak is pretty strong in spite of the growth rings. Still got to be careful though

[@richardhoule4389]

Gotcha thanks man👍

[@electrominded8372]

Bow woods in top to bottom order of suitability in my opinion as an amateur bowyer: osage orange > European yew > ash > elm > maple (if tillered right) > white oak > hickory > European birch > bamboo > juniper

[@BowtellBows]

That is a very good list though I would rank hickory a little higher if you live in a dry climate and heat treat the belly. I think this oak bow would have performed better with a heat treated belly as well.

[@electrominded8372]

@@BowtellBows You're probably right, I've only tried to cook / heat temper one bow though, a maple one, and it cracked as a result. About that list, I forgot to mention rowan. A flexible and strong material, but it warps too easily. I would rate it before or after hickory.

[@electrominded8372]

I've made a white oak short bow and love it for its durability and strength, but unlike maple and juniper it does not revert to its original shape much. So it becomes more and more bent with long use and eventually will become unusable.

[@rockinHurley777]

Well that's unfortunate. What if you laminated it with maple??

[@jogasingh-wv6eh]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@christinenorriss9675]

I don't think you actually mentioned the bow length, was it around 60" ?..

[@BowtellBows]

I don’t think I did actually. It is 66” end to end and about 65” NTN.

[@kebartholomew543]

White oak is what they make barrels with bonds and is almost waterproof not a brittle as red oak

[@BowtellBows]

Ke Bartholomew I didn’t know that! I know it is better than red oak and it is too dry in Utah for red oak.

[@daviddegroot3477]

You switched to a short string without mentioning it. Might confuse the newbies.

[@BowtellBows]

Good catch. Maybe I will do a video on my tillering steps to clarify.