How to Build a Board Bow Part 2: Tools and Layout

[@AikiAwe]

This is a great layout. Could you lay this out differently to include a small rest or just cut in?

[@thebusbums2825]

I was really looking forward to this

[@SwiftwoodBows]

I'm glad you're enjoying it. part 3 should be out in a couple days...

[@thebusbums2825]

Swiftwood Bows thanks friend. I am a “Bowman” I feel I should know how to make a bow per my namesake

[@eliteself119]

Awesome series! Very thorough! I've tried and failed making a board bow twice now (got better the second time), and am ready for round 3 to go differently! Thank you for making these!

[@SwiftwoodBows]

Thank you! stick with it. It will come together for you and then you'll be hooked

[@bluenovacorgi8230]

I bought a red oak board the othee day hoping to make a bow when i get more tools

[@chefmike4171]

Fantastic detail. Looking forward to 3

[@knolltop314]

OK. Got mine layed out. :-)

[@jJeremyRoot]

I really appreciate this. Thank you.

[@SwiftwoodBows]

You're welcome! glad you like it

[@bwoodblu]

I think that might be the same draw knife i have. 1920s 8" Lakeside(MW). Found it on ebay for 25$. Still in really nice shape. 100 yrs old and still got another 100 in it

[@yourvinestowine2781]

Started watching this build and quite detailed. Very generous of you to share all your knowledge. I have one auestio: , why did you choose not to back this bow with sinew or, as some chose to do, use drywall mesh tape? Again thank you for the clear instruction.

[@hunt_trap_fish]

So do those dimensions for the fades apply on, say, a smaller sized bow as well? I'm trying to build a bow for my 5 year old's birthday. Her draw length is like 15", so she'd need a 34" bow. I've got a 46" bow kind of laid out on a board bc I want some room for her to grow into it. That being said, a 2" long fade at 2" wide is gonna eat up a considerable length of the bow I have for her. I think. maybe.?

[@craigadamkelly]

I have a question you went over the overall length based on the draw length I want to have a 33 inch draw length but I also want to do 100 lb draw weight is there anything in particular I need to know about how to do that safely

[@andrewbasnaw]

This is great to see. In your next video would you mind taking a second to talk about how to handle prop twist in a board bow?

[@SwiftwoodBows]

Thanks for the idea. I'll add that to my list. A little bit of twist can safely be ignored in a straight limbed bow. If there is significant twist then a heat gun and some clamps might be needed. I dont have any twisted boards to work with but the concept would be the same for a stave. the next time I need to wrestle with the twist in a stave I'll try to make it into a video.

[@andrewbasnaw]

@@SwiftwoodBows thanks! I actually am running into a strange situation right now where I ran out of staves and am making a board bow that has twist in one limb, but only when it bends. I went to a pair of calipers to make sure the thickness is equal and it is. I haven’t the slightest idea how to fix it honestly

[@nookymonster1]

What is your opinion on tru oil for finish.

[@elmono8894]

drawlenght: 6:42 handle thikness: 11:54 tip 13:33 lay out the bow: 14:25

[@grayman7208]

when you draw out the design of your bow ... do you try to keep a grain line centered ? for example the layout might actually be slightly angled from the center of the of the board from end to end. (not "squared" to the board)

[@SwiftwoodBows]

Good question. Grain is king on any bow. If the grain line is diagonal to the edges of the board follow the grain, not the board.

[@grayman7208]

@@SwiftwoodBows thank you. i have another question. is it possible to build a penobscot bow from a board bow ?

[@TriggaWarning]

Why can you choose either side as back of the bow? On staves the growthrings always curve downwards from the back to the belly. I thought for boards it has to be the same.

[@SwiftwoodBows]

It's true, they do have a curve to them but it doesn't effect the integrity one way or the other. The most important thing is having no runoff.

[@TriggaWarning]

@@SwiftwoodBows Perfect thank you so much!!! I'm asking, because my white oak board has a layer (more like a corner) of sapwood on the bark side. So I would do it the opposite way of how you did it. Kind of bend the board against the tangetial curve of the growthrings. Since you told another guy that sapwood bends differently and makes tillering more difficult I would use the side without sapwood as my back. Does the way you bend it, may it be perpendicular to the rings, or with, or against the tangential curve any effect on the tillering process?

[@grayman7208]

i have another question. is it possible to build a penobscot bow from a board bow ?

[@SwiftwoodBows]

Don't see why not. I've never made one before so I may not be the best person to ask

[@johanhelberglongbowsknifes1185]

Brother i still need that dimensions of Horsebow bamboo measurments

[@SwiftwoodBows]

I'm not the right guy to ask about horse bow dimensions. Sorry I can't be more help

[@johanhelberglongbowsknifes1185]

@@SwiftwoodBows Didnt you bould one

[@SwiftwoodBows]

@@johanhelberglongbowsknifes1185 no, you must be thinking of someone else. I've never built a horse bow before

[@johanhelberglongbowsknifes1185]

@@SwiftwoodBows Sorry my fault wrong channel sorry budy but i still love your bows keep shooting strait. From South Africa Regards Johan Helberg Longbows

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

To my untrained mind, I would think the maximum point of power for the arrow to be nocked would be the center of the string and might dictate the arrow would need to rest at or near the center of the bow itself. In your demonstration you're putting the hand in the center of the bow, which I understand as well, to get the limbs to bend and supply power evenly. How do you balance the hand needing to be in the center vs the arrow needing to be in center? I'm clearly overthinking it, I can tell, but my curiosity is overwhelming me.

[@ryoonit]

Might make a small difference but not enough to matter in the real world. Probably wouldn’t even make 1fps difference.

[@KrampusTech]

Because he didn't mark out an arrow rest, it's seems safe to assume that the arrow rest will be the shooters hand. If that's the case, the arrow will be at center as well.

[@SwiftwoodBows]

I go back and forth on how I layout my bows. To make the arrow rest at the center of the bow you would need the bottom limb to be 2" shorter than the top, which is easily achieved. It requires a slightly diffferent balance in the tiller but otherwise it's fairly easy to pull off. I've made plenty of bow like this, some with a bottom limb 1" shorter and some like this where the limbs are symmetrical. I have noticed no difference in how they perform. Like Ryan said, the difference, if it exists is so negligible that it's not noticed. The jury is out for me if it's worth hassling with asymmetrical designs, I still do it but increasingly I'm not sure why I do. When I'm teaching beginners I usually have them make symmetrical designs like this because it's easier to judge the tiller. I hope that answers your question, at least from my perspective. I'm sure there are other bowyers with other opinions about it.

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

@@SwiftwoodBows good detail. Thank you and everyone who chimed in.

[@ericbaillie1098]

He should have gone with the chalk line idea. On this bow the centre line depends on the edge of the board being dead straight, something I have never come across.

[@s.mcchristy9704]

Why isn't the arrow shelf at the center of the bow?

[@WoodenCheese]

You want the part where your hand holds the bow to be in the middle because that is where the most pressure will be when you draw the bow back. If you put the arrow shelf in the middle, then your hand would have to be positioned lower on the bow. This would mean that when you draw the bow the top limb would pull back towards your face, tilting your shot up and giving the potential for you to accidentally let go. If you're talking about it not being in the center of the width of the bow, then that's due to the weakness of the wood and something called the archer's paradox where arrows are designed to flex in flight in order to fly straight - kind of.

[@richardmonson8657]

Is there a rule of thumb for short bows relative to length and draw weight?

[@SwiftwoodBows]

Are you asking in regard to bow length compared to draw length?

[@AndrevanTonder67]

@@SwiftwoodBows if Richard wasn't, I am ... What are the guidelines/rules when matching short overall length bows to specific draw lengths? I, for example, have a 29" draw length and would like to build a bow of about 55" in total length for sill hunting the Bushveld areas in South Africa.

[@SwiftwoodBows]

@@AndrevanTonder67 the rule of thumb is that the nock to nock length of the working limbs should be at least double the draw length. If you have a bow that bends through the handle then you would want at least a 58" bow for a 29" draw length, 66" if it has a standard 4" stiff handle with 2" fades. Drawing a 55" bow 29" is asking for excess set, stacking issues and at worst a broken bow. There might be some modern material bows that can pull it off but unless you're making a horn/sinew composite bow I wouldn't risk it.

[@AndrevanTonder67]

@@SwiftwoodBows thanks for the feedback. A longer bow it will then be, especially since it will be my first one.

[@SwiftwoodBows]

@@AndrevanTonder67 I think that's wise. Also, don't underestimate a longer bow in dense areas. I hunted elk in the Oregon coast range with a longer bow for years. That's a jungle. No matter what kind of bow you use you are still going to get into a clearish spot to take a shot. The length of my bow never really felt like an impediment