simple pvc pipe bows : a do-it-yourself guide to forming pvc pipe into effective and compact archery...
TRANSCRIPT
SimplePVCPipeBows
ADo-It-YourselfGuidetoFormingPVCPipeIntoEffectiveandCompactArcheryBows
NicholasTomihama
SimplePVCPipeBows
LeviDream
Copyright©2012NicholasTomihama
www.backyardbowyer.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
FirstPrintingin2012
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyform,byanymeansincludingbutnotlimitedtomechanical,photographic,orelectronicprocess,orintheformofaphonographicrecording,normayitbestoredinaretrievalsystem,transmitted,orotherwisebecopiedwithoutpermissionfrom
thepublisherinwriting.
Thisbookisintendedasaninformationalguide.Theviewsexpressedwithinaresolelytheopinionsoftheauthor,basedonpersonalexperience.All
instructionswithinthisbookmustbefollowedwithcaution,andtheauthor,publisher,printerandallotherpartiesinvolveddenyanyresponsibilityforinjurytobothbodyandpropertyduetothemisuseofinformationcontainedherein.
ThisbookisadescriptionoftheprocesstheauthortakestomakesimplePVCpipebows.Theresultsportrayedinthebookareasdonebytheauthorandarenotindicativeofworkdonebyotherindividuals.Whiletheinformationsispresentedinaclearandconcisemanner,theauthormakesnoguaranteethat
followingtheinstructionwillyieldthesamequalitywork.Nordoestheauthor,publisher,printerandallotherpartiesinvolvedsuggestfollowingthe
instructionswithinastheycarryriskinherenttoallformsofarcheryandthebowyer’scraft.
Bowsareinherentlydangerousweaponsandcaremustbetakenduringtheuseandmanufactureofthem.Nobowisindestructibleandeverybow,
regardlessofstrengthcanhurt,maimorkill.Neverpointabowatanotherperson,animalorintoaplacethatmaynotbeclear.Onlyusesafeequipment
whenpracticingarchery.Allminorsmustbesupervisedbyaresponsibleadult.
FormyGod,mywifeandmychildren.Life’sblessings.
TheLordisgood,astrongholdinthedayoftrouble;andheknoweth
themthattrustinhim.-Nahum1:7
WordsofWarning
DearReader,Archeryisanamazinglyrewardingsportandformanyincludingmyself,a
wayoflife.Therearemanywaystogetintoarchery,manydifferentstylesofbowandmanyreasonstoshoot.Allaspectsofarcheryshouldberespectedandeachisrewarding.
WithinthesepagesyouwillfindinstructionsandpicturesshowinghowIbuildsimplebowsfromPVCpipe.Thesebowsaredesignedtobesimple,utilizingonlyasinglePVCpipeforasinglebow.Yetwhilesimple,theyofferpowerandperformancecomparabletobowsthatrequiremoreworkandequipmenttobuild.
WhilePVCismoreforgivingandmoreeasilyformedintoanefficientworkingbowthananyothermaterial,themethodsexplainedherearenotautomaticoreffortless.APVCbowrequiresyourpatienceandrespect,justlikeanyotherbow.Rushingintoit,beingillpreparedorskimpingonmethodsmayresultinfailure.
BeforeIimmersedmyselfinbuildingbowsfromPVCpipe,Ishapedandcraftedbowsfromsinglestavesofwood,multiplelaminationsofwoodandbowsofwoodandfiberglass.Evenafterbuildingbowsforyearstheyaren’teasy.Sureitdoesn’ttakenearlyasmuchtimeandI’vedevelopedafeelforthemthatmakesthemosttediousprocessesgoquickly,buttheyaren’teasytomakeinanyway.
Asabowyerwhohasbuilthundredsofbows,IstillhavetroublemakingthemallgothewayIwantallthetime.Mysuccessrateisn’t100%andIdon’tthinkiteverwillbe.Iworkwithseveralthousanddollarsinequipmentthatmakesbuildingabowinanhourpossible.Yetaddinthetimeittakestoletwooddry,gluetoset,finishtocureandtheconstantadjustmentrequiredforeachbowtoreachmaturityanditcantakesmonthsforabowtogofromrawwoodtofinishedproduct.
Asabeginnerwithfewtoolsandnopreviousexperience,itcantakedaysifnotweeksofworktoreduceastaveintoaworkingbow.Theprocessofteachingwoodtobendalonecantakemanyhoursofseeminglyendlesstoilandadjustment.It’snotdifficultworkandisdefinitelyworthit,butitisstrenuousandtediouswork.Evenafterallthis,abeginnerwithnoformalinstructionwouldbeluckytohaveabowthatshootsfasterthan100feetpersecondwithamatchedarrow.
EvenafteralltheworkIputintothem,myselfbowsdon’tregularlyexceed
150fpsandthefastestbowsbarelyexceed170fps.Whilesomeofmylaminatedbowsdoreachintothe200’s,theyaretheexceptionratherthantherule.MyfirstperformancePVCbow,whichtookafewhoursofshapingandtweakingbeforeIhadanyexperiencewithitandnoguideonthesubjectexisted,stilltothisdayexceeds140fpswithamatchedarrow.
OverthelastyearIhavereceivedcountlesstestimonialfromhappyownersofPVCbowstheybuiltwiththeirownhands.Itisn’teasybutit’sdoableandmoreaccessiblethanvirtuallyanyothermaterialforthebeginner.Withalittlepracticeandpatience,bowsthatrivalevencommercialbowsinperformanceandspeedarepossiblewithfewtools,PVCpipeandrawdetermination.
-NickTomihama
TableofContents
ChapterOne-GettingStartedChapterTwo-ToolsChapterThree-FlatteningJigChapterFour-YouthRecurveDesignFlatteningRecurvingStringingaBowFineTuningFinishingChapterFive-HorseBowDesignHeatBendingFormingNocksFineTuningFinishingChapterSix-SnakeyRecurveDesignFlatteningandRecurvingTaperingTipsHeatBendingFineTuningFinishingChapterSeven-ArrowRestTabRestSoftRestHardRestGalleryGlossaryBonusTrackPolyProStringGardenStakeArrow
ChapterOne–GettingStarted
WelcometoSimplePVCPipeBows!Thankyouforjoiningmeonthisjourney.Believeme,buildingbowsfromPVCpipeistrulyajourney.ThisbookisanintroductiontoafewofthemanystylesandperformancelevelsofbowthatcanbemadefromPVCpipe.Let’sstartbygettingfamiliarwiththepartsofabow.
PVCBowAnatomyThebowswewillbebuildingaresimpleintheirpartsandfunction.Toget
anunderstandingofwhataPVCbowisandhowitworks,we’llstartwiththebasicpartsofabow.
Abowisbrokenintothreemainparts:theends,limbsandriser.Startingfromtheoutsideofthebow,thenockistheareawherethestringconnectstothebow.Therearesomevariationsonthis,butthepurposeofthenockisalwaysthesame.Furtherinarethebow’srecurves.
Arecurveisatipthatcurvesawayfromthearcherandhasthestringrestingonitwhenthebowisstrungup.Notallbowsarerecurvedandnotallrecurvesareequal.Thebowsinthisbookallhavewhatarecalledstaticrecurves,meaningthetipsarestiffanddon’tflexwhilethebowisbeingdrawn.
Furtherinwardarethelimbs.Thesemakeupthebulkofthebowandarethepartsthatdomostifnotallthework.Therearetwolimbs,atopandbottomlimb.Thetoplimbisheldupwardsandthebottomlimbishelddownwards.Thelimbs,andthewholebowingeneral,isbrokenintotwosidescalledthebackandbelly.
Thebackofthebowisthesideofthebowthatisawayfromthearcher.Thissideofthebowisunderaforceknownastension.Whenthebowisstrunganddrawnback,itisthissidethathastoresistbeingtornapartasitisstretched
outwards.PVCisveryflexibleandcanresisttensionunlessthebackiscutorbrittlethroughburningorUVexposure.
Thebellyofthebowisthesidethatfacesthearcher.Thissidehastoresistcompression,apushingforce.Whenthebowisdrawn,thebellyisliterallybeingcrushedbytheforceofthebowpushinginwards.SincePVCisverydense,thebellycanresistlargeamountsofcompressionunlessthereisanunevenspotorcreaseinthepipe.
Thecentersectionofthebowiscalledtheriser.Oneithersideoftheriseriswhatiscalledthefades.Thesearethetransitionfromrisertolimbandlikethenamesuggests,fadethelimbintotheriser.Ifthefadesarecreasedorpinched,therisercouldcollapse.
Thecenteroftherisercontainsthehandleandarrowpassorarrowrest.Thehandleiswherethebowisgrippedandisveryneartothecenterofthebow.Thearrowpassiswherethearrowliterallypassesoverwhenthebowisdrawnandshotandisusuallyatoralittleabovecenter.Somebowscanhaveanarrowrestorshelf,aplacerightabovethehandlethatgivesaplatformforthearrowtorest.Ifthebowdoesnothavearest,thearrowisplaceduponthebowholdinghand.
NowthatyouknowthepartsofaPVCbow,let’sseehowtheywork.
HowBowsWorkSimplebowslikethesearebasicallysprings.Theyworkbystoringenergy
whentheyaredrawnbackandreleasesomeofthatenergytopropelanarrowwhenthebowisshot.PVCbowsarenodifferent.
Theamountofenergythatabowcanstoreandhowefficientlyitcanreleaseitisdeterminedpartlybymaterialandpartlybydesign.PVCpipeisveryflexibleasfarasbowmaterialsareconcerned.Itisalsoslowtorecover.Inordertoovercomethelimitationsofmaterial,designiskey.
Takingastraightpipeandputtingastringonitwillputalmostallrelianceonthematerial’sflexibilityandelasticity.Abowlikethiswillbendalmostentirelyinthecenterandwillonlybeabletostoreandreleaseasmallamountofenergycomparedtotheamountputin.Thisisbecauseonlythepartsthatflexcanstoreenergy.Therestisdeadweight.
Thedifferencebetweenabowofuniformstrengthandonethatisgraduallyweakerfromhandletotip.Thedarkareasrepresentthedistributionofstressin
thebow.Thedarkertheareathehigherthestress.
Asaspring,abowmustbeabletoflexevenlythroughoutalmostallofitslength.Ifinsteadofbendinginoneplace,thebowbentintwoplaces,itwouldstoremoreenergyanddeliveritmoreefficiently.Awell-madelongbowworksbecausethebowflexesformostofitslength.
Becauseabowisbeingpulledinwardandbackwardbyitsstring,eachlimbisunderitsownsetofcompressionandtension.Ifthelimbisequallystrongfromitsbaseallthewaytoitstip,moreforcewillbeexertedonitsbase.Ifthelimbgetsprogressivelyweakertowardsitstip,theweaktipwillflexmorethanthebase.Becausethebasewasalreadytakingmorepressure,theprogressivelyweakerlimbwillflexandpressurewillbecomemorebalanceduponthewholelimb.
Traditionallythiswasdonebyremovingmoreandmorematerialfromabow’slimbsgoingfromthebow’shandletoitstips.Anothermethodinvolvesgluingmorematerialinthecenterofthebowandreducingtheamountofmaterialaddedtothelimbsandtips.Anothermethodistoaddmaterialstothecentertoabowthatnaturallyflexlessthanthebow’slimbs.YetinordertokeepaPVCpipewhole,noneofthesethingscanbedone.
PVCpipegainsitsstrengthfromtheconfigurationofitswalls.Itisacylinderanditswallsareabletoresistforcefairlyequallyfromallsidessolongasthecircularpipeisnotdeformedinanyway.Ifthecircledeformsandflattens,thepipewillflexalongthatplanemorereadilybecausethepipewillbeweakerinthatspot.
Bycontrollinghowmuchthepipeisdeformed,thesameeffectofremovingoraddingmaterialtoabowcanbesimulated.Byflatteningthepipemoreatthetipsthanatthehandlewithasmoothtaperbetween,thepipewillflexmoreevenlyalongitslength.Thisisthekeystepthatallowsthesebowstoperformas
wellastheydo.Bowsthathavetheirflexdistributedfairlyequallyacrossbothlimbswillbe
moreefficient,moreconsistentandmuchsafer.Ifthereistoomuchstraininonearea,thebowislikelytobreak.
WhatisPVCPipe?PVCpipeisaplasticpipeusedinavarietyofapplications.Itwasandis
commonlyusedinplumbingandirrigationsystemsforcoldwateraswellasfordrainage.Itisalsousedasanon-metalalternativeforelectricalconduitandinindustryfortransportingcorrosiveliquids.
PVCpipeismadeofPolyvinylChloride,athermoplasticcreatedthroughthepolymerizationofVinylChloride.Itisastablepolymerthatiswhiteincolorandbrittleinitspureform.ThebestperformingPVCpipesareveryclosetobeingpurePVCandarewhiteandrelativelybrittle.
PVCpipesthatcomeinothercolorsusuallycontainadditivesthatmodifythepropertiesofPVC.GrayandorangepipesarecommonforelectricalconduitandareresistanttoUVlight.Theyarealsolessbrittle,abletotakemoreshockatlowertemperaturesthanwhitepipe.Whilemoretough,theyarepronetodeformandlosetheirshapeovertime,whichcanaffecttheirusefulnessandcausethemtocollapseovertime.
ThereareseveraldifferentsystemsthatareusedtomeasureandidentifydifferentPVCpipes.IntheUSA,scheduleistheprimarysystem,basedonwallthicknessofthepipe.Schedule40worksbestformakingbowsasitisthinenoughtotakeaveryfinetaper.Thickerpipesratedschedule80andabovedelivermorespeedandpowerbutaremoredifficulttoworkwithduetotheirthickness.
PipesmadeintheUSAarealsolabeledundertheImperialsystemofmeasure.1/2,3/4and1inchpipearethreecommonlyuseddiametersforbows.Thediameterreferstoinsidediameter,soeachpipeisroughly1/4inchwiderthanthenamesuggests.
Inothercountries,PVCpipeisratedunderasystembasedonpressurerating.
Thebestwaytofigureoutwhatpipetouseistofindthewallthickness.1/2,3/4and1inchpipesarecomparabletothemetric20,25and32millimeterpipes.Schedule40pipesarealittlethinnerthan1/8ofaninch,or3mm.Manyplacesinternationallyonlycarryatypeofpipewitha2mmwall.Whilebowscanbemadefromthesepipes,theywillbeveryweakandpronetocollapseorbreakage.
OtherPlasticPipeThereareotherplasticpipesthatcanbeconfusedwithPVCandare
sometimesreferredtoasPVCthoughtheyarenot.PVCpipeiscommonintheUSA,thoughmanyothercountrieshavebannedorrestrictedtheuseofPVCanditisdifficulttoobtain.Herearejustafewexamplesofotherpipes.ItcanbetrickyfindingPVCpipeastheterm‘PVCpipe’hasbecomesynonymouswithplumbingpipeandmanynon-PVCplumbingpipesarecalledPVCforsimplicity.
Somecanbeusedtomakebows,thoughmanyofthemareunsuitable.Ofthosethatcanwork,greatcautionneedstobetakenastherearesomanyvariantsofpipethatonetypeofplasticcouldhavemanyvariationsfordifferentapplications.ThebowsinthisbookplaytothestrengthsofPVCandmaynotplaytothestrengthsofotherplastics.
ABSorAcrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrenepipe,whichisusuallyblackthoughcansometimesbefoundinawhitecolorsimilartoPVC,isacommonalternativetoPVCpipe.ABSissometimesmistakenlycalledblackPVCandifoftenmadeofahigh-densityfoambetweentwolayersofplastic.Thistypeofpipeistoughanddoesnotconductheatverywellsoitisusedofteninhotwaterapplications.Foamorcellularcorepipeshouldnotbeusedasitcaneasilysnap.SolidcoreABSofagoodthicknesscanbeusedforbows.Itcanbefoundinnon-USAcountieswherePVChasbeendeemednotpureenoughforpotablewater.
PPorPolypropylenepipecancomeisavarietyofcolors.InmanycountriesPPpipe,whichcanbewhite,issoldasasubstituteforPVC.Itistoughandisusedfortransportingpotablewaterinresidentialandindustrialplumbing.WhilePPcanmakeabow,thestruggleisfindingpipethickenoughtowithstandthestrainoftensionandcompressionabowisunder.
PE,PETandHDPEareallnamesforPolyethylene,HDPEbeingHighDensityPolyethylene.PEpipesareveryimpactresistantandflexibleandmostarenotthatrigid.BowsmadefromPEpipewilltypicallybeveryweakandtakelargeamountsofset.TherearerigidPEandHDPEpipethatmayworkforbows,thoughheatingPEpipescanbedifficultastheydissipateheatquickly.
FindingYourMeasurementsIt’simportantbeforemakingaboworbuyingarrowsforyourselfthatyou
knowafewmeasurements.Thefirstimportantmeasurementisdrawlength,whichisthedistanceyouwilldrawthebowbackwhenyoushoot.Thereareacouplemethodstoestimateyourdrawlengthandgiveyouageneralideaofwheretostart.
First,measureyourwingspan.Standagainstawallwithyourarmsspreadoutoneithersideandhavesomebodymeasurethatdistance.Alternativelyyoucanuseyourheight,asbothheightandwingspanareroughlythesameformostpeople.Takethisnumber,subtract15orthewidthofyourchestbetweenshoulders,anddividethatby2.
Theresultingnumbershouldbeclosetoanormaldraw,whichislimitedbythelengthofyourbow-holdingarm.Anotherwaytomeasurethisistoholdyourarmsstraightoutinfrontofyouwithbothhandstogetherandfingerspointingforward.Thedistancebetweenyourfingersandchestwillbearoundyourlengthofdraw.Asimilarmethodistomeasurefromyourarmpittothesecondjointofyourindexfinger.
Thislengthisbasedupondrawingthebowtoyourfaceorchin.Thisisagoodareatodrawtoasitbringsyoureyeinlinewiththearrowandkeepsyoufromoverextending.Anotherwaytodrawabowistodrawtothecheekorlowerjawwhichcanaddanextrainchorsotoyourdrawlength.Eitheronewillwork,it’smostlypersonalpreference.
Thebestwaytomeasuredrawlengthistodrawaverylightbowwithanarrow.Ifyouhavesomeonetohelpyou,drawthearrowuntilyouareinacomfortableposition,andhaveyourassistantmarkwherethearrowmeetsyourbow-holdinghand.Makesuretheyarenotinfrontofthearrowwhendoingthis.Ifyouarebyyourself,tieapieceofstringlooselyontothearrow.Asyoudrawthebowback,thestringwillcatchonyourhandandtravelupthearrow,markingyourdrawlength.
Forexample,mycalculateddrawlengthis27inches.Drawingtomychin,Idrawjustunder27inches.Drawingtomycheek,Ipull28inches.Drawingtothebackofmyjaw,Ipull29inches.Thebowsinthisbookarelaidoutforanarcherwitha28inchdraw.Ifyourdrawlengthismoreorlessthan28inches,addorsubtract1inchofbowlengthforeveryinchofdraw.
Thenextmeasurementisdrawweight,ortheamountofforcerequiredtodrawabowbacktofulldraw.Wewillmeasuredrawweightinpounds,meaningabowthatis40poundsisequaltolifting40poundswhenthebowisfullydrawn.Tomeasuretheweightofabow,apullscalecanbeusedtomeasurethebowatfulldraw.Inlieuofascale,thesetableswillgiveyouaroughideaofdrawweightatdifferentlengthsbasedonstartingpipelengths.ThesechartsareonlyaguideandonlyapplytoPVCbowsmadeusingthetechniquesinthisbook.Becareful.Theshorterthebow,thehigherthechancesthatitcouldfail.
Alldrawlength/weightcombinationsingraycouldbedangerousastheyover-stressthebow.
Drawweightisalittletrickiertocalculatethandrawlength.Unlikelength,drawweightisdeterminedbyboththeinherentstrengthandphysicalconditionofthearcher.Abow’sweightisessentiallytheamountofforceittakestopull
andholditatfulldraw.It’stemptingtostartheavy.Ifyouaren’talreadyusedtoarchery,pickalowerdrawweighttostartandthenworkyourwayup.Ifyoubuildyourfirstbowlongitcanbeshortenedtoincreaseweight.
Drawweightvariesfrompersontoperson,thoughaperson’sweightisagoodgeneralindicator.Iffiguringoutweightforyourselforsomeoneelse,here’sasimplecharttogetageneralideaofwheretostart.
ArcherWeighttoBowWeightinPoundsWeightofArcher
50-70
70-100
100-130
130-150
150-180
180
BowWeight
5-10
10-15
15-25
20-35
30-50
40-65
Thechartaboveisveryrough,thoughitisagoodplacetostart.It’sbesttomakeacouplebowsandusetheonethatismostcomfortableforyou.Ifacertainweightbecomestoolightforyou,thesebowscanbeshortenedtobringtheweightup.Justworkaninchatatime.
Ifyouareanexperiencedcompoundarcher,keepinmindthatthesebowsdrawdifferentlyandshouldberoughly10to15poundslighterthanwhatyouareaccustomedto.Thesebowsareattheirpeakweightattheendofthedraw.Alloftheirweightisexertedcompletelyatfulldraw.
Keepinmindthatarchery,especiallyduringpractice,shouldbemoreofanaerobicexercise.Thelighteryourbow,themorerepetionsyouwillbeabletodoandthelongeryouwillbeabletoholdyourdrawbeforegettingexhausted.Trynottodrawabowthatwilltireyouquicklyasbothaccuracyandconsistencywillsuffer.
Thereareparticularstylesofarcherythatspecializeintheuseofheavybowsfrom70toover200poundsintheextreme.Sucharcheryrequiresmuchtrainingandproperformtoavoidirreparabledamagetoyourjoints.Becarefulandneverdrawmorethanyouarecomfortablewith.
ArrowsandArcher’sParadoxArrows,morethananyotherpartofthethreemaincomponentsofanarchery
setup,arevital.Withoutanarrow,thebowisaspringwithoutpurpose.Thearrowisnotjustaprojectile;itcontainsallthepartsnecessarytoguideandstabilizeitinflight.Apoorarrowfromanexcellentbowwillstillshootpoorly,whileanexcellentarrowfromapoorbowwillshootwell.Andanexcellentarrowfromanexcellentbowisabeautifulthing.
Whenanarrowisshotfromabow,itdoesnotsimplyflystraightespeciallyifthebow’shandleforcesthearrowtooneside.Whenanarrowisreleased,therearaccelerationfromthenockwantstopropelthearrowstraight.Becausethearrowissomewhatflexible,itbendsintothehandlethendeflectsawayandthenback,flexingaroundthebow.Oncethearrowwrapsaroundthebowhandle,itflexesbacktheotherwayandoscillatesbackandforthbeforeeveningoutinflight.
Thisisaverysimplifiedexplanationofarcher’sparadox.Archer’sparadox
referstotheflexorspineofanarrow.Simplyput,theangleanarrowdeflectsoffthehandlewillbeworseatbraceandveryslightatfulldraw.Theparadoxcomesintoplaybecauseanarrowthatisspinedtomatchthebowwillbeaccurateeventhoughthearrowisdeflected.
Asthebow’shandlecausesthearrowtoflytotheleft(forarighthandedarcher),theflexofthearrowallowsittocurvearoundandbegineveningitselfout.Anarrow’sspineisitsstiffnessanditsabilitytoresistoracceptflexing.Anarrowthatistherightspineorstiffnesswillflexenoughtobendaroundthehandleofthebowyetwillbesuppleenoughtocorrectitselfandstabilize.
Theexacteffectofspineonanarrowdependsontwomainfactors.First,theclosertocenterthearrowsitsthelessparadoxtherewillbeasthearrowwillnotneedtoflexaroundasidehandle.Thesearrowscanbemadestifferastheydon’tneedtoflexasmuch.Secondly,differentmaterialsreactdifferentlyintermsofrecovery.
Thereareavarietyofarrowsthatareavailableinmanydifferentmaterials.Oneoftheoldestandmosttraditionalarrowmaterialsiswood.Woodenarrowsarerelativelyheavyandaresomewhatforgivingofspine.Whilewoodworkswell,itishardtofindconsistentarrowsmadeofwoodjustbecausewoodisanaturalmaterial.ThemostcommonwoodusedinarrowsisPortOrfordCedar,asoftwoodprizedforitsstrengthandstraightness.Whilewoodisforgiving,itismuchmorelikelytobreakthanothermaterialsattheproperspine.
Aluminumarrowshavebeenthestandbyformanyyears.Theyaremadeofverythin-walledaluminumalloytubes.Whiletheyaremanufacturedwithveryclosetolerancesandareverystraight,aluminumarrowsarelessforgivingwhenitcomestospine.Theplussideisthateveryarrowinamatchedsetwillbeclosetobeingthesameaseveryotherarrow.Thisallowsconsistencyfromshottoshot.Aluminumarrowsareverydurable,andwhentheybreaktheysnaporfoldratherthansplinter.
Oneofthenewestarrowmaterialsiscarbonorcarbonfiber.Composedofstrandsofcarbonorgraphitesuspendedinasyntheticresin,carbonarrowsareincrediblystiffandlight.Oneofthebenefitsofcarbonarrowsisthattheystabilizemuchfasterthanwoodoraluminum.Thismakesarrowsaccurateandconsistentoverarangeofspines.
Oneofmyfavoritematerialsifyoucangetitisbamboo.Ittakessomeworktofinishabambooarrowandtheyareoftenmorecostlythancarbonifmadewell.Bamboo,likecarbon,stabilizesquicklyandwhileindividualspinemaydifferbetweenshafts,theywillgroupwellthrougharangeofbowweightsandspeeds.Ifyouareinterestedinbuildingyourownarrows,checkoutthebonustrackinthebackofthebook.
Whenbuyingarrows,askforspinecharts.Manufacturersusuallyhavechartsthatletyougetaroughideaonhowtomatchanarrowatacertainlengthandpointweighttoyourbow.Whendealingwithspine,thelongerthearrowtheweakeritisandtheheavierthepointtheweakeritis.Anarrowspinedfor25-30poundsandthencutdownto24incheswithalighttargetpointisstifferthananarrowspined45-50poundsbut34incheslongandwitha125gr.fieldpoint.
Ifyoubuyarrows,makesuretheyareofgoodquality.Researchthemanufacturerormakerandifyoumakethemyourself,don’trushorcutcorners.Somearchersgiveupthesportafteranarrowbreaks.It’sthatjarringandfrightening.Alwaysinspectarrowsbeforeshootingthem.Flextheminyourhandsandiftheycreak,makenoisesorcrack,don’tshootthem.
Themainthingtopayattentiontowhenpurchasingarrowsiswhattheyarefletchedwith.Fletchingisthearrow’smethodofguidingandsteering.Feathershavebeenandarestillpreferredbymanyarchersastheyareveryforgivingtoshootandlighterthanplasticvanesofasimilarsize.Plasticvanescanalsobeusedonarrows.
Isuggestusingarrowsfletchedwithfeathersasthesebowsareshotoffthehandorashelf.Featherswillliesflatwhenpressedandthenspringbackwhenpressureisreleased.Whenthefeatherspassoveryourhandorshelf,theyfolddownandthencomebacktostabilizethearrow.
Plasticvanesontheotherhanddon’tfoldflatdown,theyrippleandfoldtoeithersideasthearrowpassesover.Thiscancausethearrowtokickofffromtheshelf,makingithardertostabilize.Overtimethevanescangetrippledfromrepeateduseandtherippledvanewillaffectthearrow’sflightasitgetsmoreandmoredistorted.
Plasticvanesarelowermaintenanceandarelesslikelytoberuinedbymoistureandmud.Feathersrequiremoremaintenance.Iftheygetreallywetthewebwillbunchupandthearrowwillnotflyasconsistently.Thefeatherswillneedtobesteamedgentlyandthendriedquickly.Therearesomeplasticvanesavailablethatmimicfeathersenoughtomaketheyworkbetterthanotherplasticvanesforarrowsshotontheshelf.
StringsSelectingbowstringsisanimportantandoftenoverlookedaspectespecially
withPVCbows.Thestringisjustasimportantasanyotherpartofabow.InordertogetthemostoutofyourPVCbow,aproperlymatchedstringisvital.Hereareafewideasthatwillhelpwhenselectingstrings.
Abowstringiswhattransfersenergyfromthebowintoanarrow.Bypullingthestringback,anarcherloadsenergyintothebow’slimbs.Atthesametime,
energyisbeingloadedintothestringaswell.Ifthestringistooweakandcannothandlethestressofbeingunderpressure,itwillbreakandfeedwhatenergywasloadedintothebowbackintothebow’slimbs.Thestringwillalsotrytoreleaseitsenergyandcouldcauseinjury.
Ifastringisstrongenoughbuttoostretchy,itwillabsorbmoreenergythanitshouldwhenthebowisdrawn.Thismeansthatthereislessenergystoredinthebow’slimbs.Whenthishappens,efficiencyisreduced.
Whenthestringisreleasedandthebow’slimbsbegintosnapback,theenergythatwasloadedintothemgoesbackintothestring.Sinceagoodstringcan’tholdmuchenergy,thestringbeginstoputitsomewhere.Ifthereisanarrowonthestring,thestringputsenergyintothearrowandthearrowwillaccelerate.Ifthereisnoarrowonthestring,thestringwillfeedthebow’senergybackintoitself.
Ifthestringistooweak,itwillbreakjustasthearrowleavesthebowandanyresidualenergyinthelimbsfeedsbackintothestring.Ifitistooflexible,thestringwillabsorbmoreenergywhenthebowsnapsback.Asaresult,lessenergygoesintothearrowandthearrowtravelsslower.Oncethearrowleavesthestring,astretchystringwillgiveundertheresidualenergyofthebow’slimbs.Thisdissipatesenergyandmaycausethestringtohityourwristevenifthebraceheightishigh.
Whenselectingastringforyourbow,youwanttofindastringthatisstrongbutnotverystretchy.MostcommercialrecurvestringsaremadewitheitherDacronorlow-stretchandlow-creepmaterialslikeFastFlightandDyneema.
Dacronisapolyester,lowstretchandstrong.Itdoesstretchalittle,makingitmoreforgivingonthebowwhilestillofferinglotsofperformance.Theotherblendsaredesignedforspeedandconsistency.Theseproduceaverystrongandlightstringthatusesenergymoreefficientlyandwon’tstretchfromtheweightofabow.
PVCbowswillworkwithbothDacronandmodernstringmaterials.Becausemodernstringshavealmostnogivetothem,stringnocksneedtobepaddedwithleatherorrubbertopreventthestringfromcuttingthroughthenocks.
Therearetwodifferenttypesofstringcommerciallyavailable.Thefirstiscalledacontinuouslooporendlessloopstring.Itisastrongdesignthatlessensstringcreepandstretchandoffersalittlemorespeed.ThesecondiscalledaFlemishtwistorFlemishsplice.Itisoftenseenonselfbowsandlongbowsandisquieterthoughoftenalittleslowerthanendlessloopstrings.Thestringinthebonustrackisofthisstyle.
Whilebothhavetheirownstrengths,bothwillworkforastring.Reallyitjustcomesdowntoyourownpersonalpreference.
Commercialstringsaresoldeitherbythelengthofthestringitselffromlooptolooporbasedonastandardizedmeasureforbowlength.Tofindboth,youneedtomeasureyourbow.Yourbow’seffectivelength,ornocktonocklength(ntn),isthedistancefromonenocktotheother.Useapieceofstringtomeasurefromonestringnock,acrossthecontourofthelimbsandtotheothernock.
ThismeasurementwillbeusedinplaceofanAMObowlengthorstringlength.Ifyoufindstringssoldbytheirownlength,takeyourbow’sntnmeasurementandsubtract3to4inches.Whilenotperfect,thiswillgetyourstringinthegeneralsizerangethatcanbeadjusted.
Ifyouarebuyingastringforabowbeforebuildingit,onewaytofigureoutthefinishedntnlengthwouldbetostartwithyourbow’sstartingpipelength.Subtractabouthalfaninchforflatteningandthenhoweverfarawaythenocksarefromtheendsofthebow.Soabowthatstartsoutwitha48inchpipeandnockscut3/4inchesinfromtheendwillbeabout46inchesntnandusea42to43inchstring.
Ifyoudonotwishtobuyacommercialstring,youcanusenylonropeandparachutecordasastring.Keepinmindthatnylonisverystretchyandcanstoreagreatdealofenergy.Whiletheywon’thurtyourbow,nylonstringswillrobthebowofpowerandspeed.Togetthemostofyournewbow,don’tskimponthestring.AparacordorropestringmayseemfittingforaPVCbowasatoyanditwillperformlikeatoy.
Usingalow-stretchstringonaPVCbowwillbringitsperformancetothelevelofhigh-qualityhandmadebows.Forinstructionsonmakingyourowninexpensiveyetsolidlyperformingstring,checkoutthebonustrackattheendofthebook.
SafetyandPrecautionsWhilemakingPVCbowsisrelativelysafe,therearesomehealthandsafety
risksinvolved.We’llgoovertheseandwaystoprotectyourselfandworktopreventinjury.
PVCpipeismadeofpolyvinylchloride,athermoplasticpolymer.PVCismadefromvinylchloridemonomer,whichisadangerouscarcinogen.Asapolymer,purePVCisinertandsafe,especiallyinrecentyears.Someolderpipecanreleaseunpolymerizedvinylchloridemonomerwhenheated,sobesuretousepipethatisnomorethan20yearsold.Asageneralrule,Idon’tusepipeolderthanayear.
MostwhitePVCplumbingpipesarecomposedalmostentirelyofPVC.Therearevariationsamongmanufacturersofpipeanditcanbedifficulttoknowwhatiswhataspipesareratedonpressureandsize,notingredients.WhilePVC
issafe,chemicalsknownasplasticizerscanbeaddedtopipetoincreaseflexibilityorgivethepipeotherbeneficialproperties.
PlasticizersareknowncarcinogensandsomearepresentinPVCpipessuchaselectricalconduitandpipesdesignedfortransportingcorrosivematerials.Itisimportanttobeverycarefulwhenhandlingorusingthesepipesastheycanreleaseharmfulfumeswhenheatedorworkedwithtools.SomePVCpipescontainplasticizersonthesurfacelayersofthepipeandnotthroughoutthepipe.Itisimportanttoalwaysworkinawell-ventilatedenvironment.Aqualityrespiratorishighlysuggested.
EvenPVCpipesthatdonotcontainplasticizersorarestablewillreleasedioxinswhenincineratedorburned.Dioxinsarealsocarcinogensandarepersistent.NeverburnPVCwhenworkingwithitasitisnotonlydetrimentaltoyourhealthbutcanalsocausetheresultingbowtobeflawedandmorelikelytobreak.Asarule,youshouldnotbeabletosmellPVCwhenworkingwithit.Alwaysworkinaventilatedareawithfreshairandheatpipegently.
Whenheatedorburned,PVCcanalsoreleasehydrogenchloride,whichcanbefatalifinhaledinlargeamounts.HeatingPVCpipewillnotreleasemuchofit,whileburningitwill.AvoidburningPVCatallcosts.
PVCpipeisawonderfulmaterial,butitdoescarrypotentialhealthrisks.I’mnotascientistordoctor,butIwouldn’tworkwithPVCaroundinfants,youngchildrenorwomenthatarepregnantornursing.Ialsowouldnotsand,cutorheatPVCwithoutadequateventilationandprotectiveequipment.AlwaysuseadustmaskwhensandingPVCpipe.
IfI’vescaredyouwithallthis,justkeepinmindthatPVCisrelativelysafe,especiallycomparedtoothermethodsofbuildingbows.Manyspeciesofwoodareirritatingorevenlethalifsawdustisinhaled.Yew,oneofthemosticonicbowwoods,ishighlytoxic.Workingwithsolventsandsyntheticresinsaswellasglassandcarbonfibersposeabighealthandsafetyrisk.Alwaysweararespiratorifworkingwithspraypaintsoranysolvents.
BecarefulwhenheatingPVCpipe.Asidefromanychemicaldangers,PVCpipethatisflexibleenoughtobeformedisalsohotenoughtocausesevereburns.AlwaysuseheatresistantglovestohandlehotPVCpipe.Don’tletsoftenedplastictouchyourskinandmakesurethatthereisnothingflammableorvolatilenearyourworkarea.MakesuretonotburnormeltPVCpipeasitcansticktoyouandcausesevereburns.
Andaswithanybow,PVCbowsareweaponsandshouldbetreatedwithrespect.Anybowcanfail,andwhilePVCbowsaremoreresilientthanmost,neverabuseyourbow.Abuseorneglectingyourbowcouldcauseittofailwhichmayinjureyouandthosearoundyou.Alwaysmakesurebystandersareasafe
distanceawayandbehindyouwhenshootinganybow.Neverfireabowwithoutanarrowonthestring.Neverpointabowat
anotherperson,animalorobjectofvalue.Alwaysunstringyourbowandkeepitinacool,darkplacewhennotinuse.Ifyoutreatyourbowwithrespectandbuildit,shootitandmaintainitwithcare,itwillrewardyouwithmanyyearsofservice.Treatitlikeafinebowworthyofrespectanditwillbe.Treatitlikeacheaptoytobebeatenandabusedandthenfail,itwilldothattoo.Thesamecanbesaidforanywoodbowaswell.
Likeall-woodselfbows,PVClosesflexibilitywhenitgetscold.Asthetemperaturedrops,theplasticwillbecomelessforgiving.Itcantakeagreatdealofpracticebeforeastableshootingcoldweatherbowcanbemadeasittakesafeelofthematerialtogetittoperform.Ifshootingintemperaturesbelowfreezing,trytokeepthebowaswarmaspossible.Andbeforeshooting,takeacouplehalf-drawstohelpgetthebowusedtobendingagain.
Asanadditionalnote,PVCgainsspeedandpowerasthetemperaturegoesdown.Byshorteningyourdrawaninchorso,youcanretainthesamespeedandpowerasfulldrawinwarmerclimes.Ifindthatmyrangeofmotionisalsolimitedwhenitisverycold,soashorterdrawcomesnaturallytome.
PVCcanbebrokendown,likeallpolymers,byUVlight.Overtime,exposuretoUVlightcancausetheplastictobecomebrittleanditcanbreakifstrungordrawn.OnewayofknowingifapipeisUVdamagedisitwillappearyellowcomparedtonewPVCpipe.RegardlessofthefinishyouchooseorifyouwanttoshowofftherawPVCpipe,UVblockingisimportant.ThereareafewqualityplasticspraypaintsandclearcoatsthathaveUVblockers.Ialwaysapplythisunderawrappedorgluedonfinishandoveranypaintedordyedfinish.
HowDoPVCBowsCompare?Thisisthemilliondollarquestion.HowdobowsmadefromPVCpipes
comparetoothertraditionalbows?We’llstartwithsomeofPVC’sstrengthsandweaknessesandcomparethemtothestrengthsandweaknessesofotherbows.
Byfar,oneofPVC’sbestattributesisitsflexibility.PVCissoflexiblethatitcanundergolargeamountsofstressanddeformationbeforefailing.ThatmeansthataPVCbowcanbemadeshorterwithalongerdrawthanalmostanyothermaterial.PVC’sflexibilityalsohelpsprotectthebowfrombreakingandwhenthebowdoesbreakitisnotascatastrophicasmostothermaterials.Insomecasesafailurecanbereversible.
Unlikemostbowswhichneedtobecompletelyrebuiltorhavepartsreplacedwhentheybreak,allbutthemostsevereissueswithPVCcanusuallybefixedeasily.Whenataper-flattenedPVCpipefails,mostofthetimeitfoldsonitself
ratherthansnap.Afoldorcollapsecanberemediedbyheatingtheafflictedareauntilthepipereturnstoitsoriginalshape.EvenbreaksinabowarenotascatastrophicwithPVCasothermaterials.Mosttimes,abowthathasbrokencanberepairedwitha4to5inchlongsleeveofpipeheatedoverthefracture.
PVCpipeisresistanttowater,manycorrosivechemicals,humidityandrot.Unlikemanytraditionalbowmaterials,PVCpipebowscanbecompletelyimmersedinwaterforprolongedperiodswithoutanyilleffect.Thismakesthemidealforuseinornearwaterwheremanybowscouldbeseriouslydamaged.APVCbowcanbestoredalmostindefinitelywithoutfearthatthebowwillrot,delaminate,soakupmoistureorcrackfrombeingtoodry.
Inmyopinion,thegreatestattributeofPVCpipeisthatitisunbelievablyforgivingtothebowyer.Makinggood,high-performancePVCpipebowsisnoteasyandtakespractice,butthelearningcurveandtimespentislessthananyotherbowmakingtechniqueIknowofshortofCNCmilling.ThereissomethingsurrealaboutmakingPVCpipebows.
PVCcombinesmanyattributesintoablendthatishardtodescribe.Itishardandhasspring,yetisflexibleandsupple.Itisstableandretainsitsstrengthinanormaltemperaturerange,yetwithamoderateamountofheatbecomeslikesoftrubber.Itcanbeformedandshapedwithoutanytoolsorforms.SomeofmyfavoritePVCpipebowswereformedcompletelybyhand,withoutanyjigsortoolsbesidesheatandglovedhands.
Asfarasweaknessesgo,PVCissoflexiblethatitlacksrecoveryspeedtoalargeextent.PVCisflexibleandsupplecomparedtowood,fiberglassandcarbonfiber.Thelessamaterialwillflexwhilestillresistingbreakage,thefasteritwillreturntoitsoriginalpositionwhenflexedandreleased.Thefastesttraditionalbowsareoftenjustattheedgeoffailurewheneverdrawn.Inordertoevencomeclosetoperforminglikeamorestressedandinflexiblematerial,PVCpipemustbemadeshorttocompensateforthisdiscrepancy.
AnotherdownsidetoPVCisthatplasticdegradesandfatigueswhenflexed.Itisalsosubjecttobeingweakenedandmadebrittlefromexposuretoultraviolet(UV)light.Theshorterthebow,themoreitneedstoflex.Theshorterthebow,thefasteritwilldegrade,thoughwithdailyshootingmostPVCpipebowscanlastforyearsiftheyaretakencareof.
PVCpipebowsareslowbytoday’sstandards.Manymodernrecurvebowsshootwellover200feetpersecondwithamatchedarrow.Thefastestsinglepipebowsjustbarelyscratchthe200fpsbarrier,withfastbowsrangingfrom160to180fpsandmostinthe130to150fpsrange.Youthandchildrenbowsareevenslowerthanthat.Thebowsinthisbookhoverinthe110to150fpsrange.
Whilethesenumbersaren’tstaggering,theyareamazingtome.Oneofmyearlybowswasaselfbowmadefromguavawood.Ittookadaytostripandsplitthesaplingand6monthstoseasonthewoodenoughtostartbuildingabow.Initialshapingandshavingwithasharpdrawknifetookdays.Justtilleringthebowfromnobracetofulldrawtooktwoafternoons.Finishingthebowtookanothercoupledaysforthefinishtodry.Forallthattimeandallthatwork,thebowshotatonly120fps.
ItwasanamazingexperienceandIdon’tregretitorthecountlessotherbowsI’vebuiltinthatway.Formetherestillisnothingliketeachingafallentreetobendandbuildabowfromalivingstave.Yetitfloorsmethatabeginnerinvestingacouplehoursoftimecouldeasilybuildabowthatcouldoutperformawoodenbow.Evenmyfastestselfbowsarestillbelow170fps,aspeedIregularlyexceedwithPVCpipe.
Stackedagainstmodernbows,PVCbowsdon’tcompareunlessyoualsocomparelength.Theshortestbowsarenotveryefficient,andPVCisonparwithmostfiberglasslaminatedbowsatequallength.AwellmadePVCbowwill
matchorexceedmostsolidfiberglassbows.Themainpointtorememberisthatthisisabowyoucanpossiblybuildinasingleafternoonwithoutanyspecialty
toolsoryearsofexperienceanditwillstillhavesolidperformance.
ChapterTwo–Tools
WhilebuildingPVCpipebowsisn’tincrediblytoolintensive,thereareacoupleoftoolsthatareneeded.Attheheartofit,onlyaheatsource,flatteningjigandacuttingtoolareneededtomakeadependableandserviceablebow.
Hereareafewbasicgroupsoftoolsthatareveryusefulaswellassomethatcaneasilymaketheworkgoveryfast.Themostimportanttool,aheatsource,canbefoundinmosthomesorcanbeeasilyobtainedinexpensively.Alltheothertoolscanbefoundusedornewaswellasimprovised.
Keepinmindthattoolsofanykindcanbedangerous,sobecareful.Whenheatingpipe,workinaventilatedarea.Italsohelpstowearanorganicvaporrespirator.AlwayswearadustmaskwhencuttingorsandingPVCpipeandusegloveswhenworkingwithheatorsharptools.
HeatSourceThefirstandmostimportanttoolyou’llneedisaheatsource.Itwillbeused
forflatteningandformingPVC.Itcanalsobeusedtotweakandfixyourbowlaterwhenitsbeingbrokeninandadjusted.
Aheatsourcecanbejustaboutanythingthatgivesoffatleast300degreesF.Themostcontrollableareheatguns(ratedtoatleast1,000degreesF)andcook-topswhethertheybegasorelectric.Torches,grillsandopenfirescanalsobeused,butextracareneedstobetakentoavoidburningthepipe.Fillingthepipe
withhotsandorimmersinginboilingwaterworkveryquicklybuttheseareverydangerousmethods.
CuttingPVCisaneasytocutmaterial,somostsawsandtoolsforwoodormetalcan
alsobeusedonPVC.AsaworPVCcuttingtoolliketheoneabovewillbeusedtocutlengthsofpipeaswellasforminorclippingandshapingofnocksandPVCpieces.
Thesawatthetopisactuallyatilesaw,acarbidecoatedmetalwireinahacksawframe.ThistypeofsawisidealforPVCasitdoesnotcloganditcanbeusedforeverythingfromcuttinglengths,cuttingtapers,formingalltypesofnocksandusedasafileforroughwork.Arotarytoolcanbeusedforsimilarapplications.
GrindingandShapingFilesandsandpaperareinvaluableforshapingnocks,pointsandtapers.
Theywillevenhelpmakequickworkofflatteningedgesofarrowrestsandsuch.
Atilesawornockfilewillbeusedtocutstringgroovesinnocks.Anockfileissimplyarat-tailorroundfilethatisabout1/8ofaninchindiameter.Sandpapercanberolledupintoa1/8inchthicktubeasasubstituteforatilesawornockfile.
PowerTools(Optional)Hereisapictureofmymost-usedpowertools.Thebandsawontheleftis
usedforeverythingaafinesawcouldbeusedfor.Themitersawisusedalmostexclusivelyforcuttinglengthsofpipeandoccasionallyforcuttinganglesfornocks.Thelittlebeltsanderdoesalltheroughgrindingandsandingwork.
WhileIusethesetoolsoftenenoughtomentionthem,theyaren’tneeded.MostoftheworkIdoisdonewithhand-toolsanyway.AlwaysweararespiratorandeyeprotectionwhenusingpowertoolsonPVCastheygenerateheatandproducefinedust.
RecurveFormsRecurving,orbendingthetipsofthebowforward,issimpletodowithPVC.
Whileabasicrecurvingjigcouldbemade,asimplewayofrecurvingcanbedonewithanycylinderoftherightdiameter.Pots,cans,trashcans,barrelsandtiresallmakeexcellentformsforgettingagoodcurveinyourbow’slimbs.
Forthetypeofrecurveswe’llbedoing,aformwithadiameterequaltothelengthoftipbeingrecurvedisideal.Thisallowstherecurvetoalmostcurvebacktowardsthebow.Thishelpsmaximizesthespeedrecurvesimpart.Inapinch,recurvescanbesetbyeye.
ChapterThree–FlatteningJig
ThekeytogettingoptimumperformanceoutofasinglelengthofPVCpipeisbyflatteningthebowintoasmoothtaper.Thekeytogettinganeventaperistheuseofaflatteningjig.Thisjigisjustoneofmanyvariationsthatcanbedone.
It’smyfavoritestyleofjigasitallowsthepipetobeheatedandflattenedonthesamesurface.Usingarigidboardalsoallowsthejigtobeclamped,allowingforrepeatableresultseverytime.
Thejigissimple,alonger2x4onthebottomwithashorter2x4ontop.Aspacerblockinbetweenensuresthatthehandlesectionofthebowisthickerthantherestofit.Onceaheatedpipeisplacedinthejigandweightorpressureapplied,theanglethespacerblockmakesensuresaneventaper.
Thejigitselfcanbemodifiedandadjustedtomakeiteasiertouse.Theshorterandlongersidecanbeseparatedifthesinglelongjigisawkwardortakesuptoomuchspace.Ifcuttingthejiginhalforonlybuildingonehalfofthejig,thejigcanworkwithorwithouttheflatteningboard.Todothis,heatthepipeonaflatsurfacelikeafloororworkbenchandthenplacethejigbaseontop
ofit,upsidedown.
Startwitha2x4,8feetlong.Makesuretheboardisstraightandfreeofanylargeknotsorholes.Smallordenseknotsareokay.Cutoffone3-footlength,leavingtheotherlength5feetlong.Thelongerboardwillbethejigbaseandtheshorterboardwillbetheflatteningboard.
Fromoneedge(itdoesn’tmatterwhich),measure24and30inches.Markalineateachmeasurement.Youwillusethesetolinethepipeuptothejigwhenflattening.
Here’swhattheboardlookslikenow.The30inchmarkshouldbethecenterpointoftheboard.
Cutfourspacerblocks.Theshorterblocksshouldberoughly3/4incheswideanddeepandexactly3/4inchestall.Placetheseonthe24inchmarkside.Thetallerblocksshouldalsobe3/4incheswidebut1inchtall.Placetheseonthe30inchmarkside.
Gluetheblocksintoplace.Makesurethetallerblocksareonthelongersideandtheshorterblocksareontheshorterside.Keepthemontheinsideofthelines.
Here’sthefinishedbaseoftheflatteningjig.Itgivesanicesolidbaseforheatingandformingbowsaswell.
Tousethejigforflattening3/4inchpipe,placetheflatteningboardontheshorterside.
Whenflattening1inchpipe,placetheflatteningboardonthelongerside.
ChapterFour–YouthRecurve
OneofthemaindrawstobuildingabowfromPVCpipeistheprice.Comparedtoothermethodsofbuildingbows,PVCisamuchmoreeconomicalchoiceinregardstomoneyandtimespent.ThismakesPVCanexcellentoptionforyoungandbeginnerarchersofallages.
Designedforshorterlengthsofdrawandlighterdrawweights,thisbowisgreatforyoungarchersjustinterestedinthesport.Itisalsoagoodwaytoexerciseandbuilduptoaheavierbowifyouarenewtoarcheryorarerecoveringfrominjury.
Thisbowissimpleinitsshapeandformwhiledeliveringbalancedefficiency,powerandspeed.Itisalsoaverysimplebowtobuildandmakesforagreatweekendproject.Itislightandcompactaswellassmoothtodrawandforgivingtoshoot.
Asis,thisbowmakesagreatbackyardshootingbowandisperfectforthebuddinginstinctivetraditionalarcher.Byaddingarestandmakingitcentershotlikethesnakeyrecurve,thisbowisconsistent,accurateandforgivingenoughtoexcelattargetshootingandotherformsofarchery.
DesignTheyouthrecurveisthebasisfortheotherbowsinthisbook.Itisalsoa
solidfoundationforyourownexperimentsandprojects.Sincethemethodsandstepsinvolvedinbuildingthisbowapplytomanydifferentbowsthisdesignsectionwillgoovertheseaspectsaswellashowtoadjustthisbowdesignforyoungerarchersorforlightweightpractice.
ThicknessTaperingThefirstdesignelementthatreallysetsallthesebowsapartfrombeinga
simplePVCpipewithastringisthetaperinthelimbs.Inchapteronewewentoverhowabowthatflexesinmanyplacesismoreefficientthanonethatdoesnot.InaPVCbow,thicknesstaperingiskey.
Theflatteningjigandthegeneralguidelineofflatteningthelimbstothesameasthebow’sinnerdiameterdoafewsubtlethings.First,theylowerthepotentialstrengthofthebowbyreducingstressmorethanisabsolutelynecessary.Ifthebowiskeptthickerthroughout,morepowercanbeobtained.
Yetbyweakeningthewholebowitismademoreresilientandresistanttobreakagethanifitwerebeingpushedtoitslimits.Thisalsoallowsthehandletobemadeconsiderablythickerandthereforestifferthantherestofthebow.Thishelpslowerhandshockandvirtuallyeliminatesthechancesofthehandlebreakingbymovingthepointofweaknessawayandintothelimbs.
Thismethodofflatteningalsosetsthestageforanyadditionaladjustments.Abowstraightofftheflatteningjigwillworkmuchlikealongbowwithalmostallofthebowworking.Fromherethebowcanbemadethinnerorthickerinplacestoincreaseordrawoutstrengthallowingthissimpleformtobemodifiedintoalmostanyhistoricalorimaginedconfiguration.
Taperflatteningalsohasthebenefitofstabilizingthebow.Afullyroundpipecannotmaintaintruerecurvesforverylongbecauseitisdimensionallystable.Thismeansthatanyforceaffectsthewholestructureequally.Byflatteningthepipe,oneplaneismadestrongerthantheother.WhileaflattenedPVCbowwillflexeasilyupanddown,itresistssidetosidemotion,givingthebowastablebaseforrecurvesandmakingsidetosidebendspossible.
Andwhenitcomestogettingthemostintermsofspeedandperformance,arecurveisagreatadvantage.
RecurvingArecurveisacurveinthetipofabowawayfromthearcher.Atrue
recurvedbowisonethathasthestringrolledoverontothetipsofthebowat
brace.Abowthatlookslikearecurvebutdoesnothavethestringrolledoverthetipsatbraceisnotreallyarecurvebutareflexedbow.
Recurvingabowdoesafewthings.Butfirst,therearetwodifferenttypesofrecurve,workingandstatic.Astaticrecurveholdsitsshapeanddoesnotunfurlwhenthebowisdrawn.Aworkingrecurvewillactuallyunfurlwhenthebowisdrawnbackandthetipmayappeartohavelostitsrecurvewhileatfulldraw.
Astaticrecurvewillnotflexwhenthebowisdrawn,stressisconcentratedlowertowardsthebow’slimb.Aworkingrecurvewillflexwhenthebowis
drawn,reducingoverallstressandcausingthelimbtoelongate.
Astaticrecurveworkslikealever.Thestringrollsoffofitduringthedrawandthenrollsbackontoitwhenreleased.Thisrollingactionincreasesspeedasthestringreturnstorestonthelimbsandthenthetipsroll.Astaticrecurvethatkeepslimbcontactwiththestringatalltimeswillbeveryquiet.
Aworkingrecurveworkslikeaspring.Thebowstoresenergyattwoseparatetimesthatcanoverlap.Thefirsthappenswhenthestringliftsofftherecurvesasthetipunfurls.Oncethestringisclearofthetips,therestofthebowfollow,storingmostofthebow’senergy.Whenthebowisfired,thelimbssnapbacktorestandthentherecurvesgivealittleextraboostastheysnapbacktorest.Becauseofthisslappingaction,workingrecurvescanbealittlemorenoisyandthestringcouldpossiblycausecracksfromstrikingthelimbsrepeatedly.
WhileworkingrecurvescanbedonewithPVC,theyarequitetrickytogetbalancedandsmoothinthedraw.StaticrecurvesaremucheasiertodowithPVCthanmostothermaterials.It’sacombinationofthelastfewinchesoflimbnotbendinganywayandthe90degreecurveofthestaticrecurvethatkeepsitnonbending.
Arecurvewilldoacouplethingstoabow.Firstitshortenstheeffectivelengthofthebowandputsthebowundermorestrainatbrace.Thismeansthattherecurvesortof‘pre-loads’thebowwithenergy.Thiscanmakeabow
heavierandfaster.Recurvesalsomakedrawingaboweasier.Shortbowscanbeuncomfortable
todrawbecauseoftheanglethestringmakeswhenyouholditatfulldraw.Recurveshelpkeepthestringanglealittlewider,makingthemmorecomfortableonthefingers.Thisalsohelpsyourconsistencybecauseahardanglecancausestringpinchonyourfingers.Thiscanmakethestringhanguponyourfingerswhenyourelease,foulingtheshot.
ChangingDrawWeightThisbowisfairlylowweight,thoughitmaybetoomuchforsometostart
with,especiallyyoungerchildren.Byusing1/2inchpipeinsteadof3/4inchpipe,alighterversionofthisbowcanbemade.Itwillbearound20poundsat28inchesandaslittleas5poundsata22inchdraw.
Anotheroptionforloweringweightistolengthenthebow.Thelongerthebowthelessstressitisunder,thoughitwillalsocarrymoreweightandbelessefficient.Whilelessefficient,itismoreimportanttomakeabowthatissafe.Ifyoucanachievethesameweightwithalongerbowitissafertochoosethelongerbow.
Increasingtheweightofabowcanbedonebyeithershorteningtheboworgoinguptothenextpipesize.Everytimeyoushortenabow,itschancesofbreakingorfailinggoesup.Differentpipescantakedifferentlevelsofstress.Thesnakeyrecurveinchapter6isagoodexampleofthis.Thatiswhythesafelengthfor1inchpipeisaboutafootmorethan3/4inpipe.
BuildOverviewThisbowthatwe’remakingisgreatforteensorwomen,thoughmostmen
willfinditagoodstarterbowtofigureoutthefinerpointsofmakingaPVCbow.Eventhesnakeyrecurve,ahunting-weightbow,isbasedonthisdesign.
We’llstartwitha48inchlongSchedule40PVCpipe.Afterflatteningandapplyingstaticrecurves,thebowwillenduparound30-35poundsata26inchdraw.Ata24inchdrawthisbowwillberoughly25pounds.Atafull28inchdraw,thisbowwillgetaround40poundswhichisagoodstartingweightformostlargermen.
Thetipsorstringnocksonthisbowaresimpleandcalledpinnocks.Pinnocksworkgreatandallowcommercialstringnockstofitontothebow.Justkeepinmindthatthestaticrecurvekeepsthetipsofthebowpointedupanddownatfulldraw.Astringcouldslipoffabowwithpinnocksthatisn’trecurvedoratleastflippedforwardinthenocks.
Asfarasfinishinggoes,thisbowwillbecoveredinducttape.Ducttape,
whileitcanbetacky(bothinlooksandtothetouch),makesagreatcoveringtoprotectyourbow.Ifabowisgoingtobepotentiallydroppedorscraped,ducttapecanhelptokeepanyscratchesfromgettingtotheplasticunderneath.It’salsoagreatwaytocustomizethelookofyourbowandissomethingkidscandothatdoesn’tinvolveharshchemicals.
Thebowitselfshouldendupataround46inchesntn,47.5inchesunstrung.Whenstrungitshouldbe43inchesfromtiptotip.Itwilluseastringthatis42to43incheslongdependingonyourpersonalbraceheight.Withoutfurtherado,let’sgetstarted.
Startwitha3/4inchschedule40PVCpipe.Forthisbowwithoutmodifications,thepipewillbe48incheslong.Markthecenterofthepipe.
Here’sthecenterofthepipe.Mark2inchesawayfromthecenteronbothsides.Thiswillbeyourhandleandsettheboundariesforflattening.
Mark6inchesinfrombothends.Thiswillsethowfarintherecurveswillgo.6inchesisagoodmeasureforbowsshorterthan55inchesand9inchesforbowsthatarelonger.
Withthebowmarked,beginheatingonehalfofthepipefrompastthecentermarktothetiptoprepareforflattening.Onemethodforheating,whichworkswellforanystationaryheatsourcelikeastovetoporanopenflame,istopassthepipeslowlyovertheheatsource.
Keepthepipemovingtoavoidburns.Ifburnsdoform,leavetheareato
avoidexposuretofumes.Alwayskeepthepipemovingasevenslightburnscouldbreakthebow.
Anothermethod,whichworkswellfordirectableheatsourceslikeheatgunsandtorches,istopasstheheatsourceoverthepipe.Doneoverapoorconductorofheatlikewood,ithastheaddedbenefitofheatingthepipefasteraslessheatislosttoair.
Passtheheatsourceoverthepipe,turnthepipea1/4turnandrepeat.
Oncethepipestartstodrooplikethis,itisgettingclosetobeingsoftenough.Atthispoint,beverycarefulastouchingthesoftpipecancausepainfulburns.Ifyouneedtohandlethepipe,useheatresistantglovesorahotpad.
Keepheatingthepipeuntilyoucanflatteneachsectionwithhandpressure.
Oncethepipeissoftenoughthateverysectioncanbeflattenedwithlightpressure,itisreadytobeplacedinthejig.Linetheouterhandlemark,theone2inchesfromthecenterofthebow,withthelineonthejig.Makesurethepipeisstraight.
Quicklyplacetheflatteningboardontothepipe.Theflatteningboardwillstartatthecentermarkofthehandleinordertomaintainaneventaper.Ifthepipeissoftenough,itshouldtakeonlyfiftypoundsofpressuretoflatten.Thiscanbedonebystandingontheflatteningboardorusingclamps.Whiletheclampsinthepicturearehandclamps,screw-typeclampsallowmorepressuretobeapplied.
Afterthepipehasbeenallowedtocool,removetheflatteningboard.Thereshouldbeasteadytaperfromthecenterofthebowtothetip.Ifthereareany
unevenspotsorthebacklookswrinkled,reheatthelimbandclampitagain.
Fromtheside,thisisthepropertaper.Thetipshouldbenoticeablyflatterthanthehandleinasmoothtaper.Ifthebowiscompletelyflatorthetipisthickerthanthehandle,thebowwillbetooweakandmaybreak.Ifthishappens,reheatthelimbandre-flatten.Theveryendsofthetipshouldjusttouchtogether.Therestofthebowshouldbecompletelyhollow.
Sightdownthelimbofthebow.Mosttimes,thelimbwillbealittlecrooked.
Findtheareathatisbendingthemost.Inthiscase,it’sthesectionnearthecenteronthehandleside.
Heatthecrookedareaoflimbgentlyandevenly.Thepipewillbecomeslightlypliablebeforeitbeginspuffingbackuptoitsoriginalshape.Rightwhenitissoftenoughtobend,flexitgentlyagainstthecurvetostraightenthelimb.Ifthelimbdoesstarttodeform,placeitbackintotheflatteningjigafterensuringitisstraight.
Thisamountofcrookednessisacceptable.PVCisveryforgivingofslightimperfections.Itisnotimportantforthehandletobestraightnowasthatwillbefixednext.Justmakesurethatthelimbitselfismostlyin-linewithitself.
Withbothlimbsflattened,passthehandlesectionoveryourheatsource.Heattheentirehandlesectionplusoneinchoveroneachsideevenlyuntilthepipereturnstoitsoriginalshape.
Onceitissoftenough,thehandlewillreverttothisshape.Itmaytakealittle
time,butjustkeepthepipemovinganddon’tholditinonespotfortoolong.Burnsinthehandlewillweakenthebowandmaycauseittobreak.Gentleheatinghereisimportant.
Oncethehandleisflexible,pressthehandlefromthesideswhilethepipeisonaflatsurfacelikeaboard.Thisgivesthehandleamorecomfortablegripwhilealsostrengtheningthehandleandreducingitsabilitytoflex.Keeppressingandmovingasthepipewillwanttospringback.Onceitbeginstoset,checkittomakesureit’sshapingupproperly.
Fromthebellyside,youcanseethedifferenceinwidthfromthehandletothelimbs.Thefourinchhandlesectionshouldbefairlyuniformwithagentletaperforaboutaninchonbothsides.Thehandleshouldbeabout1inchwide.
Whenpressingthehandleintoshape,besuretokeepevenpressureandnotpresstoohardattheedgesofthehandle.Youwantasmoothtransitionfromhandletolimblikethepictureabove.Ifthereisasharpcreasehere,thehandlecouldfoldwhenthebowisstrungupordrawn.Ifthereareanycreasesorifthehandledoesfoldover,justre-heatthecreasedsectiongentlyandre-formit.Re-
formingpipewillnotweakenitifdonegently.
Oncethehandlesetsbuttheplasticisstillslightlysoft,sightdownthebowlikethis.Ifthehandlewasn’tstraightorifthelimbsweretwistedbefore,youcancorrectthisnowbyflexingthehandlegentlyuntilthelimbslineup.
Here’sthebowafterflatteningandhandleshaping.Fromherewewillformtherecurves.Ifyouwantabowwithoutarecurveorwanttotryyourownvariationsonbowshape,thisisthebaseshapetobuildupon.Ifstrungupnow,
thebowwouldbeaforgivingandsweetshooter.
Toformourrecurves,wewillneedourheatsourceandaform.Forthisbowa6inchdiameterpotwillbeusedforthe6inchlongrecurve.
Heatthetipfromtheendtothesixinchmark.Keepheatinguntilthetipbeginstodroopslightly.Stopheatingthetipandlettheheatsoakintopreventthetiplosingitsflattenedcrosssection.
Bendthetipofthebowaroundtheformbyholdingthetipagainsttheformandpullingthebowarounduntilthemarkedaretouchestheform.Theplasticwillveryhot,soahotpadorheatresistantgloveshouldbeworn.
Alternatively,thetipcanbeclampedintoplaceiftheformyouareusingishollow.Thisallowsgreatercontroloverthecurve.Ifthetipisnotbendingsmoothly,gentleheatcanbeappliedwhilethetipisontheform.Noticehowtheoutsidecurveofthetipisslightlyconcaveorslopedinward.Thiswillhelpkeepthestringfromslippingoffthebowwhenthebowisstrungandshot.
Repeatontheotherlimbandthensightdownthebow.Therecurvesshouldlineupwitheachother.Iftheydonot,gentlyheatthebaseoftherecurveandbenditfromsidetosideuntilthetipslineupacrossthebow.
Here’sthebowrecurvedandreadyfornocks.Takesometimetomakesurethatbothrecurvesareidentical.Theyshouldeachberoughly90degreecurves.Atthispointthebowwilllookalotlikeasteelcurtainrod.
Layoutthenock.Thisstyleofnockiscalledapinnockandisasimplewaytoallowacommercialstringloopfitoverthewidetipofthebow.Thepinis3/4ofaninchlongand1/2aninchwide.Thenockneedstobecenteredortherecurveswon’tlineupproperlywhenthebowisstrungandthelimbsmaytwist.
Cutthenockfreewithasaw.ThistipwascutwithaPVCcutterandfinishedupwithafile.Oncethepinnockiscutout,sandorfilethestringcontactedgestohelpkeepthebowstringfromfraying.
Onthebellysideofthenock,fileorsandtwogroovestohelpthestringtrackbetter.
Toimprovethelookandperformanceofthebowalittle,cutorgrindtheedgesdowntoapoint.Thisisaboutasmuchmaterialasyouwanttoremove,asthetipwilllosestrengthiftheedgesarecutthroughtoofar.
Youcanseethegapfromwheretheedgesofthepipewerecutthrough.Thisisaboutasfarasyoushouldgoorthenockmaysnaporcollapsepermanently.
Finishupthenockontheotherlimbandthenthebowisreadytobestrungforthefirsttime.
Therearemanywaystostringabow.Becauseofhowshortandhowradicallyrecurvedthesebowsare,thestepthroughmethodisoneofthesafestmethods.Theseinstructionsareforright-handers,soifyouarealefty,reversethedirections.
Tobegin,loopthelowerstringloopontothebottomnock.Bracethebacksideofthelowerrecurveagainstyourleftleg,holdingtheinsidecurveoftheotherrecurveinyourrighthandandthestringloopinyourleft.
Stepoverthebowwithyourrightlegandbracethebackofyourkneeagainstthehandleofthebow.
Holdyourkneeagainstthebow’shandlewhilepushingthebowlimbforwardwithyourrighthand.Bringthestringloopuptothenock,preparingtoslipitontothebow.
Twistyourupperbodyslightlyforincreasedleverage,flexingthebowinwardanddownward.Slipthestringintothenockandmakesurethestringis
trackingalongbothrecurvesevenlybeforereleasingpressure.
Oncethebowisstrungupitwillbeatwhatiscalledbrace.Thedistancebetweenthestringandbowhandle,orbraceheight,willbeanywherefrom6to8inches.Asyoushootyourbow,youwillfindthebraceheightthatbestsuitsyou.
Lookingatthebowwhileatbrace,onelimbwillusuallybebendingmorethantheother.Thislimbwillbethetoplimb,asthelowerlimbneedstobeslightlystiff.
Here’sthebowatafull26inchdraw.Atthislengththebowwillpullapproximately30to35pounds.Noticehowthelimbsevenoutwhenthebowisdrawnandthestringisstilljustrestingontheendsoftherecurves.
Here’sthebowat28inches.Whileitiscapableofbeingdrawnthisfar,itisoverdrawn.Youcanseethatthestringisfullyoffofthetipsandthelimbsseemtobealmoststretchedout.At28inchesthisbowpullsaround40pounds.
Here’sthebowatahigherbrace,justtobringoutthelimbimbalance.You
canseethattherightlimb,whichisthetoplimb,isbendingmorethantheother.Thisiswhatthebowshouldlooklike.Ifonelimbisbendingmuchmorethantheother,itcanbefixedbyheatingtheweakerlimbandlettingitpuffupenoughtomatchtheotherlimb.Checkoutthenextchapterforfixingthisproblem.
Sightdownthebowatbracetoensurethatthestringtracksstraightdownbothrecurvesandthroughthecenterofthebow.Bothrecurvesshouldstilllineupatbrace.Iftheydon’t,filethestringnotchalittledeeperonthesidethatthestringisleaningtowards.
Thestringloopshouldsitevenlyandlevelonthenock.Roundtheshouldersofthenocksothatthestringloopwrapssmoothlyaroundthenock.
Thestringshouldtrackdownthecenterofthelimbontherecurve.Ifyourrecurveisnotconcavebutisroundedandthestringkeepsslipping,youcanfileorsandashallowgroovedownthecenteroftherecurvesothestringcantrackproperly.
Enjoyyouryouthrecurve!Onceit’sbeenstrungandshotthepipewillpermanentlyflexandsetintothisslightdeflex.Thebowcanbeusedas-isorcanbefinishedandhaveanarrowrestputonit.AsprayofUVresistantclearcoatwillhelpkeepUVdamageataminimumifyoudon’twishtofinishitup.
Eitherway,it’sagoodideatoshootthebowatleastahundredtimesorsobeforecompletelyfinishingitupsothatanyadjustmentsandfixescanbemadefirst.
Aquickanddurablefinishperfectforyouthbowsandbowsthatmaygetthrownaroundisducttape.Itcomesinavarietyofcolors,soletyourimaginationrunwild.Thisisalsoagreatwaytopersonalizeyourbow.Thisisjustonepossiblewayoftapingabow.Thebackofthebowhasonestripoftaperunningfromthebasesofthetworecurves.
Thebellyofthebowiscoveredintwoseparatestripsandthehandleiscoveredinonestrip.Thebowisdecoratedwithalternatingblackandsilvertape
bands.Asasidenote,besuretouseheavyducttapeasverythintapewillpeeloffandtearapartwithtimeanduse.
Thetipiscoveredinthinstripsoftapetoworkaroundthecurvesandintothenock.Aflexibletapelikecohesivebandageorvinyltapehelpstosmoothoutthisareanicely.
Theblackbandtotheleftisontheuppersideofthehandle.Itiswrappedfivelayersthicktoprotectthebowfromarrowwear.Thearrowwillpassover
thetaperatherthangougeintothesideofthebow.Theotherstripisjusttheretoaddsymmetrytothehandle.
ChapterFive–HorseBow
Archersonhorsebackhavebeenfearedforthousandsofyears.Mountedarcheryhasshapednationsandculturesaroundtheworld.Today,amoderninterestinhorsebackarcheryhasincreasedtheneedforabowsuitableforstudentsofthisancientart.
SimpleinitsdesignandmadeofonlyPVCpipe,thishorsebowisagreatbowfortrainingintheuseofatraditionalAsiaticrecurvebow.Likemanybowspreferredformountedarchery,thisbowhasaroundedhandle,canbemadewithoutashelfandcanbeshotoneithersideofthebow.
Thisbowisjustonestylethatlendsitselftoarcheryonhorseback.Itisshortandcompactyetdrawsandreleasessmoothly.Itsrecurvedtipsareshapedliketraditionalsiyahswithastringbridgethathelpsthestringtrackandpreventsanyaccidentalunstringing.
Evenifyoudon’thaveahorse,thisbowisagoodintroductiontoshortbows.Itissmoothdrawingupto30inchesandshootsconsistently.
DeflexingAdeflexisabendtowardsthearcher.WhileaPVCbowmaygainsome
deflexnaturally,bendingdeflexintothelimbsfromthebeginninghassomeeffects.First,theinnerlimbshavetodolessworktogetthebowstrungandpulledtofulldraw.Thisforcestheouterlimbstoflexmorethantheynormallywould.
Combinedwithrecurves,abowlikethisovercomesthelossinefficiencythatdeflexedlimbscancause.Deflexedlimbsarealsomoreforgivingtoshootandhelptocutdownonhandshockeveninveryshortbows.Withoutrecurves,adeflexedbowstoreslessinitialenergy.Wherereflexingandrecurvingloadabowwithenergywhenbraced,adeflexedbowcutsdowntheamountofenergyinthebowatbrace.
Ingeneral,deflexesdrawstressawayfromtheareatheyareapplied.Ahandlethatisdeflexedisunderlittlestressandisverystable.Combinedwithreflexedlimbs,abowlikethiscanbedrawnsmoothlywithlittlestackandhavealmostnohandshock.
ReflexingAreflexisabendawayfromthearcher.Arecurveisessentiallyatypeof
reflex.Areflexedhandleputsthebowundermorestress.Itdrawsstresstowardthecenterofthebow,makingforabowwithmorehandshockwhilegreatlyincreasingspeed.Abowwithahighlyreflexedhandleandnorecurvescanbejustasfastifnotfasterthanarecurvedbowwithahandlethatisnotreflexed.
Reflexesgenerallyincreasestresswheretheyareapplied.Ifareflexisappliedtothelimbsofabow,thebowwillalreadyhavesomeenergypre-loadedintoit.Whilethiswon’tgivethebowanextraboostattheendofthedrawcyclelikerecurvesdo,itwillincreasespeed.
SiyahsandStringBridgesThereflexedcompositebowsofAsiawhichhavebecomeknown
collectivelyandperhapsmistakenlyashorsebowsarethebasisforthisbow.Mostofthesebowshadstatictipsofwood,oftenreinforcedwithhornandbone.Somewererecurved,somewerereflexed.Eitherway,thesestifftipsaddedspeedbyactingasleversandconcentratingstresstowardsthemiddleofthelimbs.
Thesetipsareknownassiyahsorbowears.Whiletheyvariedinsizeandlength,theyallservedthesamepurpose.Somewerequiteextremeandrequiredaidstokeepthestringalignedandonthebowwhilethebowwasstrungandshot.Onsomebows,alargestringloopwouldstraddlethesiyahandstabilizeit.Onothers,thestringwouldrundownthebellysideofthesiyah.
Ifthestringcontactedthebellysideofthesiyah,theconstantstrikingcoulddamagethebow.Andevenslighttorqueonthebowcouldcausethebowtounstringitself.Stringbridgesarepadsofvariousmaterialsthatservetosolvetheseproblems.
Somearesimplepadsdesignedtoprotectthebow’slimbs.Somehelpkeepthestringalignedwhileatbraceandaftertheshotistaken.Yetothersaredesignedtocausethestringtosnapintoplaceratherthanrollsmoothlyontothesiyahs.
BuildOverviewBasedontheyouthrecurve,thisbowstartsoutalittledifferent.Insteadofa
48inchpipe,thisbowstartswith50inchesfortheaddeddrawlength.Otherthanthat,thebaseofthisbowisflattenedandrecurvedinthesameway.
Wewillbedeflexingbothlimbsevenlyandthenreflexingthehandle.Thiswillgivethebowasmoother,moreefficientlyworkinglimbsetforalongerdraw.Therecurvesandthereflexinthehandlewillhelppre-loadthebowandaddspeed.Thisalsokeepsthestringtaughtatbrace,whichmakesnockingeasier.
Thetipsofthebowwillbeformedintostiffsiyahsthathavestringbridgesformedintothem.Thestiffsiyahswillallowpartofthetiptobecutawayandshapedtoformthestringbridges.Alightertipwillhelpbringupspeedandlowerhandshock.Thestringbridgeswillkeepthestringtrackingalongthesiyahsandalsoholdthestringinplacetopreventanyaccidentalunstringingevenifthebowisthrownordropped.
We’llbepaintinganddyingthebow.ToreplicatethelookofanAsiaticcompositebow,whichoftenhadanimalhornonthebellyofthebow,thebellywillbefinishedwithdyestomimicthelookofhorn.Thebackwillbepainted
withspraypaintandfinishedwithawebpatternreminiscentofreptileskin.Thebowitselfshouldendupataround48inchesntn,49.5inchesunstrung.
Whenstrungitshouldbe44inchesfromtiptotip.Itwilluseastringthatis43to44incheslongdependingonyourpersonalbraceheight.Isuggestaslightlyhigherbraceheighttohelplessenparadoxandmakenockingeasier.
Thehorsebowstartsoutwitha3/4inchPVCpipe,50incheslong.Flattenandrecurvethebowinthesamewayastheyouthrecurveinthelastchapter.
Startingwiththeflattenedandrecurvedbow,findsomethingcurvedtoexertpressureonandaheatsource.Eachlimbwillbeheatedandcurvedintoagradualdeflex.
Startingfromthehandle,heatatwoinchsectionupjustuntilitgetssoftenoughtobendwithoutcollapsingthearea.
Taketheheatedsectionandjustbarelyflexittowardsthebellyside.Continueheatingandbendingtheboweverytwoinches.Stoprightbeforereachingthebaseoftherecurve.
Thebowshouldenduplookingsomethinglikethis.Ifthebowisplacedonaboardbacksidedownwiththetipsoftherecurvestouchingtheboard,thetipsshouldlineupwiththehandle.
Youcanseehowthetipslineupwiththehandle.Getthecurvesasevenaspossible.Laterontheycanbeadjustedandbalanced.
Heatthehandlegently,concentratingtheheatwithinthefourinchhandle.Whenthehandleissoftenoughtoflex,bendthebowforwardtowardthebackofthebow,impartingsomereflex.
Thetipsofthebowshouldextendaboutfourinchesinfrontofthehandle.Thehandleshouldbecomfortabletoholdandnotflexedtoofarforward.
Nowthatthemainshapingisfinished,thenockswillbereshaped.Fromherethebow’snockscouldalsobeshapedliketheyouthrecurveorthesnakeyrecurve.
Heattheendofthebowupsothatabout2/3ofthetippuffsuptoitsoriginalshape.
Whilepressingtheverytiptogethersidewayswithahotpadorheatresistantgloves,bendtherecurveagainsttheform.Usethesameformthatwasusedtocreatetherecurve.
Aftertherecurvecools,markthetipofthebow1/2aninchfromtheforwardedge.Drawacurvedandslopingline1and1/2inchesdown.Thiswillformanocksmallenoughforastringlooptofiton.
Cutalongthelinesandthensandtheedgessmooth.Makesuretokeeptheedgeonthebulgesharpasitwillbecomeastringbridgeaftersomeshaping.
Witharoundfileorsandpaperwrappedaroundadowelorarrowshaft,grindagrooveintothebellysideofthebulge.Thegrooveshouldbedeepenoughtocutintotheinsideofthepipefor1and1/2inches.Thewholegrooveis2incheslong.
Measure3/4inchesdownfromthetipofthebowandcuta1/8inchdiametergrooveforthestringtositin.Itshouldbefairlydeepsothatthestringstaysinplaceatfulldraw.
Withfinesandpaper,sandtheoutsideedgesofthegrooveandroundallsharpedgesonthenock.
Gentlyheattheedgesofthegrooveuntiltheyarepliable.Pressthemtotheside,openingthegrooveupsothatthestringwillrestinthegrooveandreturntothegrooveafterthebowisshot.
Thebulgeshouldnowbeabout1inchwide.Thiswillcatchthestringandreturnittothestringgroove.Itwillalsoprotectthestring,keepingthebowfromaccidentallyunstringingitself.
Here’sthebowatbrace.Thestringjustsitsinthestringgrooves.Thetoplimbisnoticeablyweakerthanthebottomlimb,whichwillhelpthebowevenoutatlongerdraws.
Atafull30inchdrawthelimbsaremuchmoreeven.Thelimbslookalittleoverstretchedandthebowpulls35to40pounds.Thisbowiswellsuitedtoanchoringbelowthejaw.
At28inches,thebowpulls30to35pounds.Itisalighterweightbow,allowingforasmoothdrawwhilestillbeingveryshortandmaneuverable.
Atbracethetoplimbisnoticeablyweakerthanthebottom.Thisisthelimitofhowunbalancedabowshouldbe.
Onewaytocorrectanimbalanceistolookatbothlimbsofthebow.Ifonelimbisthinnerinaspot,itwillbeweaker.Hereisathinspot.
Gentlyheatthethinspotuntilitbeginstopuffup.Withawetragortowel,pressontheheatedspot,makingsureitcomesuptoathicknessequaltotheoppositelimbbutnottoothick.Thismethodcanalsobeusedtofixcollapsedorfoldedlimbs.
Afteranylimbadjustments,sightdownthebowtomakesuretherecurveslineup.
Afterbeingstrungandshotatfulldraw,thebowwillsettledowntoitsfinalshape.Thetipsshouldstayaheadofthehandleforalittleextraspeedfromthebow.
Sandthebellyofthebowtoremoveallmarkingsandletteringwherethefauxhornbellywillbeapplied.Startwith80to100gritsandpaperandfinishwithatleast220forasmoothbutslightlygrippysurfacethatwillholdthefinish.
Applyastripofmaskingtapethewidthofyourfauxhornbellyfromthebaseofonerecurvetotheother.
Here’sthemaskingtapeappliedtothebellyofthebow.Liningthetapeupperfectlyonthehandlemaybedifficult,soextrapiecesoftapemaybeneededtosmoothitout.
Followingthemanufacturer’sinstructions,applyadarkbasecoattotheentirebow.Inthiscase,aflatblack.AdarkbasecoatwillhelpblockoutUVlightandwillalsohelpkeepthebowwarminsunlight,whichwillhelppreventbreakage.
Inordertocreateafauxsnakeskineffect,stretchafinemeshfishnetstockingoverthebow.Youmaygetsomestrangelooksbuyingthestockingsespeciallyifyouareaguy.Explainingthatit’sforaprojectmaygetevenstrangerlooks.
Whenthestockingissimplystretchedoverthebow,themeshislongandthin.Itisalsolooseinplaces.
Bypullingonthebellysideofthestocking,themeshiswidenedtoformdiamondshapes.Themeshalsoholdstightertothesurfaceofthebow.
Astripoftapestickingtoitselfthroughthemeshoraclipofsomekindcanholdthestockingundertensionwhilethebowisbeingpainted.
Securethestockingonthebellysideofthebowinenoughplacestoputagoodamountoftensiononthestockingonthebackofthebow.Trytokeepthetapeorclipswithintheboundariesofthemaskingtapesothatthebowcanbepaintedallthewayuptothetape.
Spraythetopcoatonthebow,carefultokeepthespraydirectlyabovethemeshtoavoidobscuringthelines.Thetopcoatcanbeanycolor.Hereitisadarkgreenforaverysubtleeffectandtokeepthebowwarmandelasticinsunlight.
Removethestockingafterthetopcoatisdrytothetouch.Makesuretoremoveitbeforethepaintfullycuresorthestockingmaypeelsomepaintaway.
Here’saclose-upofthefinish.
Nowit’stimetostartonthebellyofthebow.Peelthemaskingtapefromthebow,carefultogetalltheadhesiveoffthebelly.
Forthefauxhornbelly,youwillneedblackandbrownshoepolish.Liquidworksbestasitdriesintoaflexiblefilmanddoesnotcrackandpeellikesolidwaxpolishcan.Optionally,alow-poweredheatsourcelikeaheatgunonloworahairdryerwillquicklydrythepolishbetweencoats.
Wipethebellyofthebowdownwithadampclothtoclearoffanydustthatmaygettrappedunderthefinishandmakeitbumpy.
Applyacoatofblackshoepolish.Allowthepolishtodry,orusetheheatsourcetogentlyspeeduptheprocess.
Horncancomeinmanydifferentshadesfromhoneytojetblack,socontinueapplyingcoatsofpolishuntilthebowisagoodcolor.
Oncethebellyisdarkenough,applyonecoatofbrown.Thisaddsdepthandcharactertotheblackdyeandreallymakesthefinishstandout.
Oncethepaintanddyearecompletelydry,spraythewholebowdownwithclearcoatoroil-basedclearfinish.Thiswillhelpprotectthefinishaswellaskeeptheshoepolishfromscratchingoffaseasily.
Thisbowisverysubtle,especiallyonthebelly.Makingalighterbellywithadarkbasecoatordarkbellywithalightbasecoatwillgivemorecontrastandhelpthefauxhornstandout.
Byvaryingtheamountofstretchinthestocking,differentpatternscanbemadelikethewidemeshonthistipcreatedbyoverstretchingthestocking.
Thevariationintensionbetweenareasthatweretapedandtheintermediaryspotsgivestheillusionofmovementanddepthtothefinish.
ChapterSix–SnakeyRecurve
Oneofthemostunusualstylesofselfbowisthesnakeybow.Thesebowstesttheskillofthebowyerastheybeginwithwoodthatiscrookedandwavy.Theyfollowthecurvesandbendsofthetreetheywerecutfromandtheresultisoftenstunning.
Snakeybowsrangefromlightwavestosharpbendsandturns.Somehavehandlesthatareangled.Thisgivesthehandleanergonomiccantandmovesthehandletothesidewhilestillkeepingbalancefromtiptotip.
Bowslikethatareaccurateandforgiving,becauseliketheirmoderncousinswithcutpastcentershelves,thesebowsallowanarrowtorestonthecenterline.Theyarealsorareandverydifficulttobuild.YetbecauseoftheeaseinwhichPVCisshapedwithheat,replicatingevenextremecurvesisstraightforward.
Thesnakeyrecurvehasjustenoughsidewaysbendinthehandlethatitistrulyacentershotbowwithouthavingashelfcutintoit.Thisdesignisidealforthetargetarcherandbowhunterasitisaccurateandforgiving.At45to55poundsofdrawweightandunder4and1/2feetlongwhenstrung,thisbowisidealforbothstalkingonthegroundorperchedinatreestand.
Thedifferentstringanglesthatareformeddependingonhowclosetocenterthearrowis.Thefirstandsecondpicturesofeachofthe3sequencesisthebow
atbrace.Thethirdpictureisatfulldraw.
OffCenter,CenterandPastCenterOneofthemostimportantaspectswhendealingwiththeaccuracyofabow
isarrowspine.Spine,orthestiffnessofanarrow,affectshowmuchanarrowcanflex.Whenitcomestospine,itisimportantbecauseofarcher’sparadox.
Lookattheillustrationabove.ThebowontheleftisindicativeofbowslikemostPVCbowsandselfbowsthatrequireanarrowtocurvearoundthehandle.Archer’sparadoxcomesintoplayhere.
Whenabowlikethisisatbraceandanarrowisnockedonthestring,thearrowispushedawayfromcenterbythehandle.Whenthebowisdrawn,theanglethearrowmakesdiminishes.Thepointgoesfromwayoff-centertorightnexttothehandle.
Whenaiming,thearrowappearstoberightnexttothehandle.Thisiswherearcher’sparadoxcomesin.Whenamatchedarrowisfiredfromsuchabow,thestringdrivesthearrowintothehandleandthendeflectsitoffthehandleonlytoflexbackandcontinueoscillatingfromsidetoside,followingthepathofthestring.Sinceit’sthestringthatdrivesthearrow,thearrowstriestofollowthatpath.
Ifanarrowistoostiff,itwilldeflectoffthehandleandgoofftothesideofthebowitisplaced.Witharighthandedarcher,thisistotheleft.Ifanarrowistooweak,itwillwraparoundthehandleofthebowtoofarandenduptravelingtotheright(leftforlefthandedarchers).
Becausethedifferenceinanglebetweenbraceandfulldrawissoextreme,theamountofflexneededtocompensateisalsoextreme.Inordertolessentheeffectsofparadox,manybowshaveshelvesorrestscutintothebowtobringthearrowclosertocenter.
Thesecondpictureshowsabowthatisalignedtocenter.Thismeansthesideofthehandlelinesupwiththestring.Anarrowplacedonthebowwillmakeaveryslightangleoffofthecenterline.Whendrawn,thearrowgetsveryclosetobeingflatalongthecenterline.Whenthearrowisfired,thereislittlecorrectionneeded.Thismeansthearrowdoesnothavetobeperfectlyspined.
Inthethirdpicture,youcanseethearrowlinesupstraightalongthehandlebothatbraceandatfulldraw.Anarrowfiredfromthisbow,whichisactuallyalignedsothatthearrowrestsonthecenterline,willbeaffectedtheleastbyarcher’sparadox.Thearrowcanfreelymovealongthelinethestringforcesuponit,flexingonlytocompensatefortherear-thrustthestringimparts.Arrowsforthistypeofbowwilltypicallybestifferthanarrowsforanoffcenterbow.
SnakeyLimbsTherearefewwaystobringabowintopastcenteralignment,allowingan
arrowtositonthecenterline.Thefirstistocutashelfoutofthebow,allowingthearrowtositalongcenter.TheproblemwiththisisthatasolidPVCpipebowcannothandlethestressthiscauseswithoutbeingreinforcedinsomeway.
Differentmethodsofmakingabowcentershot.
Anothermethodistoflexthebowsidewaysuntilthearrowclearsthesideofthebow.Thisisatechniquesusedonselfbows,thoughbeingoutofalignmentcouldcausePVCtofoldsidewaysovertime.Attheveryleast,thePVCwouldtrytocorrectitselfandmostoftheeffectwouldbelost.Asnakeybowcanaccomplishthisbyretainingcenteralignmentandnotcompromisingtheintegrityofthehollowbow.
Snakeybowsoftenresemblesnakeswiththeirserpentinecurves.Theseverityofthesnakeycurvesandtheirplacementcanalterthecenterlineofthebow.Somesnakeybowsarejustlikeanyotherbowwiththecurvesnotaddinganysignificantadvantage.Somehavecurvesinornearthehandlesectionthat
affecthowcenter-alignedthebowis.Byreplicatingthesidetosidemotionofasnakeybow,thehandlecanbe
cantedsideways,allowingthearrowpasstositjustpastcenter.Whenanarrowisplacedonthisbow,itsitsatcenter.Thebowisnotweakenedbycutoutsorreinforcedinanyway.Thebowalsokeepsthisshapebecausethelimbsstilllineupandarealignedthroughthecenterofthehandle.
TaperedTipsSincethemajorityofaPVCbow’sstrengthcomesfromitsshape,thecenter
portionofflattenedsectionsislargelydeadweight.BycuttingalongVoutofeachend,thetwoendscanbebroughttogethertoformanewbowtip.Whiletheycanbereinforcedwithadhesivesorbywrapping,thetensionofthebowstringisusuallyenoughtokeepthesetipstogether.
Taperingtipslikethisdoesnotsignificantlyweakenabowaslongasitiskepttoaround6incheson3/4and1/2bowsand9inchesfor1inchbows.Thesetipsmakeabowalittlefasterasagoodamountofdeadweightistakenawayfromtheendsofthebow.Theyalsogiveabowamorepleasingandtraditionallookingoutline,anicecontrastfromnormalPVCbowswhichtaperfromnarrowatthehandletobroadatthetips.
BuildOverviewThisbowhasamixtureoffeaturesthatmakeitanexcellentbowforhunting
andfishingaswellastargetandfieldarchery.Itisthestrongestbowinthisbookandalsothemostaccurate.
Itstartswitha58inchlong1inchschedule40PVCpipe.Thesamebasicflatteningastheyouthrecurveappliesaswellasrecurving,thoughwitha9inchformratherthana6inchone.Thefinishedbowwillenduparound45to55poundsat28inchesandcanaccommodatedrawsupto30inches.
Thebasewillbeshapedtoformcurvesthatwillpushthehandlepastcenter.Thisinturnwillmakethisbowacentershotbow,givingitamazingaccuracyandconsistency.Thecurvesalsohelpblurtheoutlinesofthebow,enhancingitscamouflage.Taperedtipsaddtothebow’sappearanceandspeed.
Afauxsnakeskinfinishwillbeappliedtothebowusingspraypaint.Thefinishedbowshouldbearound56inchesntnand51inchestiptotipunstrung.Itusesa52to53inchstringandisaround52incheswhenbraced.Becauseoftheextremerecurve,itisactuallylongeratbracethanunstrung.
Thisshortlengthmakesitaverymaneuverablebowwhilestillcapableofsmoothdrawsevenwithheavierweights.Thestaticrecurveskeepitfairlyquietandmakeitquitefastwithaheavyarrow.Thesnakedpastcenterarrowpass
alsoallowsforaccurateshootingofheavy,unfletchedfishingarrows.
Startwitha58inchlengthof1inchpipe.Measureandmarkthecenterjustliketheyouthrecurve.Thehandleisalso4incheslong.
Mark9inchesinfrombothendsasaboundaryfortherecurve.9inchesisagoodlengthforbowsover55inchesinlength.
Heatandflattenthepipe.Theheatingwilltakelongerasthepipeisnotonlylongerbutalsolargerindiameter.Usethetallerflatteningblocksonthelongersideoftheflatteningjig,
Heatandflattenthehandlesidewaysagainstaflatsurface.Thehandleshouldbearound1and1/4incheswide.
Whentaperingthetipofarecurvedbow,itisagoodideatolayoutthetaperlinesonthebackofthebowbeforethetipisrecurved.ThebottomoftheVisthesame6or9inchlineforrecurving.For3/4inchbowsmeasure1/4inchinonthetipsandfor1inchbowsmeasure5/16ofaninch.
Heattheentiretipofthebowuptotherecurvinglineandthenrecurvethetipoveraform.Inthiscaseitisa9inchdiameterpot.
Hereistheflattenedandrecurved1inchbow.Thisbowcanbeusedasabasetomakeheavierandlongerversionsoftheyouthrecurveandhorsebow.
Tobeginatiptaper,markthebacksideoftherecurvewithalongV.Thetopedgesare1/4inchesfromtheedgeon3/4inchbowsand5/16inchesfromtheedgeon1inchbows.IftheVwasmarkedbeforerecurving,makesureitisstillevenandcentered.
CuttheVoutlineoutoftherecurve,makingsuretocutstraightthrough.Fileandsandtheedgessmoothtoprepareforgluing.
HeatthebottomoftheVjustuntilthetwosidesofthetipcanbepushedtogether.Gluethetwoedgestogetherandletthegluecompletelycure.HeavybodiedPVCcementworksverywellforthis.FollowallinstructionsonPVCglueandmakesuretoweararespiratorwhenworkingwithsolvents.Plasticepoxyputtyacleanerfinish.
Oncetheglueiscured,sandthetipsmoothandroundthenockendofthebow.Heavy-bodiedPVCcementisgoodforfillinggaps.Epoxyputtycanalsobeused.
Measure3/4inchesdownfromtheendandcutstringgroovesata45degreeangleddowntowardsthebellyofthebow.
Onthebellyofthebow,fileorsandthestringgroovestohelpthestringtrack.Thestringgroovesshouldbeonlydeepenoughforthestringtostayputwithoutcuttingthroughthepipe.
Nowthatthetipsarefinished,beginthesnakeycurvesbyheating1inchoutsideofthehandleonbothsides.Bendthelimbsbackslightlytogivethebowaslightdeflexoffofthehandle.
Todeterminetheangleofyourfirstcurves,holdthebowataslightanglelikethisforrighthandedarchers.Forlefthandedarchers,reversethedirection.Agoodangleisonewhereanarrowwouldcleartheupperportionofthehandleandbarelytouchthebowifthestringwasrunningstraightupanddownalong
center.
Herearethefirstcurves.Heatoneinchoutfromthehandlegentlyuntilthebowstartstopuffup.Thenstartflexingitgentlyuntiltheplasticstretches.Goingtoofastcouldteartheplasticasthecurvesarefairlyextreme.Forlefthanders,thecurveswillflexintheoppositedirection.
Sightingdownthebow,bothlimbsshouldbeparalleltoeachother,connectedbythehandlegoingatanangle.
Placeamarkhalfwaybetweenthehandlemarkandrecurvemark.Bendthisareaintheoppositedirectionofthehandlecurves.
Sightingdownthebowyoucanseethecurvessofar.Thislastsetofcurvesshouldbringthetipsbackpastcenterbutnotbymuch.
Thefinalcurveisveryslight,justenoughtobringtherecurvedtipsbackinlinewitheachother.
Sightdownthebowandmakesuretherecurveslineupstraightwitheachotherandthecenterofthehandle.Ifyoucanimagine,therecurvesneedtolineupasiftherestofthebowwasinlinewiththetips.
Thethreemaincurvesononelimb.Foramorenaturallook,heataslightlylargerareaforeverycurvetomakethebowlookmorelikeacrookedsapling.
Thesnakeyrecurveisnowreadytobestrungforthefirsttime.Gobackandmakesurethatbothlimbslookequalinthicknessbeforestringing.Becarefulwhilestringing.Iftherecurvesdon’ttrackrightwhenstringing,removethestringimmediatelyandadjustthetips.
Thebowatbrace.Fromtheside,itshouldlookjustlikealongerversionoftheyouthrecurve.Thelimbthatflexesmorethantheotheristhetoplimb.
Thebowatafull28inchdraw.Noticehowthestringisjustrestingonthenocksatfulldrawandthelimbsformasmoothandcontinuousarc.
Thisbowpulls45to55poundsdependingonhowshortthesnakeycurvesmakethebow.
Thecurvescanmakecheckingthebalanceofthelimbstricky.Lookatbothsidesofthebowbeforemakinganadjustmentsasthecurvescanplaytricksonyoureyes.
Themainissuewiththesnakeyrecurveisgettingtherecurveslinedupperfectly.Inthispicture,thestringisbeingpulledoutofalignmentbythelimbclosesttothecamera.Ifthebowwereshotnow,theriskofthestringslippingoffthebowisveryhigh.
Heatingthebaseoftherecurveandflexingitslightlytotherightallowsbothrecurvestotrackproperly.Thisalsobringsthestringinlinewiththecenterofthebow.Iftherecurvesareunevenintheotherdirection,flextherecurvetotheleftinstead.
Here’sthemainpointofthesnakeycurves.Whenanarrowisonthebowatbrace,thehandleisflexedfarenoughoutofcenteralignmentthatthearrowrestsrightonthecenterline.Thisallowsthebowtobemuchmoreaccuratewithstifferandlighterarrows.
Enjoyyoursnakeyrecurve!Hereitisafterbeingstrungandshot.It’sabowpowerfulandfastenoughtobeusedforhuntingasaselfbowwould.Italsomakesagoodtargetbowwithitspast-centerhandle.Fortargetshooting,startingoutwitha60inchpipewillgiveyou35to40poundsofpull.Thebowwillbemoreforgivingtoshootatthatlength.
Here’sanothershotofthebowshowingoffitscurves.TheamountofsidetosidecurvePVCcanhandlereallysetsitapartfrommanybowmakingmaterialsasfarasforgivenessisconcerned.
Spraytheentirebowwithabasecoat.Forwarmerweather,yourdarkercolorwillbethebasecoat.Incolderweather,thelightercolorwillserveasthebasecoat.
Stretchthestockingoverhalfofthebowandthehandle.Tapethestockinginplacefromthebellysideofthebowandonthehandle.
Tobetterreplicatethelookofsnakeskin,stretchthestockingsidewaysuntilthegapsarealmostsquaresbutstillslightlyelongateddiamonds.
Aninterestingeffectcanbeobtainedbydeliberatelytwistingthestockinginplaces.Thisgivestheillusionofmovementasifthebowiscoveredinrealskin.
Sprayyourtopcoatlightlyoverthebowafewtimes.Makesuretospraystraightdownsothepaintdoesnotgetunderthestockingandfadethelines.Keeptheveryedgeofthebowthecolorofyourbasecoat.
Letthepaintdry.Oncethislimbisdry,repeatontheotherlimb.Thepicturedoesn’tgivejusticetohowuniqueandeye-catchingthisfinishis.
Oncebothlimbsaredry,spraytopcoatontotheentirebellyofthebow.Careshouldbetakentoavoidgettingpaintonthebackandsidesofthebow.
Thefinishedbowfromthebackside.Thisfinishmakesthebowlooklesslikeit’scoveredinsnakeskinandmorelikeitismadeoftwosnakesstucktogether.
Fromthebellyside.
Whenplacinganarrowrestonthisboworshootingoffthehand,Imakesuretoplacethearrowwherethehandleispastcenter.Thiswillallowthearrowtositdirectlyinthecenterofthebow.Itmakesthisoneofthemostaccurateall-PVCbowsmadewithasinglepipe.
ChapterSeven–ArrowRest
Anarrowrestisaplatformthatallowsanarrowtositinthesamespotontheboweverytime.Arestorshelfalsokeepsthearrowinplacewhilethebowisdrawnandshot,protectingthebowhandandofferingmorestability.Whilenotneeded,arestcanhelpincreaseconsistencyandallowsforgoodpracticewhilealsomakingabowsafertouse.
We’llbegoingoverthreesimplereststhatarebuiltontotheoutsideofthebow.Thefirstoneisverythinonthehandle,allowingforamorestreamlinedgrip.Theothertwoarebuiltuponthesideofthehandleandincreasetheoverallsizeofthegrip.
Anarrowrestcanbeagreattoolforthebeginningarchertohelpbuildconsistencyandconfidence.Agoodrestcanalsoprotectthehandwithoutagloveagainstthebrushofthearrowoverthehand.Thiscanbeadeterrentforsomepotentialarchers.
TabRest
Thetabrestisasimpletabwhichprotrudesfromthesideofthehandlejustbelowthearrowpass.Itisgluedontothebow’shandleandisverystreamlinedunliketheotherrests.Italsocreatesaspaceforthehandtofallrightbelowitformoreconsistenthandplacement.
Oneofthebenefitstothetabrestisthatitallowsawiderestwithouttakingupalotofspaceormakingthebow’shandlewider.Itcanbeusedonanybowandisgreatforputtingarestonbothsidesofabowforrightandlefthandedshooting.
Unliketheotherrests,thearrowisdirectlyabovethebowhand.Itservesmoreasafingerguardthananythingelse.Bymakingtherestlongerorshorteritcanbeadjustedfrombeingasimpleindexwhilethearrowismainlyshotoffthehandtobeingatruearrowshelfthatwillholdthearrowtothebowevenwiththebowheldvertically.
Thisismypersonalfavoriterestforhorsebowsasitprovidesexcellenthandandarrowplacementwithoutgettingintheway.Foryoungchildren,thisrestcanbemodifiedwithalongershelfthatactuallycurvesbacktowardsthebowlikeaCwithenoughspaceatthetopforanarrowtoslideunder.Thisallowsarrowstobeplacedontheboweasilybutkeepsthemfromfallingoff,whichcanbefrustratingforyoungarchers.
StartwithalengthofPVCpipethesamediameterasthebowyouare
makingahandlefor.Measureandmark3and1/2inchesinfromtheendand1/2aninchfromtheend.Thewidthofthestripis1/4thecircumfrenceofthepipe.
Fromtheend,marktwolinesacrossthepipe,breakingitintofoursections.Onepieceofpipewillyieldfourtabrests.
Cutthepipealongthelinestomakefourseparatepieces.Cutthepiecesfromthebaseofthepipe.Pickonesectiontobecomethetabrest.
Withafile,sandpaperorgrinder,grindthetabdownfromtheinsideedgeuntilthetabhasanicetaperfromthickatthetoptothinatthebottom.Taperthelasthalfaninchofthebottomtomakeitroundedandsmooth.
Roundthetopandbottomofthetab.Roundingthetopofthetabwillhelpkeepitfromcatchingonthingswhilestillprovidingawideshelfforanarrowtorest.
Heatthetabatthe1/2aninchmarkandthenflexitintoarightangleinthedirectionoftheoutside.Yourbenttabshouldlooksomethinglikethis.
Placethetabonyourbow.Theportionofthetabthatsticksoutshouldbeinlinewiththeplacewhereyourarrowgoes.Forrighthandedarchersshootingthreefingers,thisisontheleftsideofthebow.Forlefthandedarchers,thisisontherightsideofthebow.
Therestshouldgo1to1and1/2inchesfromthecenterofthebow.Shootthebowafewtimeswiththetabtapedon,justsoyoucanadjustittowhereitis
comfortable.
Onceyou’vefoundacomfortableplacementforthetab,paintorclearcoattheoutside,visiblesurfaces.Thengluethetabtothebowwithanytough,flexibleandwaterproofadhesivelikehotglue,epoxyorsiliconesealer.Cleanofftheexcessandwhenthegluesetsthebowisreadytogo.
Tohelpsmooththetransitionbetweenbowandrest,giveacleanerappearanceandincreasegripinthehandle,somesortofhandlewrapcanbe
applied.A5inchlengthof1and1/2inchheatshrinktubingmakesacomfortablehandlewrap.
Oncetheheatshrinkisinplace,gentlyheatitwithsomeheatsourceuntilitbeginstoshrink.Startfromonesideandkeepthehandlemovingtoavoidmeltingorburningthetubing.Onceshrunkdown,thetubingmakesaquickandattractivehandle.
Thefinishedtabrest.Foraddedsilenceandprotectionforthebow,aleather
orclotharrowpasscanbegluedon.Forthisseetheendofthehardrestsection.
SoftRest
Oneofthesimplestwaystoaddaresttoabowistowraportapeasoftpadontothehandleofyourbow.Thispadcanbemadeofjustaboutanythingsoftandflexible.Cloth,leather,vinyl,plasticandtapecanallbeused.
Thisversionisdoneinducttapetomatchtheyouthrecurve,butjustaboutanymaterialcanbeused.Therestneedstobeattachedtothebowwithawrap.Ifusinganonadhesive-backedhandlewrap,therestwillnotbepermanent.Tomakeitpermanent,athinlayerofcontactcementorall-purposeadhesivegoesalongway.
Thisstyleofrestisforgivingwithmanytypesofarrowsandkeepsthearrowoffthehand.Itisflexible,whichmeansthattherestwilladdcushiontoyourhandlegrip.Itcanalsobeadjustedandremovedeasily.
Whensettingamorepermanentrestlikethehardortabrest,thesoftrestcanbeavaluabletool.Itcanbeplacedonthebowandthenmovedeasilytoadjustitsposition.Thisallowsforfinetuningbeforepermanentlyattachingarestorshelfontothebow.
It’salsoagreatreststyle,especiallyifdonewithleatherorcloth,forshootinganewbowbeforefinishingifyoudon’twanttorestanarrowonyourhand.It’sagreatrestforanystickbowwithoutacutshelfasitwon’tmarordamageanyexistingfinish.
Beginwithastripofmaterial.Leatherandvinylrestsonlyrequireabout2
feetofmaterial,1inchwide.Withducttape,cutmultipleshorter1inchwidestrips,asmanylayerswillbeneeded.It’salsoeasiertodealwithalittleducttapeatatime.
Foldabout1/2aninchofmaterialdownandthenkeeprollinguntiltheresultingbundleis1/8ofaninchthick.Afterthat,folddowndoublethebundleandkeeprollinguntilthenewsectionis1/8ofaninchthick.
Keeprollingandmovingdownuntilthetopoftherestisatleast1/4ofan
inchthick.Ifyouwantamoresecurebaseforyourarrowtoreston,keeprollinguntiltherestisagoodwidth.
Placetherestontothebow.Forrighthandedarchersusingthreefingers,placetherestontheleftsideofthebowasviewedwhenshooting.Reversethatforlefties.Therestshouldsit1to1and1/2inchesupfromcenter.
Tosecurethesoftresttothebowitneedstobewrappeddown.Takeastripofmaterialthesamewidthasyourrestandtightlywraptherestdown,starting
fromthetopandendingatthebottom.Tapeworksverywellforthisasdoessporttapeandanyadhesive-backed
handlewraporbandage.Ifusingamaterialwithoutadhesive,tuckthelooseendunderthelastwrap,pullittightandcutthelooseend.
Thefinishedsoftrest.Noticethatthearrowisthickerthantherestitself.Aslongashalfofthearrow’sdiameterissmallerthantherest,itwillwork.
HardRest
Likethesoftrest,thehardrestgoesonthesideofthebowandoffersaplaceforanarrowtorest.Dependingonhowwidetheshelfsurfaceis,thisrestcanbeafullshelforsimplyanassistforshootingoffthehand.Likethetabrest,itoffersnopaddingontheshelf.Thiscanbefixedbygluingpaddingontotheshelfandarrowpass.
Itaddssomebodytothehandleandcanbeadjustedinlength.Ifmadethelengthofthehandle,itwilladdmorewidthtothehandlethroughout.Ifmadeshorter,itcanserveasaplaceforthehandtoreturntoeverytime,increasingyourconsistency.Ifyouhaveasnakeybow,thisrestmakesthehandlemoreuniform,removingsomeoftheslantinthehandle.
We’llalsogooverhowtowrapahandleinleatherorvinyl.Itcanaddcomfortandwarmthtothebowaswellaskeepthecenterofthebowflexibleandwarmincoldweather.Thissamemethodofwrappingahandlecanalsobeextendedtowraptheentirebow.
Ifyouwantanarrowindexpointandnotafullshelf,heattherestbeforegluingandpressitdowntotheshapeofthehandle.Thatwaytherestwillonlybe1/8ofaninchthick.Sandtheedgesflushandglueinplace.
Startwitha3inchlengthofpipethesamediameterasyourbow.Markalinefrom1/2waydownoneendtoabout1/8ofaninchontheoppositeside.Youshouldendupwithawedgeshape.Foramorestreamlinedrest,cutdownto1/4
ratherthan1/2.
Cutthewedgefreeandfileorgrindthetopedgedownsothatitisatarightanglewiththeinsideoftherestandthenroundthebottomfrom1/8ofaninchtoasmoothtransition.
Placetherestontothebow.Ifthehandleisnotgoingtobewrappedoracleanertransitionisneeded,wrapapieceofsandpaperaroundthehandle,abrasivesideout.Placetherestontothehandleandrubitacrossthehandleuntil
theinsideoftherestmatchesthecontoursofthehandle.
Gluetherestinplacewithaflexibleandwaterproofglue.Makesuretherestisontheleftsideofthebowforrighthandedarchersandontherightforlefthandedarchers.Thetopoftherestshouldsit1to1and1/2inchesabovethecenterofthehandle.
Towrapahandlewithleatherorvinyl,startwitha5by6inchsquareofpaper.Wrapitaroundthebowandtracewheretheedgesoverlap.Cutalongthe
tracedlines.Transferthattoapieceofleatherorvinyl.Finally,folddown1/2aninchofmaterialatthetopandbottomandglueitin
placewithcontactcementorwaterproofwoodglue.Thiswillgivethefinishwrapanattractiveandsmoothedge.
Marktheoutsideoftheleather,1/4ofaninchfromtheedge,withtwomarksperinch.Thiscanbedonebymeasuring,usingaleatherstitchingguideoraforkoftherightprongspacing.Mostforksarecloserto4perinch,sojustignorehalfofthemarks.Usealeatherpunchorawltopunchholeseveryhalfaninch.
Therearemanywaystolaceleather.Thiswasdoneinanover-underfashionlikelacingashoe.Iusedaleathershoelacefromanoldboot.Theleatherforthehandlecamefromanoldcouch.Proofthatrecyclingcanbeveryrewarding.Theleatherisfixedwithalittlebitofcontactcementonthebellysideofthehandle.
Finishthelacingbyeithertyinganoverhandknotortuckingthelooseendsunderandgluingtheluckedendsinwithsuperglue.
Toprotectthebowandhelpmufflesomeofthesoundfromthearrowpassingoverthebow,glueanarrowpassontothebow.Itissimplyaroundedtriangleofleatherorvinylatleastastallasdoubleyourarrow’sdiameter.Asimilarpadcanalsobegluedtotheshelfitself.Forevengreatersilencing,apieceoffeltorshortfurcanbegluedoninstead.
Thefinishedhardrest.Thisparticularrestwasdoneona1inchbow,soitlooksalittleoversized.Tomaketherestmorestreamlinedon1inchbows,startthewedgeat1/4ofthewidthofthepiperatherthan1/2.Therestismuchmore
streamlinedon3/4inchbows.
Gallery
Notallsnakeybowsneedtobecentershot.Some,likethisone,aremainlyforaesthetics.Thisoneisalittleclosertocenterthanacompletelyoffcenter
bow,thoughthatwasn’tthemainpurpose.
Thefinishedsnakeyrecurveatfulldraw.
Thesnakeyrecurvecanalsobemadewithoutthesnakeycurvestomakealargerversionoftheyouthrecurve.Thisisagreatbowforarchersalready
accustomedtoshootinglongerbows.
Thefinishedhorsebowatafull30inchdraw.
Anarrowonitswaytothetarget,firedfromthesnakeyrecurve.Youcanseethefletchingintheairabouthalfwaytothetarget.
Thefinishedyouthrecurveatfulldraw.
Glossary
ABS-Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene,aplasticusedoftenforplumbingapplicationsasitisclean.Itisalsotoughincoldtemperatures.
Aluminum-Alightandtoughalloyofmetalusedofteninmodernarrows.AnchorPoint-Theplacewhereanarrowisdrawntobeforereleaseevery
time.AMO-TheArcheryManufacturersandMerchantsOrganization,anold
nameforanorganizationthathassetmanystandardsforarcheryequipment.AMOLength-ThelengthofabowasmeasuredaccordingtoAMO
standards.ItalsoreferstoastringthatproperlybracesabowofalabeledAMOlength,regardlessoftruebowlength.
Archer-Apractitionerofarchery,auserofthebowandarrow.Archer’sParadox-Theeffectcausedbyanarrowflexingwhileleavingthe
bowafterrelease.Arrow-Theprojectileusedinarchery,firedfromabow.ArrowPass-Theplaceonabowwherethearrowisplacedandpassesover
whenfired.ArrowRest-Ashelforsimilardevicethatholdsanarrowontothehandle
duringthedrawcycle.ATA-TheArcheryTradeAssociation,thecurrentnamefortheAMO.Back-Thesideofthebowthatfacesawayfromthearcher.Belly-Thesideofthebowthatfacesthearcher.Bow-Aweaponthatusesspringlikelimbstopropelanarrow.Bowfishing-Usingabowtoharvestfishaboveandbelowwater.Bowhunting-Huntinggameanimalsusingabowandarrow.BowString-Astrongandideallyinelasticcordthatconnectsthetipsofa
bowandallowsabowtofirearrows.Bowyer-Apersonwhobuildbows.Brace-Eitherabowwhenitisstrung,ortheactofstringingabow.BraceHeight-Thedistancebetweenthehandleofabowandthestring
whenthebowisatbrace.CarbonFiber-Alightweightmaterialcomposedofcarbonfibersinamatrix
ofresinthatisverytoughandusedinmodernarrows.Centershot-Abowthatisincrediblyaccuratebyreducingtheeffectof
archer’sparadox.Collapse-Aconditionwhereabowfoldsinanareaduetoloststrength.
CompositeBow-Abowmadeupofdifferentmaterialsfixedtogether.CompoundBow-Amodernbowthatusesasystemofcablesandpulleysor
camstoincreaseefficiency.Compression-Acrushing,pushingforcethatthebellyofabowundergoes.Deflex-Abendinabowthatgoesawayfromthearcher.Drawing-Pullingabowbackinordertostoreenergyandpreapreforthe
release.DrawLength-Eitherthemaximumlengthabowcanbepulledtoorthe
lengthanarcherpullstheirbowto.DrawWeight-Howmuchforceisrequiredtopullabowtofulldraw,
usuallymeasuredinpounds.DryFire-Alsocalledadryreleaseordryloose,itisdrawingandreleasinga
bowwithoutanarrowonthestring.Fiberglass-Glassfibersinamatrixofresin,atoughcompositeused
regularlyforbothmodernbowsandarrows.FieldArchery-Shootingattargetsofunknowndistancesinafieldoropen
space.FlattenTaper-Ataperinapipeorcylinderformedbyflatteningoneside
progressivelymorethantheother,formingasmoothtaper.Fletching-Thefeathersorvanesthatstabilizeandarrowinflight.Flex-Theamountsomethingiscapableofbending.Handle-Thecenterportionofabowthatthearcherholds.HeatGun-Adevicethatusesaheatingelementcombinedwithafanor
blowertodeliverhotair.HorseArcher-Anarcherwhoshootsfromhorseback.Alsoknownasa
mountedarcher.HorseBow-Abowusedonhorseback.UsuallyreferstoshorterAsiatic
compositebows.LaminatedBow-Abowmadeofdifferentpiecesgluedtogether.Itmaybe
piecesofonematerialormanydifferentmaterials.Limb-Theflexiblearmsofabow.MountedArchery-Thesportofshootingabowfromhorseback.Nock-Canrefertothepointonabowwherethestringattaches,thenotchat
theendofanarrowwhereitattachestothestring,ortheactofattachinganarrowtothebowstring.
NocktoNock-Thelengthofabowmeasuredfromthebottomofonenocktotheother.
OffCenter-Abowthatdoesnotallowanarrowtorestnearthecenterlineofthebow.
OfftheHand-Shootingabowwithoutarest,thearrowrestsonthebowhand.
PastCenter-Abowthatallowsanarrowtositperfectlycenteredbecausethebowisalignedofftothesideofcenter.
PE-Polyethylene,acommonplasticusedforfoodandwaterstorageaswellaspipingforpotablewater.
Poundage-Anothertermfordrawweightasmeasuredinpounds.PP-Polypropylene,atoughplasticusedforropes,plumbingpipesandjoints
thatneedtobeflexedrepeatedlywithoutfailing.PVC-PolyvinylChloride,acommonplasticthatisusedformanydifferent
purposessuchasclothing,constructionandplumbing.Itishardandbrittleinitspureform.
PVCPipe-Plasticpipingusedforplumbing,drainage,wiringhousingandtransportofcorrosivefluids.
Quill-Thehard,fingernaillikemainshaftofanarrow,alsocalledtherachis.
Recurve-Acurveinthetipsofabowthatfaceawayfromthearcher.Arecurveisatypeofreflex.Canalsobeabowthatisrecurved.
Release-Canbetheactoffiringabowbylettinggoofthestring,astyleoflettingthearrowgooramechanicalaidfordrawingandreleasingabow.
Reflex-Acurveinabowthatfacesawayfromthearcher.Riser-Centerportionofabowthatcontainsthehandleandarrowpass.It
fadesintothelimbsoneitherside.Selfbow-Abowmadeofonematerial,usuallyofwood.Siyah-ThestatictipsorearsonanAsiaticcompositebow.Spine-Themeasureofhowmuchanarrowcanresistbendingandflexing.StaticRecurve-Arecurvethatdoesnotmoveorbendduringthedraw.Stave-Asinglepieceofmaterialusedtomakeabow,usuallyastripof
wood.Stickbow-Abow,regardlessofmaterial,thatdoesnotmakeuseofsightsor
otheraids.Oneexceptionistheuseofanarrowrestorshelf.Calledastickbowbecauseit’s“justastickandastring”.
StringBridge-Aplaceonasiyahwherethebowstringsitsandtracks.StringLength-Thelengthofastringfromlooptoloop.Itisusually3to4
inchesshorterthanthebow’sntnlength.NottobeconfusedwithAMOlengthwhichistheapproximatelengthofabow.
TaperFlattening-Theactofflatteningsomethingwithataperinthicknessfromoneendtotheother.
TargetArchery-Shootingatfixedtargetsatknowndistances.
Tension-Apullingforcethataffectsthebackofabow.ThicknessTaper-Thetaperinthicknessinabowlimb.TraditionalArchery-Atermthatusuallyexcludescompoundbowsand
othermodernmechanicalbowswhileincludinglongbowsandrecurvebows.Thetermcanrangefromtheuseofonlynaturalmaterialequipmentallthewaytosolelyman-madematerialsaslongascompoundsaren’tused.
UVLight-Aformofradiationthatcandamagepolymersbybreakingbonds.ItcancauseplasticpolymerslikePVCtodiscolorandgrowbrittleovertime.
Web-Alsocalledthebarbsofafeather,themainbodyofafeatherthatconsistsofindividualbranchesthatconnecttogether.
WorkingRecurve-Arecurvethatbendsorunfurlsasthebowisdrawn.
BonusTrack:PartOne–PolyProString
Commercialbowstringsaregreatifyoucangetthem.ThenormalmaterialsforstringslikeDacronandFastFlightarealsogreatifyoucangetthem.Ifnot,therearesomeoptionsforbuildingyourownbowstringsfrommaterialfoundinmosthardwarestores.
Polypropylenetwine,alsocalledPolyProorPPisaverytoughmaterial.Itisusedformanypurposes,mostcommonlyforlighttyingandbinding.ItisnotasgoodaspolyesterDacronorFastFlight,butitisfairlylow-stretch.Moststorescarryitintwineform,thinenoughtobemadeintoabowstringwithtwostrands.Eachstrandneedstohaveabreakingstrengthofatleast180pounds.
Ifyoucannotfindpolypropylenetwine,lookforpolypropylenerope.Mostropecanbestrippeddowntotheindividualstrandsandthosecanbeused.Theseinstructionsalsoapplytoanyotherstringmaterial.Inapinch,mostwaxeddentalflossandDacronfishinglinewillwork.Ifusingathinthread,makesuretostartwithtwobundlesthattogethermakearoughly1/8inchthickstring.
Polypropylenetwinecomesindifferentstrengths.Abreakingstrengthofatleast180poundsperstrandisbest.
Takethelengthofyourbownocktonock,subtract3inchesandthenadd22inches.Cuttwostrandsoftwinethislength.
Withafirmgrip,pullthetwineoverbeeswaxorstringwax.Keeppullingthestrandthroughquicklyuntilthewaxheatsupandbeginstosoakintothetwine.
Thestrandontophasbeenwaxed.Thewaxwillallowthestringtoholditselftogetherandwilllessenwearandtearduringuse.
Fromoneend,measure12inches.Thiswillbecomethetoploop.Holdbothstrandstogetheratthe12inchmark.
Whileholdingbothstrandstightlywithonehand,twistthestrandswiththeother.Iliketotwistthemcounterclockwise.Twistthemequallyuntiltheybunch
together.
Aftertwistingenoughtimes,thestrandswillstartkinkingandmaystartfoldingonthemselves.
Holdthebasetightandtwistbothstrandstogetherintheoppositedirection.Herethestrandsaretwistedclockwise.Don’tforcethetwistorthestringmay
unravel.
Continuetwistingtheindividualstrandsandthentwistingthemainstringuntilyouhave4inchesoftwistedrope.Thiswillgiveyoua2inchloop.
Foldtheropeoversothatthelooseendsmatchuptoformthetoploop.
Matchthelooseendsup.Pressandwaxthetwobundlestogether.
Makesureallthebundlesareuntwistedbeforewaxingthemtogethersothattheloopwillnotunravelitself.
Justliketwistingthetwooriginalbundlestomaketheloop,twistthetwobundlesbelowtheloopcounterclockwiseseparatelyandthentogether
clockwise.
Continuetwistinguntiltheloopissecured.Applywaxasyougotohelpthestringholdtogether.
Twistaboutaninchpasttheendofthesplice.Thiswillkeeptheloopfromunravelinginthenextstep.
Takeoneofthelongendsoftwineandtwistitcounterclockwise.Aquickwaytodothisistoplacethetwineonyourlegandpressdownwithonehand.
Theloopisontheleft.
Rollyourhandbackwards.Thiswillcauseacounterclockwisetwistontheleftofyourhandanaclockwisetwistontheother.
Keeptwistingthestringuntilitjuststartstobunchup.Trytoputthesameamountoftwistsintoeachstrand.
Stretchbothstrandsoutandmeasure12inchesfromtheend.
Repeatthesamestepsasbeforetomakeasecondloop.
Finishtheloop.Oncethefinaltwistshavebeencompleted,you’llnoticethattherewillbeaportionofstringwithagapwherethetwistsaredifferent.
Openthestringuplikethis.Fromherewe’llbeabletomakethetwistsequal.
Griponestrandfromthesidewherethefirstloopis.
Pullyourhandacrossthestringwhilegrippingtightly.Thetwistswillmovefromonesideofthestringtotheother.
Oncethetwistsareallequal,givethestringafewclockwisetwiststokeepthestrandstogether.Atthispointthestringneedstobestretched.Eitherputthestringonthebowandshootitorhangthestringfromoneloopandsuspenda
weightfromit.Leavetheweightovernight.
Tohelpprotectthestringfromfrayingandtotackdownanyloosefibers,coatitwithwax.Oncecoatedwithwax,rubthestringwithapieceofpaperto
smooththewax.
Enjoyyourfinishedstring!Foraddedreinforcement,wraptheareawherethearrowandyourfingersgowithheavythreadortape.
BonusTrack:PartTwo–GardenStakeArrows
Buildingyourownarrowscanbeexciting.Thereisnothingmoresatisfyingthanshootingarrowsyoumadewithyourownhandsoutofabowalsocraftedbyyou.Thatsaid,arrowsarenoteasytomake.AgoodarrowismuchhardertobuildthanaPVCbowandrequiresmuchmoretuningtoflyright.
Agoodarrowmustbeabletowithstandnotonlytheforcesofflexintheair,buttheimpactofstrikingatarget.Anyweaknessinthearrowanditcouldbreak.Whenarrowsbreakduringtheshot,theycouldeasilyshatter.Thesepiecescouldhityoureyesorembedthemselvesinyourskin.Abrokenarrowcouldevendriveintoyourhandwhereitwillneedtobesurgicallyremovedandmayruinyourhandpermanently.
Whenbuildingasafearrowforavarietyofbows,Ioftenusebambooandcane.Ifyoudon’thavebambooorcanegrowinginyourarea,mosthardwarestoressellbambooortonikncanegardenstakes.Whencarefullyselected,straightened,temperedandfinished,thesearrowsarestrongandcanbeshotthroughavarietyofbowweightswithoutmuchlossofaccuracy.
Startwithsomebamboogardenstakes.Youwanttolookforbambooorcanestakesthataresomewherebetween5/16and3/8inchesthick.Rejectanythatarecracked,burnt,rottedorlookgreen.Bambooandcaneshouldlookbrownor
yellowincolor.
Figureouthowlongyouwantyourarrows.Thetwoshaftsonthebottomarealreadystraightenedandcutout.Atthispoint,justgetanideaofwherethearrowshaftwillbecut.We’llbemarkingtheshaftsnowbutnotcuttingthem
yet.
Thethickerendofthecaneorbamboowillbefrontend.Thefrontshouldbemarkedatanodeorthethickerportionofthebambooforstrength.
Thethinnerendwillbethebackornockendofthearrow.Trytopickasectionofbamboowherethisendfallsonornearanodeasitwillstrongerthan
iffromthemiddle.
Removeanystemsorleafycoveringsfromthebamboo.Gentlycutsmallbranchesandoffshootstowardthenodetokeepthemfromstrippingtherestof
thebamboo
Here’swhattheresultingnodeshouldlooklike.
Sightdowntheendsofyourshafts,concentratingontheareasyoumarked.Youcanseethattheyarenotstraight.
LikePVC,bamboogetssoftwhenheated,butkeepinmindthatyouonlygetoneortwochances.Heattheareabetweennodesfirst.
Onceitisheatedenough,itwillflex.Straightenitandkeepstraighteninguntilitcoolsandsets.
Afterallthesectionsbetweennodesarestraightened,startworkingonthenodes.
Thenodesrequiremoreheattobendthemeasily,sothebamboomaygetalittletoastedhere.
Justbecarefultonotoverheatthenodesastheycouldsplitandsplinterlikethis.Throwawayanyarrowshaftsthataresplittingorcracked.
Whenstraighteningnodes,ithelpstorestthemagainstapadortoweloveryourknee.Thatwayyoucanpressthenodeintothecurveofyourlegformore
leverage.
Herearethestraightenedshaftsreadytobetrimmed.
Cuttheshaftsdowntolengthalongthelinesmarked.Agoodwaytocutbambooistosawallthewayaroundratherthanstraightthrough.Thishelps
preventsplintering.
Theresultingcutwillbecleanalongthetoughfibersofthebamboo.Theendscanthenbesandedsmooth.
Sandeachnode.Somelightsandingwithapieceofsandpaperbackedwithablockofwoodworkswell.
Eithersandthenodesjustuntiltheyaresmoothorsandthemtilltheyareflushwiththerestoftheshaft.Thenodesshouldnotaffectarrowflight.
Oncetheshaftsaresandedsmooth,applyyourfinishofchoice.Ifyoucompletelyflattenthenodeareas,alacquerorpolyfinishwillhelpkeepthe
nodesfromsplitting.
Ifgluingoncommercialpointsandnocks,glueasmalldowelintoeachendaninchdeep.Thiswillhelpreinforcetheendsofthearrow.
We’llstartfletchingbymakingasimplefeatherclampthatwillhelpyougluefeathersmoreconsistently.Startwithalengthof3/4inchpipe,6inches
long.
Heatthepipeandflattenitcompletelybetweentwoflatsurfaces.
Withafileorsandpaper,grindawayoneedgeuntiltheinsideofthepipeisexposed.
Thefeatherclampwillworkwithorwithoutaspringclamp.Simplefingerpressurewillholdfeathersinforgluing.
Afterapplyingathinlineofcraftcement,superglueorfletchingglue.Pressthefeatherontotheshaft,holdingituntilthegluesets.
Yourfirstfeathershouldbealignedwiththesideofyournocksothatthisfeatherwillstickoutfromthebowwhenonthestring.
Itshouldbeperpendiculartothenockgroove.
Arrangetheotherfeathers120degreesawayfromthefirst.
Besurethatyourfeathersallcurlinthesamedirectionbeforegluingasthiswillaffectflight.
Ifyoudon’twanttobuypre-cutfeather,youcancutthemyourself.Startwiththewingortailfeatherofturkey,peacock,gooseorotherlargebird.
Withasharpknifeorrazorblade,splitthefeatheralongthecenterofthequill.Workcarefullyastheknifemaypulltoonesideandcutthequill.
Pickonesideofthefeathertouse.Ifusingmultiplefeathersfromabird,makesureeachisfromthesamewingasthiswillaffectarrowflight.
Cutthefeathertoyourfinishedlength.Iprefer4to5inchfeathersforbambooandwoodarrows.
Thequillwillbethickandwideatthispoint.Clampthefeatherinthefeatherclampandcarefullycutthequilldown.
Becarefulwhilecuttingthequillasit’seasytomakeittoothin.Thequillshouldbesmoothanduniforminsizenow,around1/8ofaninchwide.
Yourfeathersarenowreadyforgluing.Ifyouarecuttingthembyhand,itiseasiertodowhenthefeathersareontheshaft.
Whenworkingwithfull-lengthfeathers,Iliketouseamodifiedfeatherclampcutdowntothelengthofthefeather.Thisallowsyoutogetthelength
exactoneachfeather.
Applythefeathersjustlikethepre-cutfeathers.Thebackofthefeathershouldbearoundainchfromthebottomofthenock.
Dependingonhowyoucutthebackofthefeather,youmaywanttofletchtheshaftlower.
Trimthefeatherwithalargepairofscissors.Ifleavingtheendsofthefeathersfulllikethis,makesurethereisenoughroomforyourfingerstogripthe
arrow.
Applythenocksontoyourarrowifyouhaven’tdoneso.Mostcommercialnocksneedan11degreetaper.
Alternatively,useanockfileortilesawtofileagrooveintotheendofthearrowforanock.Bindjustbelowthenockwiththreadortape.
Mostglue-onpointsrequirea5degreetaper.
Sincebambooarrowsarehollow,duplexnailscanbesharpenedandthengluedintothefrontendofthearrowasapoint.
Enjoyyournewarrowsandhappyshooting!
Ifyou’veeverwantedtobuildawoodenbow,checkoutTheBackyardBowyer:TheBeginner’sGuidetoBuildingBows