A few years ago I bought a red oak board and asked about it on a Facebook group page. I was a beginner, still a beginner. Because they all on the page laughed, told me it would never work, wasted my time and money, name calling, etc. after that I took that oak board and turned it into firewood. Haven’t tried to make a bow since and it’s been about two or three years. I’ve been reading books, web pages and watching videos on how to make bows for over 10 years. They discouraged me, but I might give it a try again. Good video.
Don't ever let anyone discourage you from trying something like this. You can't control what they do, only how you respond to it. And as soon as you say something can't be done, someone's going to do it. Red oak will make a fine bow, not quite as fast as good maple, but fine nonetheless. ch
Honest person and thanks for being one and making this video for those who want to start making bows. People try to make much and rip people off. Start off with board if you don’t got access to staves. Don’t buy staves unless u want to spend allot money and it breaks on first.
That introduction completely described my situation. Great that you recognized there is an audience for this, good for you that it's well received and good for us that you provide this great content.
Clay Hayes Thank you. Im currently working on a 48" red oak board bow, as a practice run for a hickory stave an eBay seller is kindly cutting me a deal on, because its my first go. I could use some tips on style or design. Im looking to make a ~50" 35lb - 40lb shortbow. I need it to be as simple as possible, preferably no backing(though I understand the wood may decide that for me). Is that a reasonable expectation? Is there a particular style I should go with? My tools are a carpenter's hatchet, a mora companion knife and a Shinto rasp(awesome tool!)
Wow, this brings back some fond memories! I still have so much fun making board bows for people. Maple is a great wood for all skill levels too, I love Maple. This is such a great way to spend a day. I hope everyone gives this a shot! Be warned: highly addictive.
I have learn more watching your videos then reading all the books that I have on how to build a bow this is the most simplest I have ever seen for a good usable bow and getting started.
Congrats Clay! Long before I got into selfbows, I waited with anticipation over the next episode of Alone. Naturally, my love for the outdoors and hunting has brought me to making selfbows and you have been a tremendous help! You’ve answered my questions with quick responses and thorough answers. Seeing you appear in Season 8 was a total surprise and I’ve been cheering for you! You’ve had some amazing completion! Again congrats! I hope to meet you some time in Milton if the occasion ever arises.
Thanks Clay! I just bought your Traditional bowyers handbook. I'm already learning about mistakes I've made in the past in the 1st few chapters. This video series is really helpful.. I'll be trying it out on a nice piece of maple I picked up today! Thank you! :) The budding Bowyer on yt 🇨🇦
I started making my first bow months ago and got so busy I couldn't continue. Just my luck that when I decided to commit to it again last night you posted this video! Absolutely love your channel!
I'm glad you showed me oi was about to spend a lot of money on a good piece of wood this way I can practice making them to hone my skill thanks again brother you helped a lot
@@clayhayeshunter you betcha...I've been shooting compound since 2011 and now I have an interest in traditional with the hopes of simplifying at least the gear and relearning how to shoot to be proficient in trad! Thanks again and keep up the great work.
You are the devil incarnate! I'm skipping the wheels and going straight to the stick and I already want to build a self bow and down even have my first bow
Did a board bow out of red oak a few years ago. I didn’t do the best job selecting the wood and had a bit of grain runoff. I tried to back it with fiberglass drywall tape and thought I had it handled. Tillered out to about 52lbs at 29”. Shot about 400 arrows before it cracked. Lot of hours of work down the drain. Bought a maple board to try again and it’s sat in my shop for the last 2 years waiting for me to gather the motivation to try again.
I like your videos. Your presentations are a nice blend of informality and professionalism. I have watched several and have not heard anything that did not sound pretty much spot on. I have been building bows since Jim Hamm released "The Traditional Bowyers Bible". Actually I gave the autographed copy to my son. So there are two complete copies of the set in my family. Board bows are just fine. Once upon a time a man who owned a lumber yard asked me if I could make a bow out of Virginia White Pine. I told him I could and he gave me a pile of sawed lumber to look through. When I finished his bow, it was 55# at 29" and it was 66" long tip to tip. I think the young bowyer should start with board bows because they are more technical and less organic but it is really just personal preference.
I really appreciate this video. I was thinking if it was possible so I typed in bows made from precut oak and BAM this video comes up front and center. LOVE IT!
Have you done any videos on how to decide what length to make your bows, how the length affects performance etc? That would make for an interesting video... Take it to the extremes and see what happens kind of thing... Loved this video too!
I made my own bow a couple months ago. It was pine, cuz thats the only thing i could find, and it was not very fast, but very accurate, and it got pretty good penetration.
As usual this video is awesome. Thanks for making a beginner bow series. I was hesitant because of finding an osage stave and not wanting to mess it up. This is much less intimidating.
Hi, I just picked up a red oak board 1/2 x 2x4, I'm attempting to make a short horse bow. Native American style sinue backed. Also, have oak dowels to make some arrows.
Thank you. I guess we are programmed to hunt out things and make them. Wood is what I like. Have the tools and time. Looks like I will follow your path and see where we end up. I broke a bow, when I was a kid. I guess the grain was across it, due to the way it broke. Cheers!
I made my first bow out of hickory. I had some trouble gaining finesse with a drawknife to not take too much wood so I picked up a small spokeshave which allowed me to control the depth of the cut. It took probably more strokes but at least I wasn't buggering up the board.
I wanna see a shag bark done, I have them all over my hill but the stuff is so stringy and tough I cant even split it for fire wood unless its under 15" much less split staves from a round
my first bows were board bows. i still make pyramid bows occasionally. maple, and red elm are personal favorites. i made a red oak first. if i lived in cali still i'd opt for hickory. it's just too wet here in wa to make one from hickory.
This is going to sound kind of weird, but I actually found your book before I found your videos. One thing I can say about this video in particular is that I like that you specifically mention red oak as a possibility for a bow because that's all I could find at my home center. The maple and hickory boards were all trash.
Dont be discourage. I just made my first from an oak board from an old house. Ive got it drawing 27 inches anyway and have hit a target 15 yrds just shootin off my hand with 550 cord for a string.
Excellent work!!! Depending upon the length of the end cut, and the depth of a Scroll Saw's throat, .....a Scroll saw (or band saw), can take off the wood---if one doesn't have a Draw Knife. Thanks for this video!!
I still have two rather nice arms do you think if i were to properly make a takedown bow handle slightly modified to account for the arms having no recurve I could possibly put the arms on and have a bow that way?
@@clayhayeshunter I make Arrow shafts and have tried kiln dried boards with good grain but every shaft ends up spining too light. I tried air dried and the spine goes way up, just something I noticed but maybe it's different with bows
I know how I am gonna spend some of my birthday money this week . I Shoot nasp ( national archery in the schools program) and only use a Genesis original compound for that ( I go to Competitions/tournaments ) so it would definitely be nice to hunt with a long bow just to switch things up
hey Clay I got a question for you I noticed that you made the biggest part of your limbs full width to the board doesn't that slow down and make it not as quick as a narrower profile and I was wondering why you did that
What would be the ideal wood board to use i have a local wood outlet can also get my hands on treated pine boards easily at hardware store would i be wasting my time with treated pine?
I watched this whole series and I went out and bought a couple decent boards of western red cedar which I’ve heard is also a good type of wood to make a bow. The board that I think would be better is and inch in thickness. I’m wondering if that would be okay to make a bow. The grains run length wise and there’s is only one knot on the side that I’m planning to make the belly. But I should be able to take the knot out because it only runs a little ways through the wood.
What does he mean by "grain runs from back to belly"? Does he mean the growth lines should be perpendicular to the back and belly or they run parallel with the back and belly?
You want your growth lines to run parallel to the back/belly. In a perfect world only one growth line would be exposed on the back of the bow. If you see a lot of design looking material on the front of the bow, it has a lot of different layers exposed, this could cause your bow to split or raise in that area. When backing the bow, it strengthens those areas and makes them less likely to separate.
This would be the case for a bow from a stave where you can follow a ring. But with boards it’s often best to have them quarter sawn, meaning the growth rings are oriented perpendicular to the back.
I know this video is 2 years old but hoping someone sees these two questions . First how short can the bow be ? And do you need to put any linseed oil on it to keep it flexible?
Oil has nothing to do with flexibility. You’d put oil or some other sealer on it to protect the wood from moisture. The length of the bow depends on several factors which will affect how smoothly it draws. Longer , straight limbed bows, should be approximately 2.24 times your draw length. That’s my preference anyway.
If you are measuring on the plank from the centre of the grain on one end to the centre of the grain on the other end, then you can not use the side of the plank as a reference when marking out, because the centre of the grain and the centre of the plank are not the same.
The last 3 inches of the handle section on either side are the fade outs, right? I used that as my fade out section but wasn’t sure if that was right. I’ve got some black walnut that should be seasoned but I can’t decide if it would be good for this design or not. Anyways, thank you for the videos and replying it’s very helpful.
A few years ago I bought a red oak board and asked about it on a Facebook group page. I was a beginner, still a beginner. Because they all on the page laughed, told me it would never work, wasted my time and money, name calling, etc. after that I took that oak board and turned it into firewood. Haven’t tried to make a bow since and it’s been about two or three years. I’ve been reading books, web pages and watching videos on how to make bows for over 10 years. They discouraged me, but I might give it a try again. Good video.
Don't ever let anyone discourage you from trying something like this. You can't control what they do, only how you respond to it. And as soon as you say something can't be done, someone's going to do it. Red oak will make a fine bow, not quite as fast as good maple, but fine nonetheless. ch
Give it a try man, then make a video of it,
Charles Davis dont let these people convince you that you cant. Just because they cant, doesnt mean it cant happen. Just tell yourself you can
Don't let the haters stop you, do it for own satisfaction mate
Have you made your bow yet? I'm rooting for ya!
In quarantine and alway wanted to build a bow. Seems like the perfect time to do it
Honest person and thanks for being one and making this video for those who want to start making bows. People try to make much and rip people off.
Start off with board if you don’t got access to staves. Don’t buy staves unless u want to spend allot money and it breaks on first.
That introduction completely described my situation.
Great that you recognized there is an audience for this, good for you that it's well received and good for us that you provide this great content.
Thanks Felix
Clay Hayes
Thank you.
Im currently working on a 48" red oak board bow, as a practice run for a hickory stave an eBay seller is kindly cutting me a deal on, because its my first go. I could use some tips on style or design. Im looking to make a ~50" 35lb - 40lb shortbow. I need it to be as simple as possible, preferably no backing(though I understand the wood may decide that for me). Is that a reasonable expectation? Is there a particular style I should go with? My tools are a carpenter's hatchet, a mora companion knife and a Shinto rasp(awesome tool!)
Wow, this brings back some fond memories! I still have so much fun making board bows for people. Maple is a great wood for all skill levels too, I love Maple.
This is such a great way to spend a day. I hope everyone gives this a shot! Be warned: highly addictive.
Highly Addictive!
I made a 50 pound 70 inch maple long board following your instructions. Ty i had major succes
Awesome! congrats.
Watching your videos inspired me to build my 9 year old daughter her first bow. Worked great and she was really happy. Great work here Clay.
Heck yeah!
I have learn more watching your videos then reading all the books that I have on how to build a bow this is the most simplest I have ever seen for a good usable bow and getting started.
Congrats Clay! Long before I got into selfbows, I waited with anticipation over the next episode of Alone. Naturally, my love for the outdoors and hunting has brought me to making selfbows and you have been a tremendous help! You’ve answered my questions with quick responses and thorough answers. Seeing you appear in Season 8 was a total surprise and I’ve been cheering for you! You’ve had some amazing completion! Again congrats! I hope to meet you some time in Milton if the occasion ever arises.
Thanks Clay!
I just bought your Traditional bowyers handbook.
I'm already learning about mistakes I've made in the past in the 1st few chapters.
This video series is really helpful.. I'll be trying it out on a nice piece of maple I picked up today!
Thank you!
:)
The budding Bowyer on yt 🇨🇦
I started making my first bow months ago and got so busy I couldn't continue. Just my luck that when I decided to commit to it again last night you posted this video! Absolutely love your channel!
thanks Ryan
Been wanting to do this for months, been checking home depot every time I'm there for a suitable board. Finally got one today, stoked to start!
Good deal!
Waiting for part two ,part one was interesting.
I'm glad you showed me oi was about to spend a lot of money on a good piece of wood this way I can practice making them to hone my skill thanks again brother you helped a lot
Have fun with it!
Thank you Clay for all the educational and inspirational videos. I enjoy your content!
Thanks Frank
@@clayhayeshunter you betcha...I've been shooting compound since 2011 and now I have an interest in traditional with the hopes of simplifying at least the gear and relearning how to shoot to be proficient in trad! Thanks again and keep up the great work.
You are the devil incarnate! I'm skipping the wheels and going straight to the stick and I already want to build a self bow and down even have my first bow
Get after it!
Next season ill be hunting with it is the goal
Did a board bow out of red oak a few years ago. I didn’t do the best job selecting the wood and had a bit of grain runoff. I tried to back it with fiberglass drywall tape and thought I had it handled. Tillered out to about 52lbs at 29”. Shot about 400 arrows before it cracked. Lot of hours of work down the drain. Bought a maple board to try again and it’s sat in my shop for the last 2 years waiting for me to gather the motivation to try again.
Broken bows aren’t wasted time if you learned something from the experience!
This is the video I been looking for before I move to making bows from wood thank you sir.
Glad to help
Great stuff👍👍
I like your videos. Your presentations are a nice blend of informality and professionalism. I have watched several and have not heard anything that did not sound pretty much spot on. I have been building bows since Jim Hamm released "The Traditional Bowyers Bible". Actually I gave the autographed copy to my son. So there are two complete copies of the set in my family. Board bows are just fine. Once upon a time a man who owned a lumber yard asked me if I could make a bow out of Virginia White Pine. I told him I could and he gave me a pile of sawed lumber to look through. When I finished his bow, it was 55# at 29" and it was 66" long tip to tip. I think the young bowyer should start with board bows because they are more technical and less organic but it is really just personal preference.
Great teaching Sir!!
Great sound advice.
Been watching tour videos and had to order the book. Wish I had known there were signed ones.
Grate thanks 👍😊😊😊 very valuable knowledge.happy new year
I really appreciate this video. I was thinking if it was possible so I typed in bows made from precut oak and BAM this video comes up front and center. LOVE IT!
That was exactly what I needed today. Thank you!!
+Jacob Ice your welcome
the book he is talking about is very very good i recommend it
I was hoping you would do something like this! I want to make a couple of bows for my kids, as practice to make a nicer one for me. Thank you Clay!!
It's a great way to start and get some practice!
I never thought of gettin bow wood from home depot. Genius
Haha!
Have you done any videos on how to decide what length to make your bows, how the length affects performance etc? That would make for an interesting video... Take it to the extremes and see what happens kind of thing... Loved this video too!
Fantastic video. Looking forward to the next one. In the meantime, I am headed to Lowe's.
Nice, I will pick up some tips from ya. Thanks
No problem 👍
Thank you so much for posting this video ,
Thanks Clay, as always you are at the top of your game. Super job as always thanks for sharing with us.
+Ed Matthews you’re welcome
Just made my first bow thanks to your series, turned out super well. Thank you so much!
The first of many I’m sure!
I made my own bow a couple months ago. It was pine, cuz thats the only thing i could find, and it was not very fast, but very accurate, and it got pretty good penetration.
I just picked up your book and can't wait to get into it ! 🍻
love this stuff. been looking for ever for just this type of instruction
You're a good instructor 👊
Great video
+Riverbendlongbows.com gracious
Clay Hayes de nada
Thanks Clay! Going today to home depot. I'll do a build along.
+Jeff excellent
As usual this video is awesome. Thanks for making a beginner bow series. I was hesitant because of finding an osage stave and not wanting to mess it up. This is much less intimidating.
Yep, that's exactly why I'm making these vids. I hope they help. ch
Hi, I just picked up a red oak board 1/2 x 2x4, I'm attempting to make a short horse bow. Native American style sinue backed. Also, have oak dowels to make some arrows.
Always like your videos, I don't even build bows anymore. Firearms dominate my hobby time.
+Pointofimpact TV bang sticks are cool too.
I do it works fine ! tanks
Starting this tonight!
hi Clay, i just got your book . i'm looking forward to picking up some tips and attempting to make my first bow
Have fun
Great Video! Can't wait to check out part 2
Great instructions and well laid out video..... subbed
Clear and concise. Thank you! Subscribed!
Thank you. I guess we are programmed to hunt out things and make them. Wood is what I like. Have the tools and time. Looks like I will follow your path and see where we end up. I broke a bow, when I was a kid. I guess the grain was across it, due to the way it broke. Cheers!
Don’t get discouraged. Just stick with it, learn, and have fun along the way.
Cool! Can't wait for the next one.
Looking forward to the next one great information Clay 👍👍👍
+frankie1956 next week!
Just ordered it 😎
I made my first bow out of hickory. I had some trouble gaining finesse with a drawknife to not take too much wood so I picked up a small spokeshave which allowed me to control the depth of the cut. It took probably more strokes but at least I wasn't buggering up the board.
Cool video.
Thanks for posting. Your videos are inspiring and very educational. I would love to see you work a hickory bow from stave to finish.
+Troy Stone I think I could do that.
Ill second that we have alot of hickory here in Wisconsin. Thats was going to be my first attempt.
I wanna see a shag bark done, I have them all over my hill but the stuff is so stringy and tough I cant even split it for fire wood unless its under 15" much less split staves from a round
Thank you for sharing! I’ve got you book and I will be starting my first bow build in the next month.
Excellent! Have fun with it.
Tank you, i build my first bow from it !
Awesome.
Awesome. Thank you.
Pra mim você é o cara 👏👏👏
Looking forward to the next video.
Cedar limbs make great longbows to
my first bows were board bows. i still make pyramid bows occasionally. maple, and red elm are personal favorites. i made a red oak first. if i lived in cali still i'd opt for hickory. it's just too wet here in wa to make one from hickory.
Yea, hickory can sure soak up the moisture.
Thank you.
you're welcome
I used to make bows as a kid but with branches
Have you ever tried using D shape oak hand rails for a starter board ? The smaller ones used in hallways.
I haven't, but if the grain is good, I bet it'd work well.
Rock on man
This is going to sound kind of weird, but I actually found your book before I found your videos. One thing I can say about this video in particular is that I like that you specifically mention red oak as a possibility for a bow because that's all I could find at my home center. The maple and hickory boards were all trash.
Could you replace the drawknife with a spokeshave for the roughing out process? I have read that drawknives can be tricky to master.
For board bows, yes. A spokeshave would work well.
Dont be discourage. I just made my first from an oak board from an old house. Ive got it drawing 27 inches anyway and have hit a target 15 yrds just shootin off my hand with 550 cord for a string.
Looks good
thanks
Excellent work!!!
Depending upon the length of the end cut, and the depth of a Scroll Saw's throat,
.....a Scroll saw (or band saw), can take off the wood---if one doesn't have a Draw Knife.
Thanks for this video!!
I still have two rather nice arms do you think if i were to properly make a takedown bow handle slightly modified to account for the arms having no recurve I could possibly put the arms on and have a bow that way?
That would be cool
Awesome video Clay! Thank you so much for the great idea!! Looking forward for part 2!
Thanks Nik
At what stage of tillering should you put on your regular bow string I'm making my first board self bow and going really good so far
what kind and where did you get that clamp? it looks awesome
if your talking about the vise, it's a blacksmith vise and you might find one second hand if you look lots.
Does one have to pay close attn to kiln dried versus air dried boards?
I don't have a lot of experience with air dried vs kiln dried board bows but I suspect it doesn't make that big a difference.
@@clayhayeshunter I make Arrow shafts and have tried kiln dried boards with good grain but every shaft ends up spining too light. I tried air dried and the spine goes way up, just something I noticed but maybe it's different with bows
Is an ash stave good for building a bow?
You might want something a little harder than ash
My options are green Port Jackson or Eucalyptus, or
Planks of Pine or Meranti.
Which are the better options?
Why did you measure an 1 1/4 from the center then 2 3/4 on the other side? Wouldnt that make the one limb shorter?
Yes. It’s explained in my book.
I like your thoughts on it not being encouraging to build with osage right away. It's like, being new to knifemaking and trying to duplicate Loveless.
What type of draw knife would you recommend?
Do you have any tips or sources for sizing?
I know how I am gonna spend some of my birthday money this week . I Shoot nasp ( national archery in the schools program) and only use a Genesis original compound for that ( I go to Competitions/tournaments ) so it would definitely be nice to hunt with a long bow just to switch things up
i shot naps one year really fun
There's a Windsor Plywood nearby that I could either get maple from or even hickory. I'll have to watch this series of yours now and get educated.
Are handmade bow easier to draw back than the carbon neon whatever stuff in shops?
No, that depends on the draw weight and bow design. Not what the bow is made from.
Can't wait to part 2
hey Clay I got a question for you I noticed that you made the biggest part of your limbs full width to the board doesn't that slow down and make it not as quick as a narrower profile and I was wondering why you did that
That is the best cutting rasp I have ever seen. What kind of a rasp is it and where can it be bought ?
+TheRedhawke do a search on farrier rasp.
Clay Hayes tractor supply
What would be the ideal wood board to use i have a local wood outlet can also get my hands on treated pine boards easily at hardware store would i be wasting my time with treated pine?
Pine would be a poor choice.
@@clayhayeshunter thanks Clay
I watched this whole series and I went out and bought a couple decent boards of western red cedar which I’ve heard is also a good type of wood to make a bow. The board that I think would be better is and inch in thickness. I’m wondering if that would be okay to make a bow. The grains run length wise and there’s is only one knot on the side that I’m planning to make the belly. But I should be able to take the knot out because it only runs a little ways through the wood.
Hello Clay. Can you make a recurve bow with a maple or red oak board?
Thanks
I’ve never tried it but I’ve seen others make recurves from red oak.
What does he mean by "grain runs from back to belly"? Does he mean the growth lines should be perpendicular to the back and belly or they run parallel with the back and belly?
You want your growth lines to run parallel to the back/belly. In a perfect world only one growth line would be exposed on the back of the bow. If you see a lot of design looking material on the front of the bow, it has a lot of different layers exposed, this could cause your bow to split or raise in that area. When backing the bow, it strengthens those areas and makes them less likely to separate.
This would be the case for a bow from a stave where you can follow a ring. But with boards it’s often best to have them quarter sawn, meaning the growth rings are oriented perpendicular to the back.
@@clayhayeshunter Excellent, I had no idea!
I know this video is 2 years old but hoping someone sees these two questions . First how short can the bow be ? And do you need to put any linseed oil on it to keep it flexible?
Oil has nothing to do with flexibility. You’d put oil or some other sealer on it to protect the wood from moisture. The length of the bow depends on several factors which will affect how smoothly it draws. Longer , straight limbed bows, should be approximately 2.24 times your draw length. That’s my preference anyway.
Thank You. That makes sense.
If you’re trying to make a bow for the first time would you recommend trying this first or getting an actual tree. Which would be easier ?
Board bows are a great way to learn but if you have access to cut your own trees that’s great as well.
If you are measuring on the plank from the centre of the grain on one end to the centre of the grain on the other end, then you can not use the side of the plank as a reference when marking out, because the centre of the grain and the centre of the plank are not the same.
You can cut those boards at Home Depot to your desired length and only buy what you need.
The last 3 inches of the handle section on either side are the fade outs, right? I used that as my fade out section but wasn’t sure if that was right. I’ve got some black walnut that should be seasoned but I can’t decide if it would be good for this design or not. Anyways, thank you for the videos and replying it’s very helpful.
Correct
Can I add a handle to this bow or will this be a problem