Building a bow!!!

Started by Letxuma Swizaw, February 15, 2010, 11:55:33 PM

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Letxuma Swizaw

 So in prep for the tribe i've decided i should perhaps invest in some more craftsman skills. Tomorrow i am going out and finding a maple sapling, 2 inches in diameter and nose height, and will proceed to form it into what i hope will be the basis for our future hunting devices. ;D

I willl keep you updated on the status of my creation and i plan to use only natural resources to finish this goal. I'm hoping for a finishing draw weight of at least 50 lbs. As i proceed through the creation i will show you the steps i am following to create it, so you can follow my example. I will have pictures but mind you this is a delicate process and one with which i have no experience so it will take upwards of a month. :( I'm really impatient so i'll probably break it.

This should probably be moved into the "your projects" section but i personally thought it would interest the tribal community the most.

Tuesday February 16 4:00 PM:

My pretty back yard.

My cool kitchen Knife

Our friend Ta'em Swizaw

Me heading back down the hill after forgetting the camera. (video)

Me lugging a giant tree-top up a 60 degree hill while Ta'em Swizaw commentates and doesn't help.(video)

There are about 4 other entertaining videos but because it takes about 6 hrs to upload a min. of video >:( i'll do that later. This is more to show that its particularly easy thing to do, cutting down a tree or whatever. And also to show off Ta'em Swizaw a new permanent member of the tribe!

Wednesday February 17 1:30 PM

Started trimming the tree down it now has no branches. We're going to wait till another time to split the tree, hopefully the ice will keep the wood from rotting to soon. After finding a branch already in bow shape we decided to practice shaving on that branch. We removed the bark being careful not to remove too much of the growth ring (the green part under the bark which has turned brown in the pictures from drying out) and put it in my closet to cure.


Started to cut out what would become the tsko today and realized that this part was already bent for us:


we'll probably still use the part we intended to use in the first place i just figured we'd see how it would go. Hopefully with the other half of the Utral at the bottom of the hill and the large part we have now we can manage to fashion at least four practice Aysko.

Here's the bow hanging in my closet curing:

A note on curing: depending on the humidity of your house you should leave the bow untouched with ends sealed for up-to a week. Feel the wood after a while to see if it feels dry and solid to make sure it has cured properly.


The bow is being carved now. march 5, 2010

I am slowly whittling my way through the tough wood and it is gaining flexibility. Keeping it even on both sides is increasingly difficult as i continue to run into imperfections in the wood. If I were to string it now it would probably have a draw weight of about 200 lbs so i have a ways to go. (sorry no pics mum has the cam) I would recommend using a strait edged blade for carving as anything else will leave unsightly and unpredictable trenches in the wood. If your blade begins to dull and you do not have a wet stone go grab a ceramic cup and use that to sharpen it, works in a snap.

Ngeyä Krrir, irayo, ma aysmuk.
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

'Itan Atxur

#1
I think this topic has already been made in this very board! It would just take a little digging to find though.

Edit: Here it is:

http://forum.learnnavi.org/real-life-navi-tribe/bow-making/

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Letxuma Swizaw

yeah but i'm using only things we could use in a tribal setting. those are professional craftsmen using modern tools. (not being mean)
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

'Itan Atxur

Ahh!  Didn't notice that! Good luck with this project! I've been wanting to start but have been focusing on other parts of the tribe at the moment. ;D

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Letxuma Swizaw

i need some good manual labor to help my freaking out issue right now. :-\
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

'Itan Atxur

Lol. That's why I've been doing Parkour!!

Really though, I'm totally jealous that your doing a bow right now. I need to just bite the bullet and do it!

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Letxuma Swizaw

it's all good i wont wake up till 1:00 pm tomorrow, i'll look outside at the foot of snow and move it to next week probably. so you still have time to beat me to it. ;)
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

Txontaw

Yeah, I have no idea where to find a good sized stick around here, so for my first one, I think I'm stuck with bought wood. But it's close enough.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


'Itan Atxur

Fortunately (or unfortunately now that I think about it), I just cut down a TON of small hard woods a few months ago (would NEVER have done that after seeing Avatar), so I've got some options.

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Letxuma Swizaw

if you can spare the extra money look for some lemon wood. if not just make sure you go for good hard woods: maple, oak, beech, black locust, honey locust.
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

d5ive

#10
Well I am doing Design Tech as a subject and the school buys us all a heap of natural woods, what are the best ones for a bow? I am taking up recurve archery (I feel its a good balance between traditional and modern design).
What I think would be within my grasp once I have some archery under my belt is to buy the handle and build the bow arms so I get the satisfaction of making a bow :P
So what woods does one suggest?

EDIT: Sorry for thread hijack :P I'll only take a sec
:O Got my own copy of Avatar on Blu Ray now!

Science has made us gods even before we are worthy of being men - Jean Rostand

Join the real life Na'vi tribe here  (And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, NOT a role play tribe!)

bagget00

Quote from: Itan Atxur on February 16, 2010, 12:43:17 AM
Fortunately (or unfortunately now that I think about it), I just cut down a TON of small hard woods a few months ago (would NEVER have done that after seeing Avatar), so I've got some options.

Bring some with you for bow making supplies for the tribe?
"meoauniaea" (meh-oh-ah-oo-nee-ah-eh-ah). "Don't ask me what it means - I haven't assigned a meaning yet. But I love the word!" Frommer said.

"Latin and Zombies. Technically dead, but still influencing society."

Author of http://forum.learnnavi.org/fiction-fanfiction/displayed/

'Itan Atxur

Quote from: bagget00 on February 16, 2010, 04:14:14 AM
Quote from: Itan Atxur on February 16, 2010, 12:43:17 AM
Fortunately (or unfortunately now that I think about it), I just cut down a TON of small hard woods a few months ago (would NEVER have done that after seeing Avatar), so I've got some options.

Bring some with you for bow making supplies for the tribe?

Not a bad idea. The woods not going anywhere anytime soon. Heck, maybe if I get good at this I can make them all ahead of time!

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

sezawte

Quote from: Itan Atxur on February 16, 2010, 09:17:00 AM
Quote from: bagget00 on February 16, 2010, 04:14:14 AM
Quote from: Itan Atxur on February 16, 2010, 12:43:17 AM
Fortunately (or unfortunately now that I think about it), I just cut down a TON of small hard woods a few months ago (would NEVER have done that after seeing Avatar), so I've got some options.

Bring some with you for bow making supplies for the tribe?

Not a bad idea. The woods not going anywhere anytime soon. Heck, maybe if I get good at this I can make them all ahead of time!

;D Do you take requests?
join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

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'Itan Atxur

Lol. Not yet! I need to actually learn how to do this first! Then we'll talk.

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Letxuma Swizaw

Quote from: d5ive on February 16, 2010, 01:22:13 AM
Well I am doing Design Tech as a subject and the school buys us all a heap of natural woods, what are the best ones for a bow? I am taking up recurve archery (I feel its a good balance between traditional and modern design).
What I think would be within my grasp once I have some archery under my belt is to buy the handle and build the bow arms so I get the satisfaction of making a bow :P
So what woods does one suggest?

EDIT: Sorry for thread hijack :P I'll only take a sec
this

Quote from: Letxuma Swizaw on February 16, 2010, 12:43:36 AM
if you can spare the extra money look for some lemon wood. if not just make sure you go for good hard woods: maple, oak, beech, black locust, honey locust.
Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

Letxuma Swizaw

i waiting for my mom to leave so she doesn't ask why i'm bringing a tree into the house. that would open pandora's box! ;)

"Because i'm building a bow."

"for my friends on this forum"

"Learn...na...vi dot org. hehe"

"for a tribal thing"

"we want to kind of live... like... the Na'vi?"

"In the woods"

"No i don't know them per-say but they still are brothers to me regardless."

"well i didn't ask you what you think my life should be"

"Well i don't believe in a christian god so that wouldn't matter anyways now would it!"

and now my moms heart is broken and i'm grounded. so yeah best move is to wait till later.

Oe Skxawnghu längu.

Kìrìstìyä tìpe'unri a kifkeyit kelor kawngsì tsere'a, tsafpìlfya kifkeyit tsafya txolängula.

Join our real life tribe! here(And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, not a role play tribe)

'Itan Atxur

Lol! My parents already know I'm going to work on a bow and have offered supplies and help! I just haven't told them why... (or at least the REAL reason why).

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

Ta'em Swizaw

Quote from: Letxuma Swizaw on February 16, 2010, 12:35:16 AM
i need some good manual labor to help my freaking out issue right now. :-\
And that's why I am here.
"The rain to the wind said,
'You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt."

Join the real life Na'vi tribe here  (And yes, it will be a real tribe in the real world, NOT a role play tribe!)

Txontaw

Quote from: 'Itan Atxur on February 16, 2010, 11:23:38 AM
Lol! My parents already know I'm going to work on a bow and have offered supplies and help! I just haven't told them why... (or at least the REAL reason why).

Hehe, that's exactly what I did.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch