Materials

I've found design and construction details for flatbow/longbow/crossbow. This includes details on making your own string and arrow making.

Tools

To work these, you will need a straight edge (or string-line), pencil, saw, hand rasp and/or drawknife and/or spokes have, sandpaper. A vice is also very useful, as long as the bowstave is gripped between blocks of wood etc. to reduce damage to it. The professionals often speed the process up with a bandsaw, but these have a tendency to waste a lot of bowstaves until you know what you're doing.

 

Wood

Ideally, the wood should be split rather than sawed, preferably Bow staves should be a radial split from a log/branch which is 4-6 inches diameter plus. This means that it is more likely that the wood will follow the grain, whereas sawing is often more likely to cut across grain. The more the bow-stave follows the grain of the wood, the less likely it is to break, and the stronger it is likely to be. If the grain runs across the bowstave at any sort of an angle, this will weaken the bow to a certain extent, the amount of weakening depending on the degree of the angle of the grain. Usually the sapwood becomes the back of the bow, particularly in the traditional "D" section longbow. Grain alignment is not as critical when using lemonwood/degame, which is recommended for the beginner.

 

The main criteria is that the wood has been seasoned (dried) fairly slowly. If you are using commercial stuff (from a timber yard) it has probably been kiln-dried. This is usually OK if done properly, although can sometimes weaken the wood slightly if done too quickly or dried too much. The general opinion amongst bowyers is that air-dried wood is far superior (Some timbers like Osage orange don't like kiln drying.) however, it is often difficult to acquire suitable air-dried timber without doing it yourself (over a long period). Also, if you have the equipment to be picky about it, the wood should ideally have been dried to suit the region it is being used in. This is sometimes relevant if the wood is imported, kiln-dried in one place and used in a region with a higher or lower humidity. And if kiln-dried too much, (below about 10% Moisture content) this is also likely to weaken the wood. However, as most people don't have the equipment to test, the moisture content is usually just assumed to be correct.

 

Wood Types

Some of these are well suited to self-bows, some better suited to making laminations for composite bows. (These are all supposed to be the preferences in the Northern Hemisphere, USA, UK, Europe etc. Some or all of these may be available, some may only be available in the USA.) These include Yew, Osage Orange, Dagame (lemonwood), Elm, Ash (most of them), Hickory, Oak, Birch, Black Locust, Walnut, Cedar, Juniper, Mulberry, Maple, etc. Of the Ash varieties in the US: strong ash (white, red, green, Texas, & Oregon weaker ash), black or blue (both may be adequate for a bow).

 

The main New Zealand and Australia options include, for New Zealand: Tawa, Rewarewa (probably), Manuka/Kanuka (New Zealand Tea-Tree), and for Australia: Osage Orange, Acaias (Wattles, e.g. Blackapple, Gidgee Myal/Boree, etc.), Tasmanian Myrtle, Spotted Gum, Alpine Ash, Silver Ash. Pacific regions use Bamboo, Lancewood (this is New Zealand Lancewood), and Black Palm.

Offered by Brian.