How to Shape a Bow Stave. Teach Yourself to Make a Wooden Archery Bow. Part Five

[@CraigLYoung]

On three occasions, I have been fortunate enough to visit England and my impression of your country is the people are fantastic, terrain superior, and the weather awful. Watching your opening scene gave me flash backs to my youth standing guard in the pouring rain.

[@herbertkuttner9228]

Mick Hi again Well done mate I learn so much from you. You make my old age so much better and interesting . Thanks so much for what you contribute to the world of self bow making Herb In USA

[@MickGrewcock]

Thank you Herb!!

[@kentsel]

Hi my name is Mick Grewcock ! :3 I love ur videos they helps so much

[@toxophilecute1]

Mr. Grewcock, your video are a complete pleasure to watch.

[@MickGrewcock]

Thank you, appreciated! Mick

[@Silentbet1of]

Thank you so much for the information

[@MickGrewcock]

Good luck

[@Silentbet1of]

@@MickGrewcock hey I hope you don’t mind me asking but, I’m drying out some 8 foot cutting for my next bow I made my first long bow took my about a week, I only use the hand saw chisels a knife and 4 files, to smooth out the bow. Came out amazing made from dogwood..but I wanted to make a short bow is the same process?

[@MickGrewcock]

@Silentbet1of yes, just the same.

[@Dustypilgrim1]

As usual, a great 'vid' mick. The bit about having the humility to learn from colliding with mishap and utilising it as a learning experience, invaluable... Equally, the 'try with a make-do before you buy all new' approach to new tools is also very valuable advice.

[@hammerstoneartifacts4986]

Knots are something l struggle with. Your absolutely right. Bows without peaks and valleys, Bobble and weaves. Are just sterile sticks. I appreciate the recap. Its great to have so much information jammed into under 7min. Don't let them get you down concerning your weather. It's -28°c and thier is 35cm of snow waiting to be shoveled out of my driveway! Love your videos brother! Keep em coming...Highlight of my week!

[@jmfa57]

Mick, once again, you've turned your rainy day into a bright day for me with your video- and bow-making prowess. Thank you again, Sir!

[@rilledulu]

Always a joy to watch your videos..

[@mihaizograf5599]

This video is one of my favorites, and I'm glad to see it again! A happy new year, a lot, a lot of health and a lot of happiness !!!

[@MickGrewcock]

Thank you Mihai. Happy New Year to you and your family 🙏🙏

[@ekimovGELANN]

Bravo!

[@ionsorinporojan149]

Hi Mick ! Great video , full of informations. Waiting for next episode ... Sorin the bowman / ROUMANIA

[@cretudavid8622]

Salut !

[@JeffPatenaude]

Hello Mick. I discovered your channel one year ago. It was the first time that I heard about bow making. I decided to give it at try. I am now completely addicted and I'm making my 8th bow. Thank you. Wish you the best J-F

[@MickGrewcock]

Hello! That’s a fantastic story - well done! I am having a rest from bowmaking just now but your story is a great one. Thanks for letting me know and sharing your story. Mick

[@oldgold5848]

Oh to be in England now that spring is here.......;)

[@charlieb4011]

Love the videos allways loved archery so I tried making a longbow from what I learned from your videos. Think I was a bit impatient with the tillering lol snapped it. But I'll try again.

[@MickGrewcock]

deep under All good learning. Don’t be disappointed - have another go. Go very slowly when tillering, leave it alone if you get a bit lost with it and don’t be over ambitious with draw weight and so on. Good luck!

[@gayathriraj9683]

@@MickGrewcock can you make a bamboo bow

[@luissotelo324]

Todo un arte los felicito

[@rebekah-chriss-k4872]

Thanks mix good series really enjoying it

[@Trev.S]

I’ve got a lot of white oak, spruce, elm, sweet gum, and ash. I haven’t found any hickory yet that’s what I’m aiming for. I’ve got some white oak seasoning. I haven’t even bought the tools yet. I’m practicing as much as I can so when I do get that hickory I’ll be ready to go

[@MickGrewcock]

Good luck

[@mihaizograf5599]

Very pleasant, your encouragements and explanations !!! Once again and again,thank you, MULTUMIM !!!

[@MickGrewcock]

Thank you Mihai!

[@cretudavid8622]

Salut !!

[@mihaizograf5599]

@@cretudavid8622 Salut pentru sanatate, iar pentru PASTE ţHRISTOS A ÎNVIAT !!!"

[@cretudavid8622]

@@mihaizograf5599 Adevarat a inviat! :)

[@rayzugar4776]

Hello Mick, nice weather. Ive given one of your subscribers some advice about making a bow from a plank of wood, I hope you don't mind. Its far harder making a good bow from sawn timber because its mainly kiln dryed, and that's the killer of bend. You just think you've got a good bow then bang, it snaps. My pyramid bow did 600 arrows, and was shooting lovely. Then crack, and that was do to crystallization in the wood that I couldn't see. Keep up with the video's Mick your doing a wonderful job.

[@rodparsons521]

The idea that kiln dried wood is in itself fatal to a bow stave is often exaggerated. This begs the question. What should the moisture content have been in the wood at local equilibrium and what evidence do you have that the wood was damaged by being kiln dried when it was more likely to have just been excessively dry? This is why a simple SG, moisture content and bending test can be so useful.

[@MikevanHattum]

Hi Mick, great video again, and makes me look forward to the better weather here in Denmark. I harvested a nice straight piece of ash last november, which is now standing in my living room waiting to be formed. I am still figuring out the exact shape of the bow, but in my opinion, that is the most fun for every project. Be it blacksmithing, leatherworking or bow making, just watching the material, and imagining what it can become....priceless. I have been doing archery since a young age (I think 8 years old) but never made or finished my own bow. Now I am 33, and quite known to the tools of the trade (and other trades), so it is time for me to get cutting away. Do you think a 4 to 5 month dried ash stave can hit around 60 pounds draw weight?

[@shroomskunk]

Read an interesting book on bow making last week by Jim Hamm. He mentioned an interesting way of working a bow down without overloading it before full tiller.. you basically aim for a draw weight of say 60lb. You basically draw only a few inches until you hit the weight you require and tiller to get the draw length rather than the weight. That way you don’t ever exceed the max draw weight and over stress the wood. If that makes sense.

[@MickGrewcock]

simon ross The way I have learned is, when tillering, to never exceed the intended draw weight - whatever that might be. I found that worked for me. Great comment, thank you 🙏

[@hammerstoneartifacts4986]

Just finished watching, Light weight longbow for beginners. Do you typically work the sides first? Makes a lot of sense!

[@rodparsons521]

​ @94pommy A common approach is to refer to the dimensions of a good example of a bow that you like. But remember that any example will be specific to someone else, or what they like. These dimensions can also set limits on how the bow might be used, or on its efficiency. I can think of one such detail based upon the knowledge that Mick favours a heavy English bow and has been more focused on making and not breaking bows than upon the shooting. Without developing an "obsession with engineering" there is some advantage in considering the basics. The old measures were chosen according to the size of the individual, a traditional pattern being adjusted to fit the archer within the current understanding of "the engineering", in the context of intended use, the materials available and the customary practice of the time and place. It is useful to think about the functionality of the chosen geometry, before taking the step of cutting away wood. I'm all in favour of learning from our own mistakes, but less in favour of building in potential issues due to a lack of forethought. So at the point of laying out the basic shape, what do we know that is useful in setting out an effective shape? fwiw

[@94pommy]

Another great video Mick where did you get your ruff setting out guide lines from as I don't know where to start from

[@MickGrewcock]

Some simple guides in previous video for a simple longbow. Depends on draw weight. Message me if stuck. Mick

[@94pommy]

Thank you Mick I will do

[@chasecalvert6227]

What song is this in the background?! I love it!

[@MickGrewcock]

Sorry, lost the track details due to a hard drive issue. Apologies. Mick

[@crajneelchand5382]

Hello Mick. I was wondering if we can make a long bow out of a timber sold in hardware stores? If yes can you show us how. Thank you for sharing.

[@joshd2013]

It can be done but its hard and to get one that will work is usually more trouble than it's worth if you can get a fence post at least you should have from the bark to the center of the tree which would be much better to use than a plank hope this helps

[@crajneelchand5382]

@@joshd2013 Thank you.

[@rodparsons521]

@@joshd2013 It very much depends upon how much sawn wood you can find that is worth looking at and what you know or can learn about how to proceed. Or you can buy a stave. Which can be a gamble. Or you can select an oversized piece of sawn wood which has a stave within it. Or you can glue up various laminations, but that's not something that interests me. If you can get permission to cut (15 to 25 year old, or older, coppice wood) that might be preferable. This can be pitched to a landowner of his agent as pruning or thinning, rather than as wholesale cutting or the felling of a whole tree. Or we can just look for the best board we can find and make something that can be made safe by backing it. With rawhide, for example, or sinew. Preferably with something that benefits or at least does not detract too much from performance. With sinew for example, or rawhide which can be sanded down when dry. My preference with sawn wood is to choose a bigger piece that contained an unviolated back ring that I could chase, turning it back from a sawn board into a stave with an unbroken back, but this involves more work. Last time I did this I found a yard which had American Red Elm and selected a 3" x 6" boardd which I examined, had them saw it into three 2" square lengths and them trim to length where I marked them. I took away 2 good pieces, rejected the third and the offcuts, gave one away to a friend and made a good 56 lb bow out of the third after taking it down to the back ring i wanted. The first task is to find a suitable source of wood and to learn what makes an acceptable board or stave. There's no such thing as "can't", there just better or worse ways of doing it. I live in rural Lincolnshire and sought out and spoke to the manager of a large estate close to where I live, obtaining permission to take a few staves now and again for my own use. This is not so difficult if you do not create problems.

[@joshd2013]

@@rodparsons521 yep I agree which is why I suggested fence posts which were a good option for me in aus cos they normally bout 6ft long and contain a about quarter of a tree depending on circumference from the bark to the heart a much better option than boards not saying it can't be done with them like you I prefer not to laminate if possible just saying its harder to get a good bow out of one than with a log or fence post key words being good bow

[@rodparsons521]

@@joshd2013 If I were in Oz I'd be delighted to find long unviolated ironbark fenceposts, but where some of us live fenceposts can be a very different beast. Where I am in UK, Ash and other meane bow woods are plentiful enough by the roadside, but fence posts are a less useful option. I noticed recently that someone in Israel proffered the advice that we should "ask an electrician" as a possible source of bow wood. If I were to ask someone regarded as an "electrician" in the UK, he would probably think I was raving mad. If I walk the roads round here, in many places I can barely throw a stick without out it landing within sight of coppiced vegetation that is worth a look.

[@wietzzzz4]

Haha i have the exact same bear grylls parang 😂

[@hammerstoneartifacts4986]

Anyone out there struggled with elm bow builds? I'm halfway threw an American elm build. I don't know if its American elm or elm in general ....Its so difficult to work. Almost like apple wood.

[@mihaizograf5599]

after many beginner mistakes, me conclusion is that any piece of bow wood give us a bow like he want, not haw we want !that fore we must looking for, in any wood piece the shape of bow who is hide in.

[@rodparsons521]

@ Mihail Zograf We can make what is in the wood, if we can recognise it in the wood we choose. :-)

[@mihaizograf5599]

@@rodparsons521 perfectly true !!!