You'll hit the bullseye with homemade bows and arrows.
Handmade bows and arrows are each as distinctive as the individual trees used to make them. The best trees for bows are yew, osage orange, hickory, ash, black locust, apple and sassafras. Cherry, service berry, ash, dogwood and cedar are preferred for arrows. In this craft, the particular tree will determine the exact shape the finished products take.
Instructions
Bow
1. Cut the tree or branch to 5-1/2 feet long and season it in a woodshed for one year.
2. Remove the bark with a draw knife; don't make any deep cuts into the inner portions of the tree.
3. Split the tree in half lengthwise with a sledge hammer and wedge. Examine the separate portions of the tree and see which side appears to be the most perfect and has the straightest grain.
4. Trim the selected portion down using a draw knife to a piece that is 2-1/2 at the handle and tapered to 1/2 inch at the ends. Keep the strokes smooth without any gouges into the inner fibers. Personal preference determines the final width and thickness of the bow; the handle especially needs to feel good in your hand.
5. Form notches 1/8 inch deep with a rat tail file, a thin round file; position these one inch from the tips of the bow.
6. Use a fine file and sandpaper to create a smooth finish.
7. Oil the wood with boiled linseed oil.
8. Cut a bowstring from nylon cord that is eight inches shorter than the bow length; attach it with slip knots into the notches, gently curving the wood as necessary.
Arrows
9. Cut straight portions of the 1-2/inch diameter suggested arrow woods into 3-foot sections. For a 5-foot bow, the arrows will be 30 inches long, or the distance from your armpit to your finger tips.
10. Tie the wood pieces into a bundle and season for a year.
11. Scrape the bark off the wood with a knife; do not carve it as you may slice into the inner wood and weaken the arrow stock.
12. Prepare turkey tail feathers by cutting along the middle portion of the feather and fletching. Fletching is when you cut and use opposite sides of the feathers on opposite sides of the thickest end of the arrow shaft.
13. Obtain sinew and, after drying, pound with a mallet to form threads.
14. Wrap the sinew threads around the front of the turkey feather pieces. Use spit to soften sinew as saliva and sinew threads form glue and will need no tying.
15. Form a notch in this end of the arrow with the file to hold the bowstring.
16. Whittle a sharp point on the slender end of the arrow, and char it over hot coals to make this point hard.
Related posts
Use smaller pieces of mesh for gift wrapping.Learning make your own bows with mesh can save you money and give your decor a creative touch in which you can take pride. Mesh bows decorate gift boxe...
While not as commonly used as they once were, bows and arrows are still used by some people to hunt and are also used in the sport of archery. While bows and arrows are still sold at many sporting...
Making a bow for a wedding gift doesn't require much time or money.After you've found the perfect gift for the newly wed couple, the time comes to wrap it. Choosing the perfect wrapping paper and...
Bow tied to flag postBows can be made to decorate your mailbox for any holiday or season. The bow is also a symbol which shows that you honor a cause or are counting the days for a loved one to re...
Keep your hair bows neatly organized with plastic display cards.If you are selling hair bows, or you would just like to keep them nice and neat on your vanity, you can easily make your own plastic...
