Reddit Reddit reviews Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 1

We found 1 Reddit comments about Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 1. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 1
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1 Reddit comment about Traditional Bowyer's Bible Volume 1:

u/Seatown93 ยท 10 pointsr/Bowyer
  1. This is going to sound dumb, but keep track of which side is the belly and which side is the back! My first bow was an unbacked red oak bow, with no handle. I was working on it one day, went to do something...and somehow got the back and belly mixed up. Yeah, that didn't survive long.

  2. Dacron B-50 is your best friend. Cheap, tough, easy to work with. Related: regular old beeswax/string wax works just fine. No need to get the really expensive stuff.

  3. If you're just starting out, I honestly recommend using hand tools over powered ones. It's really easy to take off too much wood using electric saws/grinders/sanders/etc. It'll take a bit longer, but it also lets you learn how to really shape the wood.

  4. Take your time tillering! It's very tempting to rush through just to get to the end and say "good enough". Stop, slow down, check the curve. Look for hinges, stiff spots, twists. When you've looked it over once, check again.

  5. For your first few bows, even if you get a really solid piece of wood, I'd personally recommend a backing. It adds an extra layer of insurance, just in case.

  6. We have a saying; "If you ain't breaking bows, you ain't making bows". I broke four or five staves before I got a shooting bow. Making a bow isn't like building a model or writing code; you have to adapt to the wood, let it tell you how to work it, be willing to adapt and change your methods or design on the fly if necessary. You're taking something that was not necessarily meant to endure extreme stresses and making it do just that. It sounds cheesy and hokey, but listen to the stave.

    Also go pick up The Traditional Bowyer's Bible: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SFSV5PS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

    There's 4 in the series, but the first really covers everything you need to know as a starting bowyer.