From Stave to Selfbow | Building a Deflex/Reflex Longbow with minimal tools
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Watch as I craft one of my fastest selfbows yet with minimal tools. I start with an osage orange bow stave and, with not much more than an old rasp, a draw knife, and a heat gun, transform a raw hunk of wood into a deflex/reflex longbow that I estimate is shooting well over 180fps. This all wood bow has a heavier draw weight than I normally build and shoot, but the draw is smooth and it shoots great. I'll build up to it before heading out on some pretty epic bowhunting adventures this fall. Although this isn't intended as a "how to build a longbow" video, I'm sure you can pick up some helpful bow building tips. If you're looking for a diy longbow building tutorial, check out my Beginner's Guide to Bow Building Video below.
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There should be a warning on here that building bows is highly addictive. It only takes once and you're hooked. I've been clean now for a few years but after watching this I very well might go on a binge.
It’s a good addiction 😜
Hold on strong, you are on the recurve now.
Building one successful one. Not quite there yet
Remember your 12 Steps!
Step 1: Find your stave. Step 2:…
Amen to that ,i round my shelf's with a round file my dad showed me and the arrow fits even closer to center shot plus helps with fletching clearance
Your group of four videos you made 11 years ago on bow building sent me down an endless rabbit hole. Thank you for the very watchable and very useful videos!
It's a good addiction!
Amazing after all the years of innovation and tech, as humans we still just love a bow.. Somthing about them and slingshots that will be forever timless..
100%
I was up at Beaver’s Bend Oklahoma a couple of weeks ago and the had a very old homemade clamping device that you use. People were asking what is was and I told them that i follow a guy of TH-cam that….. excellent craftsmanship.
I’ve made a couple of reflex/deflex bows, but I didn’t deflex it in the handle like you did and then build back up with laminates. I like that a lot! Get more of the limb in reflex and with your heat treating, it’s holding a lot of it. Great job!
I like your use of hand saws and chisels, I’m spoiled and always used bandsaw on initial shaping. All the riser shaping I’ve used only rasps, but your way is faster roughing it in. Great bow!
I also watched a short ten minute clip of when you learned you had won Alone. I think you’re still living the life lessons you learned from that entire experience.
Thanks Greg, I never had access to a bandsaw so just developed others ways to get things done.
A lot of bowyers agree that on a all wood bow you want all the deflex to start in the handle fg back and belly it doesn't really matter
To be a great bowyer is one thing,to be a great bowyer and to have all the knowledge to be able to use that bow to its full potential in the wild is something else completely! Kudos to you brother and blessings and light from England and thank you for all your time spent sharing your wisdom and knowledge
Right on
Using car in this heat for hotbox , next level genius
If the weather there is like here he's lucky it didn't burst into flame! 😂
@@asmith7876 true
That is some fine crafmanship. i hope many will be inspired by this (for whatever they do).
Just what I needed before I finally started making a bow myself
Clay, If you would continue only building bows on this channel, I would still be watching! Great Video!
Yes it's what got me started Clay by far the best teacher, you inspired me that i could do it working on my second osage one next.
That’s a beauty brother. At 6’ 250, that bow would suit me perfectly.😁. That was cool watching the handle deflex.
Thanks 👍
I really like the the adaptation of using a big socket in a vice to bend the handle. Thinking about applying the same principle's to a 5 bend bow
Nearly one of those ASMR or whatever it is with the rain and draw knife strokes. Only a true Texican can misspell an abbreviation 😂
love seeing that axe being put to use makin a bow, beautiful job!
Fantastic axe!
Like the deflection tool lol thanks for sharing clay really appreciate it I lost my house and bow building has kept me fed and sheltered so much appreciate you man take care
Very nice bow! Dog at the end cracked me up. Hes "helping". Haha.
Playing catch up Clay on your vids, been busy on farm. But this is a helluva great video. So much I watched it 2x.😅
I do the same. Get busy with life and just don’t have time for TH-cam videos. When I do have time though, I have a tendency to binge….lol great video Clay. Thanks for putting these videos together for us fans.
Real nice .. that little exhale while stringing the Bow and shooting it says it all .. Hard work and strong Bow !
I’ve been a toxophilite ever since I saw Chuck Connors shoot a flaming arrow into the powder supply of the Calvary. I didn’t have much of a male figure in my life and the outdoors and archery was already innate to me. I made due with what I could. The rest of the boys in my neighborhood were a bit more fortunate and had the fancy double six shooters that popped flat caps. Me? I cut limbs/ branches and built my bow so I could be the Indian when we played cowboys and Indians. In retrospect I know it was a bit dangerous me flinging branches with my limb bow while the other boys snapped their caps. It was a sight to behold. My greatest achievement was when I found a pair of wooden crutches and made my best bow. If you know what I’m talking about then you’ll see a similar bow to the one you just built. Your craftsmanship is relaxing to watch in the late evenings sipping on some tasty coffee. I think if I were to take up bow building now, the Mrs would flip. Watching you do what you do creates an ember within my heart. Almost nostalgic.
Thank you, Clay.
You’re a gentleman and a scholar.
P.S. Did you move from Idaho?
I did pretty much the same as a child. We haven't moved. just spend a few months in florida each year. We'll be heading back to Idaho soon.
Amazing video! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Really cool design and I was amazed at your efficiency with the basic tools.
Awesome work, Clay! It has been some years since I built one, but I'll never use the steam tube again, thanks to your instruction 👍
I learned alot in this video it is by watching not by words that i actually learned
A beautiful and strong looking bow. I hope to make bows like that one day.
Man thos build was amazing I need one in my life ❤ 🙏 for hunting
Beauty! Always a joy seeing you work and the end result is gorgeous!
similar to how i found your video 10 years ago and started. not into the survival stuff but still educational.
You are the master Clay , very nice!
Thank you very much!
Very cool bow, and a great video! God has gifted you my friend!
John 14:6
Thank you very much!
Very nice job Clay!!!
Sir U play with wood perfection, ur tools r soul of u , master class❤👌 , (drawing knife is a gift from fallen ones) wish I cud be ur disciple 😊🙏
Loved this build, deflex/ reflex is a great design and that bow is zinging.
Well done! Look forward to seeing you work the gruops and tuning for a hunt!
That method of bending in the deflex in the handle was mint.
I'm going ot have to give that a go on my next R/D build
Right on
Super cool design. Turned out very nice! Started watching your vids like 10 years ago and have been building and hunting with selfbows ever since. This last year was my fist season hunting with stone points and self arrows (ocean spray and river cane) took a mule deer and a javalina. Thanks for the inspiration and the start in wood bows
That's awesome!
dang man, ur so talented that you do that with sub par tools no shirt, probably wearing crocs like ya, no big deal its a perfect bow!
Мастер на все руки.просто шедевральная работа!👍🏻 good job
Awesome Clay. Thx. A 21st century style self bow. Well done.
Thanks 👍
FANTASTIC BOW CLAY A REAL BEAUTY, BASIC TOOLS BUILD! FANTASTIC TRADES MAN. DO REALLY ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS, REAL HANDS ON!!👍🏹
Glad you like them!
Your looking good Clay. Great video. You are referenced multiple times on season 12 of alone. Quite the legacy you have created.
Thank ya
Love to see our sheath in action to @1:35 we partner with Broad River Forge and Jordan Jonas - Great Job Clay the bow looks great!
Super cool design , nice work
Thank you very much!
Love watching these videos and I can't wait see you using it out hunting keep up the awesome work 👍💪🏹
I’ve missed seeing bow builds, great stuff!! Also be good (not knowing the hunting rules from Australia) to see some hunting up again soon.
That is awesome, what a beautiful bow!!!!
Absolutely beauty of a bow, i have a soft spot for selfbows 😍
Oh yes!
@@clayhayeshunter i did my 1st reflex tips this weekend, gotta learn to shoot this bow again 😅
Man I enjoy your videos! Started watching after I saw you on alone and never miss a video. I used to really enjoy shooting recurves, started in the backyard with my dad when I was 6 or so and they were a big part of my life up until just a few years ago. Unfortunately at the age I am now my shoulders are shot, I have arthritis in both shoulders. Probably exacerbated as a result of a life of pushups, I'm retired army, and archery. Nowadays I make and shoot slingshots, another passion I've had all my life, yup almost 60 and still play with slingshots. Much easier on my shoulders and still scratches the shooting and even hunting itch. Not sure if you've ever thought about slingshots but I bet with your woodworking skills and archery prowess you'd be absolutely deadly with a slingshot!
I haven't thought much about them but I may whip one up just for the heck of it!
During the whole video I had a deja vu. I thought bow looked familiar. And then when you turned the odd fletch in during shooting I figured it is the bow from the video you posted a while back about archery tips. The one where you spent a lot of time on psychological trigger. And where you said "This particular setup likes to shoot odd fletch in". :)
Loved the video. I would really liked to try to build a bow someday. My grandfather from the father side was a boat maker. My grand father from the mothers side was a furniture maker. Both were really good with wood. Me being a programmer pretty much stopped working with wood once they died and I stopped helping them. Really a shame since I have most of the "regular" wood working tools you have in my fathers basement but have not touched them in over 30 years. Guess 46 is not to old to try to regain some of the skills I lost over time. Maybe once my grandkids arrive I can be the grandfather they help build stuff from wood.
Hey Clay, I would love to see you do some videos on asiatic horse bows and give your thoughts.
Nice bow!now I'm getting motivated to delve in bowmaking🤩🥰😍
Go for it!
Another excellent video. All the best from Wales 🏴 🏹
Truly a master of your craft Clay
thank ya
Awesome job,love your work
Damn clay all cut up working hard :D
Clay your videos are so inspiring
Glad you like them!
Sweet looking bow my friend
Would be interesting to build a cross bow for us older people with deteriorated shoulders and other joints.
Enjoy them while you have them. Remember ticks can kill and it’s a very sad and slow death.
Made my first bow that i feel is a solid hunting bow. Hickory flat bow shoots a 12g per lb arrow at 162fps and now im hooked!!! Not to sound corney but i admire you in many ways and love your videos! Wish the best for you and your family.
many thanks!
The best thing I have ever seen!
Nice bow great job, I'm your fan.
Thank you very much!
Awesome bow clay much respect
Much appreciated
Great stuff as always!!
It's great to see some content?more hunting vloggs please I like the wilderness uploads 😂❤
More to come
Make one and draw for the entries on your TH-cam channel
Blue fingertips?
I prefer a finger glove than a tab. I shoot a very short 55lb recurve. I have to drop my shoulder in a little as it's quite abrupt on release.
She's a little brute, but quick. The bush can be real close where I'm at so the shorter bow with brush buttons helps.
You're doing well to draw it at 60-65.
Awesome video.
Cheers.👍
Universal Sovereign Citizen
Beautiful! You sir are a true Master Craftsman. I’ve been practicing building with Black Locust, not fully cured but I need to do something. I have 7 billets still seasoning. I’m in Australia NSW and once I knew how to identify the Locust I see it everywhere. Osage not so much, it’s more north of me but will definitely grab some soon. Your stash looks preemo 👌🏼. Thank you so much for your awesome content.
Awesome, I didn't know you had locust down that way.
@@clayhayeshunterwe have many introduced species that take off here. A bit like the eucalyptus in California, I’ve heard they are a problem. I did find some a heap of Osage yesterday 2hrs from me growing feral which I am very happy about. Hard to find a big and straight enough one. I cut one that was dead so cured already, and hope that is ok.The wood looks fine after taking off the sap wood which did have a small amount of insect damage. I’m loving every aspect of this craft. 👍🏼
Beautiful workmanship man beautiful
Thank you kindly
_Nice_ bow and work, Clay. 👌
Havent seen it all but already know its gonna be good ,
Holy shit Clay. Definitely leveled up on that one!!!!!
Thank ya
My Pop would tan your hide for smokin' in the barn. Imagine the look on his face if he caught me cookin' a bow in the barn.
🤣
This is an awesome build, man.
Love the build!!!!! nice bow too!!!💪🔥❤️
Awsome job as always. you make it look effortless
Thank you! Cheers!
that seems a great bow, great work as always
Thank you! Cheers!
Beautiful work, bro!👊💥👊😎
Nice
Nice work
A top work !
Not my type of handle, but, damn the craft!
Has anyone used one of your bows for their Alone season yet? Those are beautiful
I like how you used heat to bend the riser into a forward handle. Never seen that before. Was that a change in plans? Carving the riser has always been my favourite part of bow building.
Bow build catch n cook...
Very nice build Clay!
Thanks!
You make it look effortless with the simplest of tools! Curious though, I know you're partial to the drawknife for scraping but I'm wondering if you've ever tried a card scraper? Or an adjustable spoke shave? They make holders for the card scraper and both tools are used just like a drawknife but can take very precise shavings like a plane. I'm envious of your endless supply of premium osage!
Odličan...
Interesting method
I was wondering if you could try and build a comanchee style bow or perhaps another native style bow. That would be really cool
Great job, you included every possible strategy to improve the performance, you can see the build up of your toolkit from your previous videos. Does heat treating in your opinion make a difference to hard wood like osage, because so far most people use it for mainly white woods ? Also if you dont mind, how far are the nocks from the handle ?
The overall length is 64”. Stiff handle section, including faces is around 10”. As for fire hardening Osage, this is the only one I’ve done and it was very mild. I couldn’t really say at this point if it’s worth the effort.
The benefits of heat-treating decline as wood density increases, since we're basically increasing belly wood density with heat. And the greater the gap between tension and compression, the more heat will help. Osage is already very dense and has balanced tension/compression characteristics, so unless you get a low-density piece or use the sapwood (something I've done), it won't have much effect
Clay you're doppelganger is for sure jack Osbourne now ! You should check of their podcast its you're double😂😂😂
My entire battle with how to go about something like this is finding the right wood. Should I find a heavy wood, or a watery wood like a gum tree. I'm in Australia and have no idea what I could use. What am I looking for? Thanks again for your video, and well done on the Alone series. Amazing effort all around!
Look like Clay burned some pounds off. You are in a great shape man!
Thank ya
Awesome build, I've learned so much from you in a very short time.. thank you!
The budding Bowyer
🇨🇦
:)
Glad you enjoyed it
My grandfathers broad axe had one side beveled and it was used to cut railroad ties . They called these people tie hacks .
There is a Kiowa bow that is made of osage with the bark and sapwood left on and it survived. Not sure if you've seen or heard of this. Maybe u don't always have to chase a ring
Guessing you have a Bow room in your house🤣 great job 👍🇬🇧
And horses! haha
They used to make broad axes with that bevel style for making log houses and stuff. Have you ever made a Penoboscot four limbed bow? In theory a four limbed bow the same poundaged as a traditional would produce a faster arrow speed. Thanks for the awesome video!!!
Good job
Grip strength is not only good for jiu jitsu it’s also good for being a man in general. If your daddy don’t have grip strength like a vice we didn’t grow up in the same household
Beautiful bow 🤤 ... Jitsu huh?!?! 👊
👊
Excellent work. Thanks for the video...type of wood used ❤❤❤
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