How to Make a Board Bow: High Performance Build for Beginners
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- Опубликовано: 19 июл 2024
- How to make a fast and accurate longbow from a common hardwood board. Follow along with extra pictures and step by step instructions on my blog dansantanabows.com/how-to-mak...
Go make a bow!
0:00 Introduction
0:59 Wood Selection
3:21 Design and Layout
5:08 Handle and Fades
6:51 Tools
9:08 the Rough Out
13:30 Backing (Optional)
16:00 the Tiller
20:50 the String
24:50 Nocks
27:04 Longstring Tillering
32:15 Shortstring Tillering
34:43 Set and Heat Treating
37:35 Final Shaping
39:55 Final Tiller
41:30 Troubleshooting
46:23 Shooting In
48:35 Finishing
51:38 Accents and Leatherwork
55:55 Care and Maintenance
56:47 Conclusion
Tim Baker's List of Bow Woods www.tradtalk.com/threads/bow-...
Music in this video is by my cousin, the guitarist Marcos Topolanski Quintero. Support him on iTunes, Spotify, Instagram and RUclips.
/ marcos-topolanski-quin...
marcos_topolans...
/ marcos topolanski quin...
open.spotify.com/artist/1rc1J...
Check out my new blog for more pictures and step by step instructions dansantanabows.com/how-to-make-a-board-bow/
What would be the pros or cons of tapering the limbs to the fades? I like the aesthetics more, but don't want to mess it up.
Bow is in layout. Red oak, planning on 70-72", 35lb draw at 28".
Thank you
@@kf4293 Hi KF, I only just saw your comment now, youtube flagged it as spam (go figure) and I never noticed.
I’m not sure what the alternative would be. If you don’t taper the limbs you’ll get too much bending from the middle and a bad tiller. If you’ve ever bent a random stick you’ll notice that without the taper it mainly bends in the middle and has stiff outer limbs
@@DanSantanaBows What dimensions do you think would work for a 75lb maple bow? I have a 75 inch stave
@Not to be messed with We keep them around for the monarchs. You can actually eat the flower buds if you blanch them first
@@tonymaurice4157 What draw length and style of bow? I can only suggest rough-out dimensions-the true dimensions will be revealed by the tillering process
I have to say of the hundreds of instructional videos I've watched this is the most well thought out and presented, very much appreciated !
Thank you, hope it helps!
Agreed, 100%. Clay Hayes was my go to, now I come here first.
check out Weylin Olive from swiftwood bows. His buildalongs taught me more than anything
How do you not have over 100k subs? No one is making this kind of content with the amount of information, great formatting and overall elegance that you are.
Wow, thank you. I’m just getting started!
As a fence builder and surfboard shaped I find it fantastic that you use no electric tools. Even the music has no electric.
Very calming.
Thank you for this video.
I may one day make a bow.
Glad to hear! Good luck and let me know if you need any tips
This is a great video. I wish I found this 10 years ago it would have saved me a lot of wasted money
we all gotta break a few and waste some money here and there, it happens
Fabulous
My son wanted a bow. My first thought was, ok, I can make him one. After all, it can't be that hard, a stick with a string attached to both ends. So I started researching and got really interested. Looks simple enough in the videos. Well, I'm almost done after starting in the middle of December. 1st one, grain was running crossed, I snapped it on first draw. Second one...wormhole found when final sanding. It is an awesome hobby/skill. I am really enjoying it. This video helped soooo much. Thank you and all the bow makers out there
Amazing video! Thanks so much to have my music in your video Daniel! Cheers!
Thank you, Marcos. I really love this album and it was so fun to work with. I had to listen over and over and over again while editing, and it was just as good every time
Marcos you are truly a gifted musician !!! Keep up the outstanding work!!
@@DanSantanaBows thanks Daniel! Keep in touch
@@Gauchooriental thanks Omar!
@@Gauchooriental Thanks Omar! Daniel tiene un gran trabajo muy lindo!
The best traditional bow tutorial. Thank you!
thanks Tony, let me know you if you have any issues!
I just recently got into bow making being inspired by you, so I wanted to start off with something different. I started with an 80in ash sapling roughly 2.5in in diameter. I cut it down to 60in because the top was way too thin. I wanted to treat it like I was working on a real board bow, so I took time and effort in shaving each part carefully and removing the stuff areas. It was a pretty straight sapling, but I knew not properly drying it would make it have flaws, but I wanted to just use this as a practice opportunity before I commit to a board bow. I didn't have a draw knife, but I managed to find a spoke shaver, a paint scraper and a jack knife. For the last 3 days I've been whittling away at it. Today I started long string tillering, when I had the bow going nice and even, I attempted a short string tiller. I struggled to find the right draw length and strength for the tiller, either being too tight or too loose. At the time, I believed it to be the rope I found laying around was stretching quite a bit. When I got a decent tiller setup, I noticed a stuff spot near the center of the bow, so I undid the string and shaved away. Unfortunately, I think I shaved away too much. When I set up for the short tiller again, my bow snapped in that spot towards the front. It didn't completely break, but the break goes through the center of the bow and removing it would make the bow less than an inch thick around the grip. I learned a lot from the experience though and am excited to try again. I learned how to finally get down a decent timber hitch knot, that I took too much wood off of the stuff area, that I need to study more on short string tillering and bracing my bow properly. Although slightly discouraged by the outcome, I was expecting it to fail, since I didn't dry it properly and it being my first. I also should look at better ways to design my bow. I found I struggled to find ways to get my one end of the bow to be straight with the other. Lots of learning to do. Overall, I wanted to say thanks for your inspiration! Once I'm done practicing with saplings, I really want to attempt and commit to a board bow. So again, thank you!!
Dan Santana, God of Bows and Drawknives!
Best in detail, and in depth (not limited to)Bowyer channel on RUclips. Not limited because it contains magic. So much information. Invaluable to a beginner..I refer back to this all the time. Thanks
Thanks musaad! it’s been awesome to see all the bows folks have made following the video
I've been making my own bows for 4 years now. I learned by watching RUclips videos and none if them had this much info. I watched tons of videos to learn everything that's in this one video. Great job making this video. I dont use any backing on my bows, well if I run across a snake on my property I use the snake skin to back my bows.
Thanks Chris, just wanted something I could send to people with one single link and be done. I’m the same and definitely prefer unbacked bows. Recently a neighbor hit a garter snake with the lawnmower so I put the skins on a little crossbow prod
Two words: audio books
You got a good voice.
This is the greatest instructional video I have seen in all my years of watching RUclips. It is superb, and the bow is an elegant work of art.
Excellent video! Also my wife bought the album. She wants to hear the song 'Anaclara' as our morning alarm. High praise!
Glad to hear, I’ll tell my cousin! I never get sick of his music, that’s one of my favorites too
Hi Calvin, I feel so glad to know that! Thanks so much
Thank you for the Video. I was not expecting to watch a bow making video today. But boy I did watch the whole thing. The music you added from your cousin matched perfectly and was very relaxing. Keep up your good work. Feels like art to me. I guess I have to make a bow now..... Greetings from Germany
Glad to hear! Visit us on r/bowyer if you need any help. May the bow gods be with you!
I've watched this three full times now. It gets better each time. Your cousin is an incredible player, giving me some Francisco Tárrega vibes, that I really enjoy.
Thanks man I’m really glad to hear that! Usually I’m sick of the music by the time I’m done editing, but I can’t get tired of his stuff. Marcos brought a lot of life to the channel!
This video is insanely good! I was going to make a recurve for my first bow but I think I'll start with a long bow design to begin. I was playing around with some left over ash I had and realized how flexible it is and thought wow this would be great for my first bow! Thanks for all the tips.
Great choice! Recurves do have some benefits on paper but for self bows to capitalize on them you have to jump through many difficult hoops. If you miss any of them, a flatbow would perform better anyway. So I always recommend starting with a straight stave design and focusing on the ABCs first
Beautiful work, plus your cousin’s music and your voice go along very well. I learned a lot !
Thank you! I’m glad to hear
Good to see You back. Thank You for sharing.
I have been watching how to make a self bow videos on youtube for years, dreaming of attempting one myself. This is by far the best and most comprehensive video that I have watched. You cover things that other bowyers take for granted. e.g. how to put a burr on a scraper, or sectional wood removal and you even covered proper wood grain. I'm now making my own tiller stand and scraper tool from an old plane blade. Looks like I will be raiding every Bunnings in my town for straight grain boards this weekend. Thanks for your hard work.
Wow thanks Jesse. Other bowyers were always very good to me when I was learning. I owe a lot to the past generations, especially the ones who passed down what they learned instead of losing it all to silly trade secrets
This is a perfect video, packed with information, for a person aspiring to make the first bow. Excellent! What a pleasure to watch it.
Thanks Amer. Good luck with your bow and let me know if you have any questions
@@DanSantanaBows You motivated me so much, I started building one. But I am disppointed with myself. Although I am a hobbyist woodworker for over two decades with all the power tools and those for traditional woodworking, I trust I do not have a keen eye to see the hinges, if any, and how the two limbs are different from each other. So far the limbs have been flexed to 18" and 40 pounds. The bow has been backed with rawhide as I was scared. Cannot muster the courage to bend it beyond 18 inches. At wits end now.
Don’t worry that’s what a tiller check is for! Feel free to post as many as you need here on r/bowyer. www.reddit.com/r/Bowyer/
Make sure to post the front profile, side profile, and the drawn pic
@@DanSantanaBows Thank you. Let me try that.
I live in Wisconsin but I’m in Dallas Texas now and I can’t wait to go home and make a bow.
Rooting for you! Let me know if you have any issues
I'm just here for the videography! These are some high quality videos
Thanks! This one was filmed on cell phone 😂
I honestly think I probably have watched all the board-Bo videos out there, and you have made the best! Thank you I'll probably end up watching this many many times.
Thanks George! Visit us at r/bowyer if you need a tiller check
One of the most beautiful crafting videos I have seen. I initially planned to watch it later, but after the first couple of minutes I couldn't stop and ended up watching it right then and there.
Wow, thanks!
I will probably never make a bow, but I am a woodworker so anything is possible. Great content. Well written and produced.
That is one of the best bow building videos I've seen
thanks Waynr!
Your videos are works of art, and they are the final kick up the arse that's getting me to finally take up this hobby. I have always been deeply interested, but have always been too lost to get going. Thank you for the inspiration and the effort you have put in to sharing your knowledge.
Been there before! Good luck and let me know if you have any questions
When I was a kid back in the 70's, we had big, I think oak, tree in the backyard. As kids do, we ended up making a couple of bows from "hand chosen"😆🤣 branches and bank line. We made "arrows" with no fletching or arrowheads and those things flew! Not straight but the had some velocity! It was all good fun and games until someone (not me, i swear) launched one through the neighbors window shattering the whole window. Yeah, well, our bow and arrow days were over, but point being, those things worked!!🏹🏹
Found this from your post on Reddit... always wanted to make a bow... thanks much for this tutorial!
sure thing! let me know if you ever need a tiller check or have any questions
Like the tune choices ya add to your vids.
Thanks Michael, was very glad to keep in the family this time
Finally a video from you! Great to see you back man!!
Thanks my friend, very glad to be back!
Can I just say what a fantastic video you made. The bows are great but this video is 10/10
Very informative.. I'm a long time archer, just starting to build my own. Much appreciated, subbed.
Thx
Production value: 100%
Subscribed.
Ooh, a bow making channel, I'll watch a few minutes and see if they're any good... 50 minutes later: Oops, I forgot to make dinner, wait, is the video over already?
How can a video be this relaxing and yet still make me want to get up, build a wood shop, raid the lumber department of my local home improvement store, and start work on a grand bow making project all before I go to bed tonight? Safe to say that you have earned a subscription from me today 🙂
Yes sir~ Welcome back sir~
Thanks Bum Bum Butter, glad to be back! plenty of stuff coming soon
With the pandemic, I have watched most of the videos on RUclips on bow making. This is one of the best. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks very much Vicente. I think Ryan Gil’s Stone Age bow build is the best video on the internet hands down
I was getting into diy archery joined r/Bowyer A few weeks ago then found your channel a few days ago, thought you quit because covid then you make your magnum opus right when I need it best wood around here I could find was red oak and I'm going to start shaping it Sunday. I honestly think seeing your hour long video of technique helped more than reading saxon popes book over the last 2 months
Thanks my friend that’s very kind. Hope to see your bow on r/bowyer. Good luck!
I hope your bow turned out as well as you hoped it would and if not I hope you don't give up!
This was so enjoyable to watch. Just the right information density, calmly and clearly explained. Even more than that, a beautifully shot video and I liked the music, too! It's amazing when aesthetics and utility go hand-in-hand.
I can't believe that you're just gonna do me like this. Man is serving his string, showing us how that looks, and then adding MYSTERY GOOO ONTO IT. My DOOD, what are you gooping on there?!
Superglue
@@DanSantanaBows Bowgods be praised, our Lord and saviors. He has spoken!
(Nah but despite the lols, thank you!)
This is a SUPERB video and an EXCELLENT channel.
I'VE SEARCHED FOR DECADES FOR "THE PERFECT BOW-MAKING VIDEO", AND NEVER YET FOUND IT...
... UNTIL TODAY. UNTIL THIS VIDEO.
NICELY DONE - PLUS you made it look FUN and EASY !
Cheers,
-Mark Vogt | VOGTLAND OUTDOORS
Cheers Mark, good shooting to ya and thanks for the really kind words
I made one exactly like this for a friend of mine and it turned out fantastic!
Thanks Dan. It's clear that you put allot of work and time into making this video! It was very educational and enjoyable.
Thanks for noticing! It was a damn good time though
I watch ur videos to relax before bed
Great video w/ wonderful teachings and fantastic music!!!!
Amazing ressource! So much important info packed into this video. This will help so many people
Thanks for stopping by again Mongeese! Let me know if there are any parts that weren’t clear. I can always add more in the blog version
@@DanSantanaBows I think it's perfect. Your use of closeups, drawings and the way you structured the how's and the why's leaves no room for misunderstanding or doubt.
If I want to get a friend into bowmaking, this is the only video I'd need to show them.
Bro youre litterally the best on this platform. Your videos always gives me goosebumps. Ive been trying to get into making a bow and you have been the most helpful thanks!
The structure, clarity of information, and transition shots in this video made me feel like I attended a 5 day workshop. I am filled with inspiration and cannot wait to begin this journey. Thank you Dan!
I've been building bows board bows for about two years now and your video is one of the most informative, thank you. Last week I've stepped up from Red Oak that I had been using from Lowes to a stave of Yew for my first attempt using the optimal wood for a bow. After 8 bows This is my second or third time watching your video and I always learn something I'd missed from previous views, so thanks again!
Thanks John and good luck with the yew bow!
Great content. Thank you.
And: with that voice you could do a 3 hour instruction on how to watch paint dry and it would still be great. One of the best and most calming voices around!
I did a weeklong bowyer camp when I was 11 and the bow is still in my closet. I've been looking into bow making for a while because I want to get into archery (there's a range near my house) and this video so far has been super helpful. It's nice when the process is explained in a way that allows amateurs like me to understand what I need and don't need to do. A lot of other videos, while helpful, involve a lot of tools and time (6 months - 2 years to allow the wood to season if you harvest yourself) that I think may scare people away from bow making.
That’s why I always recommend starting with a board bow while you wait for your staves to dry. Also check out the quick drying video if you’d like to get started sooner. Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!
Best board-bow video I have seen. Like the music too. Just subbed to your channel.
Thanks James much appreciated!
Thank you so much for sharing this video!
I've been working with wood for many years now and a self-made bow is my next project. Your material is a huge help, I'll be digging into your channel a lot more and learn all I can before tackling the build. I already have some straight-grained sugar maple that'll be perfect, I've already made a Bo staff out of it.
Great choice of music by the way, and great editing, the natural scenery sections were nice and soothing.
Cheers!
Accurate, informative instructions presented aesthetically. Sweet. Love your work, and art.
Thank you very much!
I just found this video. And amongst the many types i realized that Long bows are the best. And some day i would like one of my own.
there’s a big advantage to the simplicity. What they don’t have in performance they definitely make up for in trustworthiness and lack of fussiness
Wow, this is gorgeous. Bow, presentation, music, videography.... all of it.
Thanks Matt! Let me know if you need any help with your bow
Your content is well beyond excellent. For the very first time in many years, I feel inspired. Thankyou.
Thanks Bryan that is very rewarding to hear! Let me know if you need any help with your bow
Une vidéo absolument magnifique !
Un savoir faire extraordinaire, des explications d'une précision parfaite, des images à couper le souffle, une musique envoûtante et discrète, joyeuse et originale...
Franchement, un véritable documentaire, passionnant, et d'une qualité professionnelle irréprochable, qui mériterait largement d'être projeté sur grand écran.
J'ai passé un moment délicieux et instructif.
Merci infiniment.
Thank you Ling!
Your video has helped me create my first bow, I’m in the process of tillering as we speak and should be done by Monday and ready to test. I appreciate this video so much, I blew out my knee and am in able to do athletics and this hobby/art has become my saving grace. So thankful I came across this
Compliments to your cousin. And to you.
You’re voice is so calming and I’m happy I found a channel that answers all my questions
I am so looking forward to start making my own bow, you and a couple of other bowyers have made amazing content on bow making and this has been wonderful to watch over a cup of coffee. Thanks for this!
Good luck! and let me know if you have any issues or questions
@@DanSantanaBows Much appreciated! Currently rummaging through the subreddit for bowyers.
@@ylleba also check out swiftwood bows here on youtube. Weylin is the best teacher out there
@@DanSantanaBows Thanks i'll check it out!
Wonderful tutorial. My partner and I will be apart for eight months starting next week, and we've recently built several bows to your design. She's far better at it than I am. We're glad to have spent some of our time towards such a rewarding, challenging, and ultimately cathartic craft. Your passion for the art and its sustainment is truly touching. Thanks for it all, mate.
Glad to hear you’re sharing the craft together. Hope bowmaking keeps you close
It was a pleasure to watch. Great production video. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Roman, hope it helps!
Awesome! Great, organized step-by-step instructions. And entertaining! Beautiful result too. Thanks!
Beautiful bow, beautiful music, beautifully filmed video.
Best tutorial I’ve seen!! Ty so much!
Thoroughly enjoyed this, very relaxing, interesting, informative, plus your cousins music is awesome. Thanks!
Thanks Jim! He’ll even be making some original music for some upcoming videos. His links are in the description if you’d like to hear more.
That music, and the outdoor scenes were PERFECT for this video. Great info!
I’m loving all your videos. Not only for the information but for the artistic production. Well done, sir.
I'm so glad I found this video! This is so incredibly helpful and exactly what a total beginner like me needs, thank you so much for this. I've been watching so many videos to try and get started but none of them come anywhere close to being as helpful and information packed as this video. Again, thank you so much!
I recently came back to archery but sadly a poor storage ruined my recurve bow's limbs. I decided my next bow will be an oak 1.65m longbow and thanks to youe video i spend a lovely hour sinking into really good techniques and ideas to improove my design and ways to work the piece. Thanks for the content and also the calm and fluid music wich pairs nicely with your voice and content. Thanks again for your kindness and knowledge shared. Greatings from Spain.
Sorry I missed your comment. How’d the bow turn out?
Very nice tutorial! I really appreciate being able to watch how other bowyers make their bows and apply it to my own. I have been making bows for a while but still often feel like I don't know enough. Thanks for your dedication to the art!
I know how ya feel. Every bowyer is a student. Can’t grow out of it
Is hard maple a good wood for bows
@@maxncathy44 Sure thing that’s what I used in the video. Hard maple refers to sugar maple plus a few other species of similarly dense maples. The soft maples like red and silver maple aren’t quite as good
Well well, I followed your video, I made the maple bow exact to your video. I now have an excellent bow to my collection. Shoots really well. Mind you, first one broke. Second one is amazing. Thanks bro. Keep up with these great videos.
Congrats Slim! Awesome to hear. Great feeling seeing those first arrows fly
Absolutely love this. Such a well made, poignant, and straightforward tutorial. I went out today to harvest a bunch of huge dead standing scotch boom. Found 2 perfect pieces 4" diameter 60" long, well seasoned and free of cracks. Man did I get Lucky. am now working alongside your video. Thanks so much.
Thanks Steve, but be careful with dead standing wood. If it’s not a rot resistant species like juniper, osage, or yew it won’t be good for very long. I do have a few juniper videos with dead standing wood if you want an example anyway. Also check out ch1 of the step by step guide on my blog. There are some extra tips for if you’re planning on using natural staves instead of lumber.
Good luck and let me know if you have more questions, or post on r/bowyer where you can post pictures and get other opinions too
Thanks Dan! This will be my third attempt with the scotchbroom. I'm a knifemaker by trade, but more than anything I'm a maker. So when something takes my fancy I dive in pretty deep. usually attempting to make anything that associates with it when and if it's within my wheelhouse. Glad I found your channel and can't wait for the next video!
Alrighty, well I'm glad I was stubborn about using the dead standing stuff. The failures I experienced gave me a much better understanding of what will go wrong if I don't address certain issues from the get.. Especially your point that unseen degradación of the wood can exist and will most Likely result in catastrophic failure or a bad set. Of the 4 scotchbroom bows I attempted only one shoots (and it's a very low draw weight.) Still fun to make something that shoots though! On to the next!
@@bobsagate8614 that’s the spirit. Good luck with the next!
Ok so this time i went and bought maple boards and followed your plans. I got much much better result. But i was a little too eager with floor tillering and was basically ready to brace by the time i had the longstring on. I completely overshot my draw weight because of that i believe. Ended up at 25lbs 28". But still fun to shoot. I at one point must have overstressed the 1/3 section closest to the riser because i ended up with chrysals. The board also has some mild curly figure which the chrysals seem to be following. Ive put about 60 arrows through so im gonna just call it a successful lesson learned. About to longstring tiller the next one right now remembering "that its important to always pull with your intended draw weight" as you said
I stumbled on this video about 2 weeks ago and it totally inspired me to try and make one. I'm a woodworker and a bow hunter and have been wanting a longbow just to shoot for fun. So, this was perfect. Gave me a great excuse to buy a couple new tools, and learn some new skills. Now, Im totally hooked on the whole bowyer thing, and you're to blame.. thank you! Lol. A can't wait to start my next one...
Ještě jednou veliké díky za toto video.kazdej kluk si jako malej vyráběl alespoň jednou luk.tohle už je vysoká lukařská.💓👌👏
Excellent bow-making tutorial. I was looking for the PDF file of the tutorial you mentioned at the end, but couldn't find it. Thanks for sharing.
My website is currently down but it should be back up soon. There’s a more detailed step by step version of this video on there
Amazing, beautiful, brilliant, soothing, informative, creative content. I love it. Thanks for showing us this.
My pleasure Musaad, thanks for the kind words
Best instruction and presentation Ive see so far.. Excellent video.
My first bow was a hickory English longbow out of hickory. Got bored during lockdown. It is 72” long 44# @ 28”. Shoots fast. Took awhile to make, it was my first.
Sounds like a sweet bow! You should post on r/bowyer sometime
This was a Fabulously well put together video, Instruction is clear and narration is top notch man!!!!
Best bow build video I have seen.... Great job!! You are an outstanding teacher my friend!!
Thanks very much Steve, not everyone should have to make all the learning mistakes I did. Hopefully this spares a few!
Excellent! Tho I have built several bows, this tempered my knowledge even more. . .like tillering the brain!
Best instructions I’ve seen.
Thanks Rob, hope they help!
Huges from Brazil. Great tutorial.
Wow! The artistry is incredible! Thank you!
How come this video don't have millions of views?
Ha, thank you, this channel still has a long way to go. If you know any archery, woodworking or relevant communities that would appreciate the video please pass it along
Beautifully made video. Loved the music and your craft skills. It was so relaxing watching this project!
Very good excellent one of the very best I've seen on bow making for a beginner thank you!
What a great concise guide, one day I will make a bow! For now I have Alibow!
Thank you for producing this content. Well-paced, understandable, clear and concise. Nice videography and music, too!
Awesome video mate...learnt a few new skills thanks to you!
Beautiful video. Inspiring and incredibly well recorded.
Wow thanks a lot for publishing this. This is one of the best bow making video that I've ever seen. Keep up making those ha ha!
Thanks martin, sure thing!
Amazing detail in the process. Thank you!
Absolutely the best video I've seen on bow making. Excellent camera work and excellent descriptions. Thanks.
Thanks Wayne, really appreciate it!