Best products from r/Bowyer

We found 28 comments on r/Bowyer discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 35 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

14. Wooden Bows: What I Wish I'd Known When I Started

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Wooden Bows: What I Wish I'd Known When I Started
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Top comments mentioning products on r/Bowyer:

u/Seatown93 · 4 pointsr/Bowyer

>How do you find wood to use?

If you're just starting out, I highly recommend visiting a lumberyard or Home Depot/Lowes, and getting your hands on some pre-cut lumber. I made my first dozen or so bows from 1x2x6 red oak boards from Home Depot. Hickory is another great option. The stuff is tough as nails, and extremely forgiving of mistakes. I'd also recommend a backing on your first couple bows, just to be safe. Titebond III and good linen cloth is bulletproof.

What's great about stuff from stores/lumberyards is that it's cheap and easy to come by. So when you break one* it's not like you're out a $60 Osage stave, or one that you spent months drying, shaping, and then tillering only for it to snap.

Plus they just make damn fine bows. I made one for a friend, 48# @ 28", that he used to take a mule deer a couple years back. Also, red oak looks absolutely gorgeous with a good stain.

If you really want to go down the rabbit hole and find some actual timber, do some searching to find out what good bow-woods are in your area, then find some you can take LEGALLY. Where I used to live in western WA, Vine Maple grew like a weed. One of my neighbors had a ton growing in their backyard, and agreed to let me take all I wanted in exchange for getting rid of the roots as well. Six bowstaves for an hour or two of work.

>However, I was wondering if I might receive some insight from the r/Bowyer community on what brands of tools stand the test of time/give the best results for the money in your toolkits?

If you're first starting out, and using pre-cut lumber, I can't recommend the Stanley Surform rasp enough. That, along with some sandpaper and rat-tail files for cutting string grooves, was all I used for my first six or seven bows.

Good scrapers are a life-saver, especially when you're tillering. Here's a set that I got some years ago: https://www.amazon.com/Crown-Hand-Tools-Rectangular-375/dp/B012M9H8UG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483215420&sr=8-2&keywords=wood+scraper

They still work just as well as when they were brand new. I would recommend learning how to sharpen them properly first, though. One of the edges on mine is ruined because I didn't learn how to properly sharpen/turn the edge at the beginning.

Here's the only other things I can really think of:

  • Sandpaper, ranging from very coarse to very fine. The rougher stuff can be used for tillering in a pinch.

  • Tillering tree: Super easy to make and absolutely essential. Tons of guides online on how to put one together.

  • As mentioned above, a combination of files for stuff like shaping the handle, rounding corners, cutting string grooves, etc etc.

  • A pencil! Useful for marking areas that you need to adjust in the tillering process and doing dimensions.

  • Stain and finish. The former to really make that bow shine, and the latter to seal it from the elements.

    *There's a saying in the bowyer community: If you aren't breaking bows, you aren't making bows. I messed up 4 staves before getting one that shot consistently and survived. So don't beat yourself up or get too frustrated when it happens. You'll learn from the mistakes and make even better bows that way!

    Hope that helps! I'm by no means an experienced bowyer but if you have any questions I'll do my best to answer :)
u/TRTBrandonSchaub · 1 pointr/Bowyer

It's really important that you get a tool that's right for you. As you notice, I don't recommend planes, the other guy did.

I have reasons but they are mostly my own. For eexample I wouldn't recommend planes because they will only work when working on straight grain. The moment you encounter a knot, you'll be struggling. And on top of it, planes are expensive and only the expensive ones are worth getting. A cheap drawknife or rasp works fine but a cheap plane is gonna make you cry.

Now, you were saying you don't wanna file for 10 hours. I think you're a little bit mistaken about rasps. You will probably be surprised how quick a good, coarse rasp is. They can devour wood. The reason why you need a rasp is because there will be spots in wood where the grain is running off. A cutting tool will struggle to cut when grain runs off but a rasp will still work.

Alright, I recommend the following. Get yourself a rasp. I have no particular recommendation. Check out ebay and see if you can get one there. If not, get one from harbor freight. Look for a big one. Possibly these 4-in-1s.

Then, get a Morakniv knife. The company is famous for making high quality bushcrafting knives. These knives are absolutely amazing for working on wood.

And a knife is better than a plane or drawknife if you don't have a workbench. Just place the wood against the ground and your foot and use the knife.

On Amazon for $14, the companion. https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Outdoor-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004TNWD40

It's one of their cheapest and great. They come with a scandi grind. It's the best grind for woodworking and easiest to resharpen.

u/WillAdams · 5 pointsr/Bowyer

For a detailed overview on old bow construction materials, see if your library has or can get a copy of http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Archery-Six-Continents-Collection/dp/0826217516 (ob. discl. I arranged for a second printing). Or see http://www.archerylibrary.com/

Bob W. Kooi has published a fair bit on the physics of archery, starting w/ his thesis: http://www.bio.vu.nl/thb/users/kooi/thesis.pdf --- I believe it touches on materials.

You should be able to get a good overview of recent developments at: http://www.archeryhistory.com/longbows/longbows.htm

Short answer:

  • old: natural materials, bow woods such as yew, osage orange, hickory, possibly laminated (backed) w/ sinew, horn, bone, rawhide, fiber, bamboo, other bow woods
  • new: core materials include true bow woods as well as bamboo and other woods, and various composites such as carbon foam, backing is pretty much universally fiberglass or a carbon composite

    Some materials were used anciently and until very recently such as steel.

    My suggestion would be to focus on the traditional yew longbow (noting how new growth and old growth wood was used w/in a single stave to form the back and the belly, taking advantage of their differing properties) contrasting it w/ a modern longbow which is well-documented such as the ACS longbow (unfortunately bowmaker.net is off-line, try: http://peteward.com/test.adcockACS.html )
u/HateIsStronger · 2 pointsr/Bowyer

This rasp is great for rapid wood removal and medium wood removal Diamond Nicholson Farrier Rasp File, American Pattern, Rasp Cut, Rectangular, 14-Inch Length https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B004HW6AV0?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

This one is cheaper and only 1 type of teeth but is half round. Great value TEKTON 6695 10-Inch Half Round Wood Rasp https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000NPT6RU?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

I don't know if those are available for you but I recommend them. You just need to make sure the tools you get don't leave any gaps in what you need your tools to do

u/GardenGnomeOfEden · 7 pointsr/Bowyer

Great accomplishment, looks good! You should put a nock point on that string, I can see that the arrow is nocked very low on the string, causing the limbs to bend unevenly. If you don't have a bow square, you can get away with a framing square. Search for "tied on nock points" on YouTube to learn how to actually apply a nock point. Good luck, and keep makin'. Also, listen for pops or crack sounds coming from your bow, and routinely inspect the belly for chrysals (compression fractures).

u/MistahBradley · 1 pointr/Bowyer

This is what I've got So far it's done pretty good. Then went to Home Depot and bought a hatchet which really helps for slimming down the wood. But until I've got my own house (in an apartment right now) this is the best I can do :/

u/Kulden · 1 pointr/Bowyer

Thanks so much!

I do have a few questions, though. I was doing some reading on the sub before making my post, and I had seen some people recommending the Shinto Saw Rasp over the Stanley Surform Rasp (I assume that links to the correct one?). What's your opinion on the matter? I know nothing about rasps (Which I hope to correct) so I'm not sure what makes one rasp better than another.

Also, how does one determine what the draw weight of a bow that they've made is? Is there a way to alter it if it turns out it's too heavy? Again, I haven't read the books in full yet, but I just wanted to get that question out of the way while I was still thinking of it.

Are there any kinds of finishes that are more conducive to making a good seal on a bow that won't potentially affect it? (assuming that adding a stain or finish can affect the performance of a bow)

u/m_santo · 2 pointsr/Bowyer

I've never made a bow, but I just finished reading Jim Hamm's Wooden Bows: What I Wish I'd Known When I Started; and thought it was a great introduction of bowyer terms and techniques, all completely new to me as a novice. Hamm is also a co-author of the the Bowyer's Bible series, which I think would be cool to dive into after banging out a couple crude beginner's bows.

u/petecas · 1 pointr/Bowyer

https://www.amazon.com/9-Shinto-Saw-Rasp/dp/B004DIHDU0 amazing rasp - the open structure means it doesn't clog and it can remove material pretty dang fast.

u/HobbyAccumulator · 1 pointr/Bowyer

thanks! i think im gonna grab this shinto saw rasp based on some other users comments. They seem to like it a lot more than the surform.

u/FuZhongwen · 5 pointsr/Bowyer

My dad got me another hickory stave board bow kit from these guys for my birthday. 2 weeks later here's what I made. I'm really happy I finally got up to 50 lbs. So many times during this one I was sure I'd ruined it. But I shot it today and it didn't blow up or unglue so hopefully this what I'll be shooting at my first tournament in January.

Thank you to everyone who contributes their knowledge to this sub. Its the only decent part of Reddit left.

u/SweetPWNTang · 1 pointr/Bowyer

Last photo says .4" (I'm assuming diameter), which is a bit big.

Might want to try a chainsaw file. I picked up a set at Harbor Freight that have worked fairly well for a few sets of nocks. Like this. Should note they seem duller now and I keep a brass brush to clean it out, and one broke at the handle from pushing too hard, but that is typical Harbor Freight. There should be something higher quality on Amazon.

I've also seen some use a hacksaw with a rod saw blade like this one, but I haven't used that method myself.

u/deck_hand · 4 pointsr/Bowyer

I second /u/otis888's suggestion of looking up the work of Nicholas Tomihama. He has several books out on Amazon, The Impossible Bow among others. He also has a YouTube channel showing people how to use heat from a heat gun, stove top or even a box filled with electric light bulbs to heat form the PVC into very slick tapered bow shapes. These PVC bows made by tapering the PVC outperform non-tapered PVC by quite a bit, and his bows have been known to shoot arrows (at around 10 grains per pound) at more than 160 fps. Some arrows have been clocked at up to 196 feet per second, when shot from a 65 pound bow made form $1 worth of 3/4 inch PVC.

I've made a bunch of these bows, some for myself and some for my kids and their friends. The youth bows cost me under $2.50 each, including the PVC, strings, paint, etc, and shoot as well as any commercial bows you can buy for less than $100. It takes me less than an hour to go from unfinished PVC tube to a nice, working hungarian style horse bow, or a traditional recurve. Another hour to paint it and put on a comfortable hand grip, and it's ready to take out and shoot.

So far, I've used my main shooter (a 40 pound recurve) shoot over 1000 arrows with no signs of degradation at all. I can still hit a 4" target from 20 yards away with it, and the arrows sink the same distance into the target today as they did the first time I used it.

Some of my friends, upon making bows for themselves or their kids, tell me that the PVC youth bows shoot faster than the bows that they have bought for their kids in the local sporting goods store. I know the weights are about the same - 15 to 22 pounds, depending on how long the bow limbs are and how much you recurve the bow during the build process.

u/justbangingaround · 2 pointsr/Bowyer

Start by buying shafts. This is s great and affordable fletching jig: Bohning Pro Class Fletching Tool Right Clamp 1349 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AVE3Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_LOV1Bb6NVT9NM

u/retix · 1 pointr/Bowyer

Spend a little bit of money (Around $20-$30) to buy a Bench Plane, such as this. I found that this tool works really well for forming boards. However, you need to be really careful that you don't take off too much wood.

u/not_a_ · 3 pointsr/Bowyer

I second the Shinto: http://www.amazon.com/Shinto-9-Saw-Rasp/dp/B004DIHDU0

However, for finer tillering I prefer a good cabinet scraper