The Fundamentals of Archery Bow Making
If you fancy the sport of archery, then you just might want to get into the craft of archery bow making. Taking up this interesting hobby won't be as exciting as it should be if you do not know the basics of archery bow making.
But archery bow making is no walk in the park. This is something you should know from the very start. A lot of people think it does not take much to make such bows. But it does take a degree of talent and skill to produce a bow of quality. However, if you do master the craft of archery bow making, the rewards you reap can be very immense. You can just imagine hunting down game with a bow that you made yourself. In this alone, archery bow making is indeed very rewarding.
When tackling the craft, the first thing you have to know are the materials you would need in constructing the bow. There are actually a number of materials that you can use. You can use ash, yew wood, or bamboo wood. Your choice here should depend on your preference. But it is actually yew wood that is commonly used.
Aside from this, you will also be needing tools that include a sharp knife, an axe, a piece of yew wood that is not unflawed, and string. Make sure that your string is not the kind that is too stretchy because this would not make a good bow at all.
Carve your wood so that it would appear somehow like a boomerang. After which, you should wax the string, and for this, rawhide would work very well. Waxing should be done so that the string would be protected from the elements it would encounter. You should also carve two notches at the end of your bow, looping the string at each end. Make sure the string is tight enough so that it would have enough power to shoot arrows at a distance. Strings that are too loose or too stretchy would not let you shoot off decent arrows at all.
Yes, it
takes a degree of know-how and skill to master archery bow making. Try constructing a bow of your own to see if you have a knack for this. But if you find it too difficult, then you can just go ahead and buy one of the commercial ones sold in the market. But do not fret because you can always go on learning the craft for yourself in your own time.
