Making a bow and arrow

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Making the bow

Select the right wood, including length, straightness, grain, and moisture content, as well as a lack of side branches, knots, rot, splits or other critical flaws.

Bow makers debate whether it is best to use seasoned (dry) wood or fresh (green) wood. Dry wood can be harder to whittle but there is less chance of splitting after the bow is made. Green wood is easier to find, is easier to whittle, but the finished bow may split or break as it dries.

Bow wood is traditionally shaped and bent while green. Keep in mind that wet (green) wood is heavy, has little spring, and will remain bent if used too often. Dry wood, on the other hand, is strong, elastic, lighter weight, and has plenty of spring.

  1. Choose the wood. Key characteristics of bow wood are strength, elasticity and weight. Excellent choices include yew, osage orange, hickory, oak, white ash, black locust, mulberry, juniper, cherry, dogwood, cedar, maple, walnut, birch, and elm. Yew is the traditional bow wood in Europe. Southern red cedar, apple and white ash pine also make good bows. Progressively weaker woods, such as birch, juniper, and cedar work best if the wood is wide and thin. Avoid spruce, fir and willow as they are too soft and can break easily.

  2. Shape the back. The back of the bow (the side facing away from the archer) must follow one growth ring along its entire length. If the growth ring is cut or nicked, this will result in a weak point where the bow may break when bent.

  3. Tiller the front. Tillering is the art of carefully reducing the thickness of the limbs so that they bend in an even, smooth arc. During tillering, wood is removed from the belly of the bow (the side facing the archer). The power of the bow must be carefully reduced until it reaches the desired strength. Tillering must be done slowly and carefully. As with most woodworking projects, hours of work can be wasted in a careless moment.
  4. Add backing. Sinew is the traditional backing material. It is often taken from the leg tendons of deer or elk. After being removed and dried, the sinew is pounded and split into fine strands. It is then glued to the back of the bow with hide glue. As the sinew and hide glew drie, they shrink and pulls the bow backwards. This technique has the same reinforcing properties as fiberglass. It can considerably increase the speed, power, and durablility of the bow. There are many modern options for backing, including fiberglass and carbon.
  5. Add the string. Carve small half moon shapes into each side, 1 to 2 inches from the ends of each limb. Almost any strong, non-elastic string will work. B50 waxed polyester is a common choice. Another option is imitation sinew, which can be purchased from craft stores and braided into bowstrings. Imitation sinew is made of nylon “dental tape” impregnated with a yellow-brown wax. Tie the string using a large loop at one end to allow for easy removal.

Making the arrows

  1. Choose the wood. Arrows can be made from virtually any straight shoot, but like bow wood, must be dried before use. The key characteristics of arrows are toughness and durability. Birch is a hard, tough wood and makes an ideal arrow. If you cannot find birch that is straight enough, consider using willow wands or wild rose shoots. In general, good arrow wood choices include bamboo, dogwood, wild cherry, wild rose, maple shoots, reeds, viburnum, sourwood, ocean spray, and syringa.
  2. Dry and straighten the shoots. Cut shoots should be left in a cool, dry place for several weeks. Once every two days or so, look down each shaft and spin it. Any bend will b readily apparent. Bend each crooked spot until it's straight again, then go to the next shoot. At first the shoots won't stay straight, but as they dry, they will remain straight longer. Continue this process until they are dry at which point they will remain almost perfectly straight.

    Note: Arrows can also be made by splitting long, straight blanks of cedar or hickory. The split shafts will be square and must be whittled and sanded until round.

  3. Final straightening. Heat the shaft by moving it back and forth over a flame or other heat source. Do not scorch the wood. When it is too hot to touch, look down the shaft and bend the crooked spots straight. It takes time and practice, but arrows made this way can be extremely straight and accurate.
  4. Add fletching. Feathers from any large bird, such as a turkey, goose are needed for fletching. Split the feathers along the quill. and choose sets of three for each arrow. Tie the rear ends of the feathers to the arrow shaft. Then pull the front ends of the feathers forward and tie them to the shaft. Once secured, glue the quil of the features to the shaft. Almost any glue will work, including superglue, wood glue, or hide glue.

    Note: Feathers from predatory birds, such as hawks, owls, eagles, and vultures are protected under federal law and are illegal to possess except by Native Americans

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