Thank you for the generosity that you have shared in making this series. I learned more in the time that you shared with us than in a great deal of the stuff put out by others on the net. You have made one very beautiful bow there Dave and I thank you for making us all a part of the experience.
What a fantastic craftsmanship. Thank you so much for sharing your skills, knowledge and a this beautiful bow. I honestly can't understand how you can sell them so cheap. It looks like hours and hours of work. This is probably a definition of a labour of love.
I came across this group of videos yesterday and found the first one so interesting that I set my alarm an hour & a half early just so I could watch 2 thru 8. It was time well spent. Thank you for sharing your skills.
Hi Dave, I have just stumbled upon this bow making series whilst binge watching your van builds, both I found to be very interesting. My question to you is regarding the bow string and its construction i.e. material, length and the tying of the ends, it would be a great addition to see. Keep up the good work Dave, I thoroughly enjoy all your videos
Many thanks Dave. What a captivating series - perfect timing as I stumbled upon it the very night my wife is overseas on a short business trip. Put the kids to bed (they needed a really early night) and settled down with a hot mug and the increasing dream of making my own as I enjoyed every episode straight! My little shop is lacking a bandsaw and some of the sanding equipment but with a little time and care I think I can do this. OK - a LOT of time and care! So a big thanks indeed - you have to be one of the nicest blokes on UA-cam! Cheers from Sydney, Australia - Dave (you have an excellent name too...).
Great series and a beautiful bow design. I'm in the "learn to build a board bow" stage right now, but when I progress to fiberglass this'll be one of the first I try. Love it!
Thank you so much Dave, one of the best videos ever seen. After all the 8 episode now finally I feel ready to do my first try. Your explanation has been clear and useful to follow. My sincere compliments and a brotherly hug from an Italian Archer ciao Fabio
One of the best series I've seen and by far the best on the subject. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing your knowledge. Good job and nice bow.
beautiful bow i really enjoyed watching this one thing on the overlays for the tips and the handle if you feather them before you glue them on the transition is much more elegant and clean
Many thanks for a great series, really helpful and informative. I may have missed it, but I was wondering how you tiller the limbs on a glass backed bow.
+dor duieb I'm looking for dimensions for a pyramid bow. Looks like it will be about 2 inches wide at the fades and I might try a silk backing.. I'll probably get around to it over the winter.
+Dave Watson Well, I never worked with ash, but I think 2" fades, tapering to 1/2" tips would work great. Keep the hickory backing thin, no more then 1/8" (I think you should also trap it). With a 68"-70" length, I think that will give you a nice bow in the 45lbs area. Of course, you can make adjustments as you go (narrowing the fades etc...). Just remember that pyramid bow have a CIRCULAR TILLER, not elliptical (with a tillering gizmo, pyramids are the easiest bows to tiller).
+Dave Watson Oh, and I would suggest using bamboo/hickory backed ipe. It's a great combo and will give you a bow out of this world (my favorite wood combo).
I thought your 8 part video series was lucid and concise. Very informative and interesting throughout. Thank you so much for sharing Dave. :) Questions : a) Can I make a bow w/ a deeper curve ? b) Is the upper curve suppose to be deeper than the lower curve by 1/8" or so ?? c) To make a heavier pull bow, would you thicken the laminates or add more ??? d) Does the laminate epoxy have to be heated or will it cure w/ more time and not hot box ??? Thank you so much for your generous consideration, Sincerely ......................................
HI Steph, It is possible to make a bow with more reflex in it but you would have to design a form to make it in and it will take a little experience to get the shape right. Some bows are made with the top and bottom limbs slightly different, this depends upon where the she;f is located, I make pf mine equal and put the shelf as close to the centre of the bow as I can. To make the bow heavier you could make thicker laminates or more of them or make them wider, again it comes down to some trial and error to get the dimensions right for a specific weight. The epoxy does need a heat cure, there are specification for the temp on the smooth on web site. Hope that helps
Thank you for the timely replay and yes, it helps confirm my thoughts and curiosity's. Appreciate your efforts in answering each of my questions.Thank you Dave,Sincerely ............................
This is fantastic series! It's really made me want to build a bow. Really appreciate the time, effort and knowledge you've put into these videos, I can't wait to get into making one. My only question is how would you tiller this bow if the limbs don't flex evenly? I'm guessing you don't want to be cutting into fibreglass. Thanks Dave.
Hi Dave. Why not make a build series for a 3 piece takedown longbow? reflex deflex similar to this bow, but in 3pc takedow system. I'm waiting for the fiberglass to arrive from Germany and I plan on making a takedown longbow.
loverly job. It's pretty long for a flatbow, why's that? A longbow is traditionally the same length as the archer's height while flatbows are often 68". I've made a laminated D section longbow, which is good, but I can see the advantages of the flatbow too.
Hi Dave - nice looking bow - have you seen the tins of spray Lacquer ( the automotive type ) that Halfords do - its in a silver tin and their own make - it gives a great finish and much as I like Danish Oil, the lacquer is more durable, less messy, gives a highly professional finish and each coat dries in about ten minutes - keep up the good work - regards - Dale
+seaflyfisher Hi Dale,I tried some of the B&Q lacquer but I got a lot of runs. I'll give the halfords stiff a shot and maybe try to improve my spraying technique. Thanks Dave
+seaflyfisher Doesn't the lacquerer seal the wood completely trapping in moister. I thought Danish oil allowed a level of breathing for the wood which keeps it more stable. Might be wrong on this just a thought ;-)
+Jane H- Hi Jane - the short answer is that I don't know - no one knows what goes on inside a piece of wood once your bow is made as you have to spike into the wood with a moisture meter to check it - good thought though and one that occurred to me as well as oil enriches and lubricates the wood - ideally you want 12 to 15 per cent moisture content in the wood that you choose to make your bow stave from so some kiln dried wood can be rather brittle and air dried is undoubtedly better - once the bow is made, whatever finish you put on it should seal the wood to prevent losing that moisture content and its very much down to personal preference and how you want the finished bow to look - I use both on different bows depending on what wood they are made from and have had great success with both finishes - I find the lacquer more hardwearing, a beautiful finish and can be buffed up with a duster like new again after I've been shooting - the oil also provides a beautiful finish but can become "sticky" on hot days which makes it lose its lustre a bit and although it can be re-oiled its a bit faffy - hope that helps answer your question and if you make bows - keep up the good work and have fun with it - regards - Dale
Beautiful work, very entertaining and interesting series. Now, that it’s finished I‘ll add that in every green intro and outro screen, there’s an „r“ missing. It’s „Anfield Achery“ atm ;)
Dave, do you think using fiberglass would make a bent lamination for a rocking chair stronger? I am designing a rocking chair and would like to keep the skates .75" = 19mm thick and no thicker, but have concerns about a 4 layer lamination this thin lasting generations? It could be an inside layer between the wood?
Hi Dave. I watched this series again and got an urge to make a fiberglass laminated bow like this. I'm now checking shipping options for the fiberglass strips from Bearpaw. I have a few questions for you, as a fellow bowyer: 1) I want a bow 45 pound at 26 inchs. I was thinking of 2 2mm parallel lams and 1 tapered lam (per limb). At 66" length it should get me close (I think...). What do you think? 2) Will a regular 2 ton epoxy work for the glue-up? The smooth-on is really expensive to buy and ship... thanks in advance. looking forward to hear from you.
Hi, The 2.2mm outer lams sounds like a good idea and if it is a little heavy you can always narrow down the limbs to get the right weight. Smooth on is expensive but it is very strong when cured at the right temperatures. It is the only epoxy I have used so I can not speak about the properties of other brands. But you should get about 5 - 6 bows out of a small tin of Smooth-on.
Hello, I would like to know why the window of the arch where the arrow comes out is a few centimeters above the natural center of the arch, and why I expect answers thanks
Hi, The shelf on this bow is about 1cm above centre. The reason is that I like to have the neck of the grip at the centre of the bow. This cuts down a lot of handshock as the energy from each limb dissipates equally and zeros out at the centre. Your second question is more philosophical in nature and I assume the reason that you expect answers is because you are an optimist.
hello again dave thank you for your attention and it helps me a lot, I like how you work to a I have to translate because I am Spanish my trade is mechanical watchmaker and I like the precicion why the reason for these two questions but the second question I do not understand the optimist, because some manufacturers vary with the center up to 4cm, that is deve to design or according to the pounds the length etc ... I would like to know then when I manufacture another type of arc to know how much I have to upload
Hi, I now use a clear lacquer. But only on the wood. I cover the glass with masking tape and then lacquer the wood, take the tape off and polish the whole thing
I use a brush on lacquer but not on the glass. Just on the handle, tips and sides of the limbs. I give it 3 to 4 coats and rub it down with a 340G paper between coats. I leave the masking tape on the glass until the lacquering is done and then use a wet and dry 600g paper to take any ridges off the sides if the limbs. I'm using a "bar top" lacquer which is very tough and gives a great gloss finish.
Thanks Dave. I`d really like to see more of you build alongs. You are a great insperation. When I started making glass lam bows I learned a lot from you.
This guy is a model for all human beings. He can cook, build a shelter and a weapon to hunt with. Self sufficient and dangerous.
I very much enjoyed this series and really love the finished bow, turned out beautiful... 😉
Very nice bow beautiful coloring with the purple heart, informative and educational on how you do it on the other side of the pond.
Thank you for the generosity that you have shared in making this series. I learned more in the time that you shared with us than in a great deal of the stuff put out by others on the net. You have made one very beautiful bow there Dave and I thank you for making us all a part of the experience.
+Ken Vaughan Thanks Ken, glad you enjoyed the series.
Piece of Art. Looking exquisite.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for the work going into that. Cheers.
What a fantastic craftsmanship. Thank you so much for sharing your skills, knowledge and a this beautiful bow. I honestly can't understand how you can sell them so cheap. It looks like hours and hours of work. This is probably a definition of a labour of love.
I came across this group of videos yesterday and found the first one so interesting that I set my alarm an hour & a half early just so I could watch 2 thru 8. It was time well spent. Thank you for sharing your skills.
Thank you immensely for taking the time to present this series. The bow is beautiful. So much information to share here.
Hi Dave, I have just stumbled upon this bow making series whilst binge watching your van builds, both I found to be very interesting.
My question to you is regarding the bow string and its construction i.e. material, length and the tying of the ends, it would be a great addition to see.
Keep up the good work Dave, I thoroughly enjoy all your videos
Hi Dave. Great series. Thank you for sharing your skills. Very tidy work sir.
Many thanks Dave. What a captivating series - perfect timing as I stumbled upon it the very night my wife is overseas on a short business trip. Put the kids to bed (they needed a really early night) and settled down with a hot mug and the increasing dream of making my own as I enjoyed every episode straight!
My little shop is lacking a bandsaw and some of the sanding equipment but with a little time and care I think I can do this. OK - a LOT of time and care! So a big thanks indeed - you have to be one of the nicest blokes on UA-cam! Cheers from Sydney, Australia - Dave (you have an excellent name too...).
Great series and a beautiful bow design. I'm in the "learn to build a board bow" stage right now, but when I progress to fiberglass this'll be one of the first I try. Love it!
such a beautiful bow.. I'm on love with it. making a bow like that is on my to-do list. thx for the videos and all the instruction.
thank you very mutch for all of your videos and for your series of fiberglass videos. i realy anjoyed waching them.
+אבישי שטרית I enjoyed that you enjoyed.... :-)
thank you Dave for letting us see you makeing a bow
Thank you so much Dave, one of the best videos ever seen. After all the 8 episode now finally I feel ready to do my first try.
Your explanation has been clear and useful to follow.
My sincere compliments and a brotherly hug from an Italian Archer
ciao
Fabio
Wow Dave! What a great tutorial. I am going to start building my bow making workshop this fall.
That bow has fantastic lines, beautiful! Thanks for sharing the bow making process, very entertaining!Matthew
Really enjoyed watching this series, learned a lot. Thank you for showing us.
+Sergio Maastricht My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed them.
Awesome work Dave! You are credit to your craft. Thanks for the videos.
Amazing work Dave, thanks for sharing it with us!!! It looks so good, beautiful work, thanks!
Beautiful bow!!WORK OF ART!!
Felicitaciones un trabajo hermoso y muy profecional
Excellent!!! I enjoyed watching you making one of the smartest bow I've ever seen.
Greetings from South Africa. Nico Kühn.
One of the best series I've seen and by far the best on the subject. Keep up the good work and thank you for sharing your knowledge. Good job and nice bow.
Nice work, great series of videos. Thanks for posting!
Excellent series, I really enjoyed it. Beautiful bow!
beautiful bow i really enjoyed watching this one thing on the overlays for the tips and the handle if you feather them before you glue them on the transition is much more elegant and clean
this was really good education Dave. thank you for making this work
great series of tutorials,many thanks
Amazing work and presentation
Very nice bow and really clear no fuss instruction thank you very much you have a new subscriber
That is a beautiful bow.
Wonderful work! Thank you so much for sharing this!
thats a real nice job excellent finish good series of videos
Beautifull bow, made beautifully!
A pure GENIUS! Congrats on the finished product. I wonder how much you'd sell a bow like this, but it's gorgeous.(M.G., Quebec, Canada)
Very very nice bow , it must be rock steady in the hand with that poundage and lenght .
+Rasmus Lykke Thanks, yes it is a very smooth bow with very little hand shock.
Verry nice bow
great looking bow. nice job.
Dave thanks for sharing, it is a very nice looking bow. :)
Absolutely amazing.
So great, master! Thank you!
È bellissimo bravo 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍
Congratulations,Very Good Brother
Great videos. Thank you
Outstanding vid, thank you
Great build. Would be great to see a video of how you made the jig or press for your bows
There's one on the way. I recently built a form for a 64" bow and I just need to edit it and get it posted.
Спасибо! Было очень познавательно и приятно смотреть!
Many thanks for a great series, really helpful and informative. I may have missed it, but I was wondering how you tiller the limbs on a glass backed bow.
Nice bow
nice video sir. i watched it 1 to 8.wish i'd had the power tools. really want to make a bow but i doesnt have the saw .
Cool looking bow Dave.... Very nice job.
A pyramid bow is one my favorite designes.... I`d love to watch you make one
+dor duieb I'm looking for dimensions for a pyramid bow. Looks like it will be about 2 inches wide at the fades and I might try a silk backing.. I'll probably get around to it over the winter.
+Dave Watson Hi Dave.
What woods are you going to use? I might be able to help you with dimensions.
dor duieb If you could post some dimensions I would appreciate it. I was thinking of a hickory back and ash for the belly.
+Dave Watson Well, I never worked with ash, but I think 2" fades, tapering to 1/2" tips would work great. Keep the hickory backing thin, no more then 1/8" (I think you should also trap it). With a 68"-70" length, I think that will give you a nice bow in the 45lbs area. Of course, you can make adjustments as you go (narrowing the fades etc...).
Just remember that pyramid bow have a CIRCULAR TILLER, not elliptical (with a tillering gizmo, pyramids are the easiest bows to tiller).
+Dave Watson Oh, and I would suggest using bamboo/hickory backed ipe. It's a great combo and will give you a bow out of this world (my favorite wood combo).
I thought your 8 part video series was lucid and concise. Very informative and interesting throughout. Thank you so much for sharing Dave. :)
Questions :
a) Can I make a bow w/ a deeper curve ?
b) Is the upper curve suppose to be deeper than the lower curve by 1/8" or so ??
c) To make a heavier pull bow, would you thicken the laminates or add more ???
d) Does the laminate epoxy have to be heated or will it cure w/ more time and not hot box ???
Thank you so much for your generous consideration,
Sincerely ......................................
HI Steph, It is possible to make a bow with more reflex in it but you would have to design a form to make it in and it will take a little experience to get the shape right. Some bows are made with the top and bottom limbs slightly different, this depends upon where the she;f is located, I make pf mine equal and put the shelf as close to the centre of the bow as I can. To make the bow heavier you could make thicker laminates or more of them or make them wider, again it comes down to some trial and error to get the dimensions right for a specific weight. The epoxy does need a heat cure, there are specification for the temp on the smooth on web site. Hope that helps
Thank you for the timely replay and yes, it helps confirm my thoughts and curiosity's. Appreciate your efforts in answering each of my questions.Thank you Dave,Sincerely ............................
Thanks,well done!
Thanks for sharing! Dave Watson
This is fantastic series! It's really made me want to build a bow. Really appreciate the time, effort and knowledge you've put into these videos, I can't wait to get into making one. My only question is how would you tiller this bow if the limbs don't flex evenly? I'm guessing you don't want to be cutting into fibreglass. Thanks Dave.
The tillering is done by sanding the sides of the limbs to narrow the width
Awesome job really enjoyed the videos, is it possible to get the plans? Keep the good work
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dave.
Why not make a build series for a 3 piece takedown longbow? reflex deflex similar to this bow, but in 3pc takedow system. I'm waiting for the fiberglass to arrive from Germany and I plan on making a takedown longbow.
Thank you
Show muito bonito
loverly job. It's pretty long for a flatbow, why's that? A longbow is traditionally the same length as the archer's height while flatbows are often 68". I've made a laminated D section longbow, which is good, but I can see the advantages of the flatbow too.
Hi Dave - nice looking bow - have you seen the tins of spray Lacquer ( the automotive type ) that Halfords do - its in a silver tin and their own make - it gives a great finish and much as I like Danish Oil, the lacquer is more durable, less messy, gives a highly professional finish and each coat dries in about ten minutes - keep up the good work - regards - Dale
+seaflyfisher Hi Dale,I tried some of the B&Q lacquer but I got a lot of runs. I'll give the halfords stiff a shot and maybe try to improve my spraying technique. Thanks Dave
+seaflyfisher Doesn't the lacquerer seal the wood completely trapping in moister. I thought Danish oil allowed a level of breathing for the wood which keeps it more stable. Might be wrong on this just a thought ;-)
+Jane H- Hi Jane - the short answer is that I don't know - no one knows what goes on inside a piece of wood once your bow is made as you have to spike into the wood with a moisture meter to check it - good thought though and one that occurred to me as well as oil enriches and lubricates the wood - ideally you want 12 to 15 per cent moisture content in the wood that you choose to make your bow stave from so some kiln dried wood can be rather brittle and air dried is undoubtedly better - once the bow is made, whatever finish you put on it should seal the wood to prevent losing that moisture content and its very much down to personal preference and how you want the finished bow to look - I use both on different bows depending on what wood they are made from and have had great success with both finishes - I find the lacquer more hardwearing, a beautiful finish and can be buffed up with a duster like new again after I've been shooting - the oil also provides a beautiful finish but can become "sticky" on hot days which makes it lose its lustre a bit and although it can be re-oiled its a bit faffy - hope that helps answer your question and if you make bows - keep up the good work and have fun with it - regards - Dale
Just finished the series from the start and I so enjoyed watching the transformation. Any chance you have a recurve build coming up?
Beautiful work, very entertaining and interesting series. Now, that it’s finished I‘ll add that in every green intro and outro screen, there’s an „r“ missing. It’s „Anfield Achery“ atm ;)
Thank you! Do you get fiberglass splinters when shooting it?
I need to make a 2 meter diameter x 10 cm wide circular loop using fiberglass - any idea what material laminates to use?
Hey Dave, nice job.
The link doesn’t work. Is it possible to get the plan for the bow?
Greetings from Germany.
Can you add salt to the epoxy to keep it from moving around?
Thank you Dave. I do have couple of questions one is about grain direction and what is done to make a hire power bow?
Dave, do you think using fiberglass would make a bent lamination for a rocking chair stronger? I am designing a rocking chair and would like to keep the skates .75" = 19mm thick and no thicker, but have concerns about a 4 layer lamination this thin lasting generations? It could be an inside layer between the wood?
Any chance you still have the plans available for this bow?
Other than those two great that gave thumbs down everything is fine.
Em que lugar do mundo voce é amigo?
could such a design be made ambidextrous,or redesigned to be as such?
Hi Dave.
I watched this series again and got an urge to make a fiberglass laminated bow like this. I'm now checking shipping options for the fiberglass strips from Bearpaw. I have a few questions for you, as a fellow bowyer:
1) I want a bow 45 pound at 26 inchs. I was thinking of 2 2mm parallel lams and 1 tapered lam (per limb). At 66" length it should get me close (I think...). What do you think?
2) Will a regular 2 ton epoxy work for the glue-up? The smooth-on is really expensive to buy and ship...
thanks in advance. looking forward to hear from you.
Hi, The 2.2mm outer lams sounds like a good idea and if it is a little heavy you can always narrow down the limbs to get the right weight. Smooth on is expensive but it is very strong when cured at the right temperatures. It is the only epoxy I have used so I can not speak about the properties of other brands. But you should get about 5 - 6 bows out of a small tin of Smooth-on.
Hey Dave, I'm in the process of completing the build along and wondered also about making the next one heavier. What do you think about item #1 above?
احسنة انت بطل واسد
Hello, I would like to know why the window of the arch where the arrow comes out is a few centimeters above the natural center of the arch, and why I expect answers thanks
Hi, The shelf on this bow is about 1cm above centre. The reason is that I like to have the neck of the grip at the centre of the bow. This cuts down a lot of handshock as the energy from each limb dissipates equally and zeros out at the centre. Your second question is more philosophical in nature and I assume the reason that you expect answers is because you are an optimist.
hello again dave thank you for your attention and it helps me a lot, I like how you work to a I have to translate because I am Spanish my trade is mechanical watchmaker and I like the precicion why the reason for these two questions but the second question I do not understand the optimist, because some manufacturers vary with the center up to 4cm, that is deve to design or according to the pounds the length etc ... I would like to know then when I manufacture another type of arc to know how much I have to upload
Thanks again and regards
Ever considered building to sell ?
Dave ما هو اسم هذا الخشب الذي تستعمله ما اسمه
good good
How strong a pull could a bow theoretically have for a 6'3" guy?
English longbows go up to over 100lb. But I think flat bows max out at about 65
I saw you doing some math there and figured I asked. OK so I'd need to grow stronger for such a bow!
Thank you!
Hi Dave. I have a question- does thre danish oil provide anough protection to a glass lam bow? I`m looking for a new easier way to finish my bows
Hi, I now use a clear lacquer. But only on the wood. I cover the glass with masking tape and then lacquer the wood, take the tape off and polish the whole thing
Dave Watson I've tried to use spray lacquer but it seems to crack. Are you putting any finish on the glass?
I use a brush on lacquer but not on the glass. Just on the handle, tips and sides of the limbs. I give it 3 to 4 coats and rub it down with a 340G paper between coats. I leave the masking tape on the glass until the lacquering is done and then use a wet and dry 600g paper to take any ridges off the sides if the limbs. I'm using a "bar top" lacquer which is very tough and gives a great gloss finish.
Thanks Dave. I`d really like to see more of you build alongs. You are a great insperation. When I started making glass lam bows I learned a lot from you.
Ta
dang,Gary Oldman needs to eat something more often