I've never even thought for a moment about making a bow, but stumbled across this video, realized I had all the materials sitting in my shop, and now I'm gluing the backing to my first bow. The power of the internet! Thanks for a great build video, really infectious enthusiasm!
It's so good to see a young man build his craft in today's world of so called advanced technology, and myself at 65 years old, and a wood worker, he has taught me so much. Many thanks to you. By the way, I will be making my own bow but with staves I've made myself out of oak and iron wood. The iron wood is mainly from Ohio, the oak is black oak from California. I'll let you know how it turns out.
If you think for one minute that i'm just gonna stumble upon this video then spend 3 months using my nonexistant carpentry skills to build my own bow and tillering tree, you are absolutely freakin right. Fourth attempt was the charm, bow ended up about 45lbs and didnt explode yet. Thanks man.
I've got 3 now of different legnths and styles, and bought the traditional bowyers bible and read it twice. I smell of wood shavings and glue constantly, and my wife is considering an intervention. My 3 yr old walks around with sticks pretending they are bows. You did this to me, you monster!
*I've been bow hunting all my life. (I'm 61)...When I'm serious I normally hunt with one of my compound bows, because they're so fast & accurate. I've been making custom knives since 1985. Many years ago, a man by the name of Ted Laney approached me through my Ebay page and asked if I would make a set of hunting knives for him & his son. He was a Bowyer. In trade for the knives, he made me a custom left hand Orange Osage Bow. That was 2002. I don't hunt with it very often because, to put it bluntly, I'm a terrible shot with it. But I sure do cherish it. It's one of my most prized possessions. I even put together few dozen cedar & ash arrows with the old Bear & Muzzy Arrowheads, for it. This was a very fun video to watch. I never considered trying my hand at Bow Making. Now, I'm thinking about it. Menards, here I come..Thanks for sharing!!* 🔥🔥👍👍
Never made one either until I saw this video . Always wanted to make my own . Thanks to kramer ammons. Ive made 12 that lived to tell a story . And two that exploded. Lol . And moving on to the harder builds . (Can't, never did a thing it its life.....'try' was always moving forward) . One of theany thing you learn in the service.
So, Kramer, I followed the instructions in this video with minor deviations - got maple to build with and shaved my bow down to a pyramid because of my poor first cuts - and am loving my bow. Got compliments from other archers when I was at the range recently. Thanks for such an easy to follow tutorial.
@@Violianom I worked in spare time after work and finished in a few weeks’ time. Don’t worry if it feels like it’s taking a long time. Your first attempt at this is going to feel that way. But absolutely nothing will beat the first time you’re able to put arrows through the bow you made with your own hands.
@@Violianom , my bow is still whole. It is, in fact, about an arm’s length away from me as I type this reply. I haven’t shot it in a while because all of my arrows broke, but I got some new arrows this Christmas, so a trip to the local range is in order.
Kramer, I have spent the last couple of months building a bow with my son after stumbling across your video. We even built a tillering stick and gizmo to aid in the process. Finally last night we were able to put a string on it we made a bow! We were so excited we ran in the house to show my wife ,she said I can’t wait to see it the daylight. We still had a good deal of tillering to do so, back to the garage we went removing wood and exercising the limbs 2 more cycles, it was getting late, “just one more round and we will call it a night”, pulling the sting and “KRACKKK! it exploded. I just started laughing, you said this can happen. I thank you for the fun times I have spent with my son on this project. I’m excited to get restarted
LOOKS LIKE YOU RUSHED THE JOB AND ALSO BOUGHT THE CHEAP WOOD , WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR YOUR SON , BUT NOW YOU KNOW NOT TO BE CHEAP ON THE WOOD AND MAKE SURE THE GRAIN RUNS THE FULL LENGTH ON BOTH SIDES , IT ALL GOOD MAN ..
I never knew that you can make a bow yourself but when i saw this video iwas like "I can do this no problem " Starting out was hard but now i am at the tillering process and i made the entire bow without any power tools Hope this encourages others to try this as well
@Mohammad Haseeb just random wood that was hard enough . i put my fingernail in it and it did not leave a mark Also fibertape and wood glue And if u want to make a bow just remember that in the pdf blueprint the lenght is wrong (66")while in the vid its 64
Do we still live in the old days and automatically just know how to make a bow?? Lmao no But for real I'm pretty sure he meant he didnt no he could acheive as easily as he did
When I took wood shop in school, I learned to dampen both surfaces of the wood with water to open up the grain before glueing. It helps the wood absorb the glue and forms a very strong bond.
WOW!! Great video. the youtube algorithm is on point today. earlier in the day my 3 year old son came out to my woodwork shed and asked me to make a him a bow. later this evening i sit at my desk and this video is in my top recommended. i clicked on it and it was 34 minutes of satisfaction. if i was on the fence of wanting to learn about making bows, Kramer.... you sold me!!! i watched this video from start to finish and im locked in. i even ran out to my work shed to air mark a piece of apparmat for my first bow... thank you Kramer Ammons for the inspiration and confidence.
In this world of CNC, it's so refreshing to see a true craftsman at work and with such passion for his work. A well edited HD video with clear instructions and guidance. Fantastic work
FYI: Poplar. Poplar is a hardwood tree that produces soft wood when compared to other hardwood trees. The hardness of poplar is about on par with that of pine or cedar, but the cellular structure gives it a much finer grain and more pleasing appearance than the more coarsely grained softwoods.
Thank when he said poplar was a hard wood I was like huh? Poplar is very soft and my shop teacher in highschool always said it's just soft wood even tho it's a hard wood tree....... Okay I finished the video and fill like a hypocrite because I see comments talking shit on a TH-camr for getting something wrong then they say it later in the video and I just did that and I apologise...
@@bodhemon In my opinion, Cedar is a very poor choice because it is VERY brittle and the oils in it can make it difficult to achieve proper glue adhesion. In my opinion, one of the easiest woods to work with and readily available, and inexpensive, is maple. I highly recommend maple, especially for the first try! Norway maple is a "weed tree" around my part of the world and tree cutters can usually supply you with tons of it for free! Another option is to cut your own limb off of a tree. Get permission first, of course! Presently I have a limb of Yew and a limb of Osage Orange that I hope to eventually turn into bows, if God keeps me on this side of the grass long enough to get around to doing it.
@@bodhemonCedar is pretty much the worst possible choice because it is extremely brittle. SPF(what 2x4s are usually made from) isn't a good choice but at least it isn't super brittle like cedar.
This is absolutely amazing. I made play bows to hunt squirrel and mice as a kid, I wish I had these tips back then. My inner child has been re-awaken. Thank you.
I have been building self bows for over 10 years now. I still picked up some good tips watching this. I have built a bow from raw ash staves and red oak prepared lumber but this will be the first time using poplar. Looking forward and excited to start this project. Thanks for your info packed vids.
Fantastic video thank you . Im a carpenter by trade and have already made a bow about ten years ago with a friend . We made 3 . 2 long bows and one recurve. One snapped while tillering . But the recurve survived. Love the dry wall tape idea . I backed mine with a 1/4 inch purple heart with Ash and worked well . You have inspired me to make another bow and I shall purchase a bow string from you . Its all about the tricks of the trade and you have just taught me alot thank you .
I tempted to make a bow before and failed, feared to even touch the thought of starting over. Then I saw this video, realized that I have missed a lot of details that can make a difference, and after I watch this video I feel like can make a new bow. Thank you for this great video and thank you for making me confident again.
Something that really helped me is I heard somebody say "even a broken bow is a learning experience." I think a bow breaking actually gives you more information about what to do than one that hasn't broken.
@@amandariffe2599 well, my first bow had a branch knot in it, which I thought would be removed once I thinned it down and sanded it, but it ended up being a V-shaped break in the back of the bow. I never fired, or even strung, that one because I was certain it would break. My second bow I removed material too aggressively (used a dual-action sander) and unevenly (ended up with a really thin spot on one limb before I really started on the other). I haven't made a third yet, but my biggest takeaway from the first two is to carefully select your wood and don't rush, no matter how certain you are in the moment that it'll be fine.
Yo MY BOW IS DONE!!!!!! I started it right as COVID was starting in March, 2020... started tillering and life just got in the way for many reasons. Long story short, the half-finished bow moved from a rental house to my first house to my current house where the poor thing sat all alone for the last 2yrs untouched collecting dust and a smidge of bird poo in my non-enclosed garage...I resurrected that project last week and brought it to a tremendously successful and satisfying completion literally an hour ago taking my first dozen or so shots at a home-based archery shop nearby. I bought a beautiful grey and blue string from Shatterproof last week and it measures a 30# draw at 28" but at 6'4" I'm probably a 30-31" draw. The shop's making me some target arrows for the weekend. Man it's so satisfying shooting a bow I crafted myself!!! Thank you a million times over Kramer! My experience is a clear-cut validation of this video and your talent for teaching! Great work! - James P.S. this was my first and, so far, only attempt. It helps that I've been working with wood for almost 20yrs though.
@@nani8308 Pornhub is a conjunction of two much simpler words than quarantine. What a waste of life your parents gave to someone so judgemental over a little joke on a TH-cam video.
So... I made my daughter a bow... She keeps asking me if she can take it to school when it starts up again, and her evil little laugh when she says that she “ just wants to show it to this one girl “ kinda worries me.
Raise her with the WORD of GOD and set an example by living the example yourself that GOD'S WORD gives us and you'll see a difference in both your lives with no worry.
I have been wanting to get back into archery for years, so I started looking for a bow to buy. I discovered real quick that none of the bows available in stores look good to me nor do they feel right in my hand. They are all bulky and cluttered with sites and gadgets. So I thought, "how about I make my own". So I have been watching "how to" videos and reading article and blogs for about 4 months before going out and actually buying material for my first build. Your videos are the most informative ones I have watched so far. Keep the great videos coming. My first one had a catastrophic failure in the upper limb so I glued it back together and hung it on my wall as decoration and a reminder of what not to do. I can tell you, making a bow in an apartment with only hand tools is a huge challenge.
I watch a lot of craftsmen and makers and the like on TH-cam, and I gotta say, the production values here are off the damn charts. Great editing, shows you how to do the thing, minimal fluff, fantastic music... Good stuff, sir.
Ive got a few rolls of mesh tape left over from my combat archery days.. We used the tape to make the arrows safe.. A non taped arrow could split and become "live" during a session..
Mate- this is by far the BEST most complete and detailed instructive bow build video I have ever watched. I’ve been wanting to build a bow for a long time but was scared of my lack of expertise and experience. You have laid out so many hacks, tips and important nuances I feel ready to give it a go. This is truly brilliant. Thank you so much and keep it up! When I buy some bowstrings from your website, you’ll know I got the tillering right 😂
It is 54 years since I made my own bow, where I worked at that time they used hickory poles with a hook on the end to connect /disconnect railway wagons, I bought one of these at scrap price, cut it in half all the way down its length and made two bows, wish I had known about the fibreglass at that time? but made the handle exactly the same way :) Brilliant video thanks.
Just went into the shatter proof archery shop. I built this bow. Mine was only 38 lbs. Kazden was awesome. Made my string while we chatted. Thank you both for the bow. Off to shoot this one and make one that will kill with the hickory bow blank.
I made this bow. Made out of Red Oak. 36 mm wide x 10 mm thick x 59" Long I put 5 strips of fibreglass ( Board strips ) stuck down with Uni-Bond wood glue. Made everything the same as video. Same bow, same handle and used a walnut stain to finish. I bought a strip of laminate in walnut, the type you put on the edge of a kitchen unit for the back of the bow. It looks stunning. It pulls at about 60 LB. Very powerful and great fun. Will put a Clear lacquer over it soon to preserve.
Thanks Dave! I've been wanting to get into archery. I'm a tradesman so when I saw this video it made me want my first bow to be home built. I'll find myself some red oak. Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks Kramer for setting me off on an archery adventure! I finally have a wonderful board bow, actually two of them after four failures. You make it look easy but figuring out what tools to use and how to use them takes some trial and error, hence the failures. Mostly I gouged the limbs, causing me to tiller them too thin and having the weak limbs crack. My best result was a board bow of red oak built to Kramer's specs (so far all bows I have made are to the specs in this video). I thought this one would also be a failure as I cut in the arrow rest in "too deep", at butt-hair more than half the width making this bow a true center shot. I kept it as thick as possible at the arrow rest to not weaken it any further and it turned out fine! It draws at 45 lbs at 28" which is perfect for me. A good rule of thumb is not to thin the limbs under 0.4". This will ensure a strong and durable bow. My other finished bow is made of maple, another great wood to use, however I made this bow an ambidextrous bow with arrow rests on both sides. This was a mistake, as it is a strong beautiful bow with a 50 lb draw at 28", but it shoots terrible with carbon fiber and aluminum arrows, all arrows hitting erratically 2' to the left at 50'. The oak center shot bow shoots modern aluminum and carbon fiber 500 spine arrows as well as my store bought recurve. The maple bow may need wooden arrows? Oh, don't paint the fiberglass tape and then put more glue over to fill in the mesh pattern. I thought it would made a deep rich back, with multiple layers of paint between the glue but the glue didn't adhere to the paint very well. I had to peel it all off and start again on a poplar bow. A power planer can save much time to remove wood on the limbs, then finely removed with a spoke shave down to 0.4", then finished and tillered with a power sander with 60 grit. Go with red oad or maple for best results, poplar is sorta weak. I tried mahogany too but it shattered on the first pull of my draw knife, a very weird experience.
In childhood, we use to make very basic bows in minutes with wet green bamboo cuts which has natural bending tendency without all these complexities. You are a pro. Keep it up.
So I have been doing finish carpentry for 24 years and when joining wood, the smoother the 2 pieces of wood the better. It equals more surface contact and less chance for a void or air when the glue shrinks and dries. You never rough up your pieces, especially with a hack saw blade. You get them as smooth as possible with a surface planer/jointer, put them together, hold it up to light to see if the joint is tight. Wipe them down with a damp cloth, then apply wood glue (I prefer tight bond 3) and clamp it until joint is so tight you see no air between the wood pieces. Wipe excess glue that squirts out with a wet cloth and let sit for 24 hours. I use a couple pieces of scrap wood to put between the clamp ends and the project to avoid denting as well. That will make a joint so strong it will break on the grain before the it separates. Otherwise great video.
Not everyone has access to a plainer or precision equipment, I’ve heard roughing up the contact pieces when access to these tools is limited. The guy who told me this had 20-30 years in furniture woodworking. Especially when using hard wood
@Justin Pless Unfortunately, some people are just wrong. The less air gaps you have, the better the joint, it's just science. On any woodworking instructional, you never see them roughing a joint for glue. Whether it be mortise and tenon or dove tail or any other joint, minimal glue and maximum contact. You can get it pretty close with a table saw and use a hand plane to dial it in. Like I said, I like the video and you did a great job. I am a stubborn old timer and like to curb the propagation of bad technique.
If theres one thing I'm endlessly grateful to the internet for, it's the realization that all you needi s a shedful of tools and wood to make some stuff that otherwise you might pay 100s or 1000s of dollars to get, in what's really just a few hours of work. A serviceably longbow made with traditional methods? Absurdly expensive. A functional recreation of a medieval instrument? Even more so. But there really is nothing stopping you from making them, and making them well after just 1 or 2 tries. Just wait till I get round to backyard blacksmithing.
@Death Maze Challenge You always do stuff like in the ancient days? You do what your feudal lord says? You don't learn to read unless you're a priest or plague doctor? You eat a subsistence diet while your childhood brain is developing, stunting your vertical and intellectual growth? No, you don't. We're better at most things now than we were during the feudal era. I can produce a serviceable vielle in 2 days, and I never had a day of instruction. Vielles are a lot more physically complex, and have to stand up to just as much tension relative to their size and mass, especially when yo udon't have access to gut strings and have to use artificial violin strings which have a lot more tension. Maybe longbows are significantly different, who knows? But I doubt it would take more than 5 attempts to get one that works well.
@@curvingfyre6810 forging is fun, I'm very new to it, and currently my forge is a hole in the ground with a blow drier duct taped to a metal pipe. Start with that. My first "project" was a fire poker. Once my finger heals from a table saw accident I'm making a pair of tongs.
@@leoblack6730 Ever made a blade? I've got a bit of structural steel already in a decent blank, enough to get a full tang, partial pommel, and about a foot and a half blade. How much practice would I need on something simpler first?
@@curvingfyre6810 I haven't yet as I'm still pretty new. I was more just telling you how easy it is to start a forge, as I spent maybe 15 dollars on the pipe, hair dryer and charcoal. Make sure your metal is non galvanized, and if it is soak it in vinegar for a day or two
love this video. I am older and have had numerous health issues including brain traumas. Have started to build a bow years ago but it was over whelming for me to get straight in my head. However, your backing etc is super simple and easy so I may be trying this out. thanks for the awesome video
I've made a successful 64" bow off this video and found myself overwhelmed with motivation to make more bows . I've watched alot of his other videos and stumbled upon a kids bow video he made from a fresh cut tree. I made myself a fresh cut bow with the fiberglass backing process as used in this video. I think to myself it would be cool if he could do a video comparing fresh cut to a dry 1×2×6 bow made identically to each other (64") and track the flight, weight, different challenges,etc....Kramer your awesome!!! Full of knowledge, and thank you for making this amazing skill free to learn.
Have no idea why YooToob recommended this vid to me..but I'm really glad they did..gonna have to give this a shot. Keep up the great work..your style is fun, instructive, and user friendly. Subscribed!
I made my first board bow in '21 during the pandemic. It is an English longbow, made of hickory. 72" about 44# @28" draw. When I first got into building bows back in 2010, i bought a piece of red wood. And I showed it on a FB group page. A few people talked crap about it, gave me crap, saying I'll never be good at now making. So I left that group, cut up that board and used it for firewood. I gave up and didn't try to make a bow until 2021. And I found this channel. Going to make another bow soon. I want to make a short Comanche bow.
WOW just WOW I just stumbled on this and watched the entire video. I last shot a bow when I was a kid at summer camp (a really long time ago) Your workmanship and instruction was beyond reproach. I will never be able to make a bow, but I give you much respect on this video. Your enthusiasm is awesome.
I've build bows out of many things, i was obssesed with them in childhood. Me and my friends became masters at shooting bottles and cans with arrows. Problem was, we were poor, so to make a bow is not that much of a deal really. To make straight, light good arrows, that's the problem. So we developed a way of making arrows from cattail plant, we could only find this in the winter. The arrows werent really resiliant to many shots, but they fly like nothing else i ever shot from a bow. You've made a really nice bow there, but i can tell you, it won't last to long. I've build so many wood bows i can't even remember, and all of it had one problem, it snaps, or in time loses strenght, the wood fiber start to break, and lose compresion. I think the best bow i ever had, was made of bambo, it was such a fun bow. Light, and is weird to explain but it was so easy to pull and had such a good power. I guess because the bambo wood is dense, and it alot better at releasing the energy and decompresing, it does it so much faster than other type of wood. If you wanna get good at shooting arrows, you don't need a fancy bow, you need a rezilient bow, one that can last hundreds and hundreds of shots. After firing so many arrows, it becamse a reflex, you don't even have to aim anymore like in the movies, you just feel where the arrow will land. Ther was this famous guy that was shooting pills on tv. Some people think is some superhuman talent, is not... Is really just alot of practice.
I too was obsessed with bows as a kid and also was very poor. Got my first real bow at about 12,a fiberglass recurve, would spend hours shooting golden rod stalks from one side of the hollow to the other. About 1out of 50 would fly probably close to 300yrds. I read once many years ago that the Egyptian s had bows that would shoot a slender, weight forward, fletch less arrow to 4000feet, incredible!
You somehow remind me of Jessie from breaking bad when he was talking about his wooden box... All jokes aside this is a super high quality video and im planning on doing this very soon. Many thanks for the level of detail you went into.
@Dave Hanson That would actually be really bad to *make* a bow because you want the bow stave to remain straight when it's not under tension from the string. As soon as the bow starts to warp in that direction, the bow loses a lot of strength. My first experiment in bowmaking was using a piece of green tamarisk harvested from a local flood plain area, but it warped almost immediately and dropped from probably around 25 pound draw to under 10. I think boards like that are meant to make boats ;)
Kramer! thanks so much, I have watched this video 100+ times along with some / many others. Thanks for sharing this it has sparked something in me to make and keep making my own archery equipment. Love it! My first two I made out of 2 red oak that busted on me after about 2-3 weeks of shooting, but those were just the beginning. Thank you again for all your hard work and encouraging tutorials. Gods blessings to you my friend
Ya'know I am always glad to see young adults working, and working hard to acolmplish a craft as bow making. I now want to build one. Thanks for continuing to make America the Greatest place on earth 🌎 🙏
I’ve been watching how to make primitive tools and how to set fire. I came across how to make a bow on other videos but love the way you describe to full details and can see the passion you have while making them. I made my first spear out of a tree branch and some arrows. I am really looking forward on making a bow now. Thanks for the video
Love the camera work and music choices. It sounds and looks so epic and movie like. Specifically, that finished stained bow reveal slowly down the table, awesome. I love stained wood, it looks so good.
That was amazing start to finish! Turned out to be a beautiful bow!! 158 FPS from a home built bow that was impressive!! I look forward to my first attempt once I have some basic tools required to make it.
Thank You for the instructions! My nephew and I are following them to build bows, using poplar, built three now, broke two. Third one is on a shelf in a box to keep it safe. We are switching to red oak. Staying "Staying Shatter Proof" despite the shattered bows. We are enjoying the build and the learning process. Again Thank you
You know - they say "Timing IS Everything" - and so here we are. Don't panic, but enjoy the time with your family and be at peace with what is going on around us.
A great idea for how clubs can produce a range of affordable bows of different sizes and draw-weights for introducing newcomers to the sport. Thank you. While what you're making is not a longbow, it's what the rest if the world calls the American Flatbow, the technology and technique should be easily adapted to manufacturing a true English Longbow and will massively reduce the initial costs if getting into the sport. A great idea and excellent instructions in how to go about it. Now, all we need to do is to sort out your shooting technique. Rick Bear EFAA qualified National Instructor in the English Longbow
Hey Kramer, I’m watching your review of this video. Your future self reviewing you past self. Not sure if you are going to see this comment in amongst all others. Just want to say your review, of you , your honesty, your reflection, your openness about how you have grown. Was refreshing and I respect you more now. I never doubted you as a bowyer, a teacher and a source of information. I’ve got to watch the last half of your self review still, I just hope it’s as inspiring as the first half. If I met you and had one chance for you to hear me I’d say, Just be you, evolve, as we do but never doubt your contribution or worth. I subscribe to your Chanel because of you. Keep up the good work, love the content.
ok first comment was only a few minutes in. finished the tutorial and i gotta give it to ya thats one of the best of THOUSANDS of how to´s ive ever watched. im no authority and this will not positively affect you in any way but bravo man outstanding job!! subscriber!!
Also, my how measures 6 feet from top to tip and when I'm ready for a string I am going to order it from you! Thanks again for the inspiration. I have watched many videos on the subject and yours is among the best!
Man thanks! I saved this video and a beauty piece of Elm for over a year and finally got started the other day. I'm just starting the fiber tape and once I'm done I'll buy a string off you ! Great video and build.
Excellent diy how-to! I have been wanting to tackle a bow build for a very long time and could just never get my confidence up to try it. But now I do and can. Thank you.
I wondered about trying this myself, but after watching this I realise I have about 5% of the skill required and 1% of the patience required. Still fascinating to watch tho! :)
Try making a PVC bow instead, it's way less work, only costs about $10, and will give you a 40-50 pound draw bow that works great. Not a work of art like this wooden one, but very easy and functional. Check out Backyard Bowyer for a great DIY video. I made one and it's awesome. Next project is to use this video to make a wooden bow.
Don't rough up the wood for gluing. That's actually a misconception. The glassier the wood can be, the better the wood cells will accept glue and the stronger your binding will be. I'm subscribing.
Not about "glassy" wood. I think it's about symmetry. You want both application surfaces to be as identical as possible. Sanding both a bit helps to create similar surfaces. I'm no carpenter tho, I just read one article online so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
@@willsantos9090 I agree, flat and true to each other is absolutely important, but I AM a carpenter and the smoother the wood, the better the gluing will be
From my understanding the best glue joint depends on the type of glue. Some perform with zero gap glass surface, some perform with gaps and coarse texture.
Another awesome, informative video. I'm new to the whole bow building/shooting community and have only started watching videos on the subject but, you are the first person I have watched who mentioned using fiberglass tape for backing. Game changer!
You just gave me renewed hope for the Red Oak Board bow I’ve been carving on. Basic tools. Started with my hatchet. Need to get some tight bond and some backing.
Nicely done ,remember that if your arrows are specifically made for the bow and its draw weight that it may shoot faster, Other than that looks great and looks like a good shooter . It will keel
@@kramerammonsarchery IBO is a compound thing, you might damage your bow shooting 5gpp. Id suggest something more like 7 or 8 gpp, 8-12 gpp is typically what trad guys shoot. 7 would be fine for a practice or target bow.
@@Lost_Hwasal In my state (Washington), we need to use no less than 9..if memory serves me correctly. They (fish&game), put a Lot of restrictions on bow hunters.
@@Eric-gi9kg Obviously there is a huge difference between bowhunting and having fun on the range. If i was hunting trad i think 9 gpp would be a pretty good weight. If you read the Dr Ashby report a lot is to be said for hunting with heavier arrows. A selfbow like this is going to be a bit slower than a laminated recurve, for the backyard 7 to 8 gpp should be fine.
@@Eric-gi9kg I checked the Washington rule: "Arrows used for big game hunting must weigh a minimum of 6 grains per pound, with a minimum arrow weight of 300 grains, including the broadhead." For newbies like me, you might clarify that you are talking grains not grams -- 1 gram = just over 15 grains. For Kramer Ammons: Really nice tutorial. Thanks. Guy Carden, Pullman, Washington
Whow Kramer, this has GOT to be the best how-to-make-your-own-longbow-video on youtube by a long shot! You cover it all. I hope it attracts more and more bowyers, because there is nothing more satisfying than shooting arrows with your own made bow. Oh, and that website works great. Well done also!
@@jacobnoah5209 I haven’t finished it. My garage isn’t heated so I stopped work on it. I did make a self bow from Osage that turned out awesome. I still plan to finish the board bow some day.
I've got goosebumps for the end result of this bow together with the cinematography. Kramer. You are an artist. Channels like this are so inspirational and educational for someone like me who is just beginning to build bows.
When I'm working wood like that, I like to take a sharpie and draw lines across the length of what you're taking down so you can see that you're pulling equal amounts from each side then you're removing the sharpie off the surface of both sides.
Started today to make one with your plan! 😱 Once i did the cutting and gluing. I started a second one!! 🙊 Waiting for the glue to dry now.. I'm so excited to continue!!!
I've been into archery since I was young, and I've always wanted to craft myself a longbow. The only problem is that I had no idea where to begin, but this video is a great start. I know I'll probably fail quite a bit to start off with, but the experience is gained through failure. Great video!
Kramer, I'm working on my 5th bow. So far everyone I have showed my bows to have been really impressed. I'm surprisingly good at this. This might be something really good for me. Thank you!!
I've never even thought for a moment about making a bow, but stumbled across this video, realized I had all the materials sitting in my shop, and now I'm gluing the backing to my first bow. The power of the internet! Thanks for a great build video, really infectious enthusiasm!
I hope you post some videos of you using it... Good bad or ugly it doesnt matter ...it might just inspire someone
Where is it
Snapped in half. Gave up!
@@TerryMasri Yeah mine snapped in half too, slapped me right in the face! Just yesterday
@@TriguredAzAndOthers Broken in pieces!
It's so good to see a young man build his craft in today's world of so called advanced technology, and myself at 65 years old, and a wood worker, he has taught me so much. Many thanks to you. By the way, I will be making my own bow but with staves I've made myself out of oak and iron wood. The iron wood is mainly from Ohio, the oak is black oak from California. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I'm curious to hear how the ironwood turned out...
Oh no not ohio
How did it turn out?
nobody asked, boomer
HOW DID IT TURN OUT?!?
If you think for one minute that i'm just gonna stumble upon this video then spend 3 months using my nonexistant carpentry skills to build my own bow and tillering tree, you are absolutely freakin right. Fourth attempt was the charm, bow ended up about 45lbs and didnt explode yet. Thanks man.
That is amazing! Great work:)
I've got 3 now of different legnths and styles, and bought the traditional bowyers bible and read it twice. I smell of wood shavings and glue constantly, and my wife is considering an intervention. My 3 yr old walks around with sticks pretending they are bows. You did this to me, you monster!
@@thebogrin2331 awesome!!
Would you hunt with these bows?
Ya ok im in
*I've been bow hunting all my life. (I'm 61)...When I'm serious I normally hunt with one of my compound bows, because they're so fast & accurate. I've been making custom knives since 1985. Many years ago, a man by the name of Ted Laney approached me through my Ebay page and asked if I would make a set of hunting knives for him & his son. He was a Bowyer. In trade for the knives, he made me a custom left hand Orange Osage Bow. That was 2002. I don't hunt with it very often because, to put it bluntly, I'm a terrible shot with it. But I sure do cherish it. It's one of my most prized possessions. I even put together few dozen cedar & ash arrows with the old Bear & Muzzy Arrowheads, for it. This was a very fun video to watch. I never considered trying my hand at Bow Making. Now, I'm thinking about it. Menards, here I come..Thanks for sharing!!* 🔥🔥👍👍
Never made a bow, never shot a bow, but damn it was satisfying to watch a bowyer at work.
Never made one either until I saw this video . Always wanted to make my own . Thanks to kramer ammons. Ive made 12 that lived to tell a story . And two that exploded. Lol . And moving on to the harder builds . (Can't, never did a thing it its life.....'try' was always moving forward) . One of theany thing you learn in the service.
And just tonight finished my first takedown recurve . Wish they lets put phots up in the comments
So, Kramer, I followed the instructions in this video with minor deviations - got maple to build with and shaved my bow down to a pyramid because of my poor first cuts - and am loving my bow. Got compliments from other archers when I was at the range recently. Thanks for such an easy to follow tutorial.
Daniel, That is so awesome! Great work!
That's awesome! Reading the comments get me inspired. How long did it take you to make?
@@Violianom I worked in spare time after work and finished in a few weeks’ time. Don’t worry if it feels like it’s taking a long time. Your first attempt at this is going to feel that way. But absolutely nothing will beat the first time you’re able to put arrows through the bow you made with your own hands.
@@dcdowd Ahh I see. Yeah I'll be under the same circumstances. It's not broken.. yet, right? hahaha
@@Violianom , my bow is still whole. It is, in fact, about an arm’s length away from me as I type this reply. I haven’t shot it in a while because all of my arrows broke, but I got some new arrows this Christmas, so a trip to the local range is in order.
Kramer, I have spent the last couple of months building a bow with my son after stumbling across your video. We even built a tillering stick and gizmo to aid in the process. Finally last night we were able to put a string on it we made a bow! We were so excited we ran in the house to show my wife ,she said I can’t wait to see it the daylight. We still had a good deal of tillering to do so, back to the garage we went removing wood and exercising the limbs 2 more cycles, it was getting late, “just one more round and we will call it a night”, pulling the sting and “KRACKKK! it exploded.
I just started laughing, you said this can happen.
I thank you for the fun times I have spent with my son on this project.
I’m excited to get restarted
Ahahhahha, nooooooooo man. Did you start again?
LOOKS LIKE YOU RUSHED THE JOB AND ALSO BOUGHT THE CHEAP WOOD , WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR YOUR SON , BUT NOW YOU KNOW NOT TO BE CHEAP ON THE WOOD AND MAKE SURE THE GRAIN RUNS THE FULL LENGTH ON BOTH SIDES ,
IT ALL GOOD MAN ..
THE MEASUREMENTS ARE IMPORTANT , IN KEEPING THE BOW EVEN AND BALANCED SO WHEN IT IS PULLED BACK AND THE ENERGY IS RELEASED EVENLY ,
People who share their knowledge, talent and enthusiasm make the world a better place. You are one of those people. Thank you.
I never knew that you can make a bow yourself but when i saw this video iwas like "I can do this no problem "
Starting out was hard but now i am at the tillering process and i made the entire bow without any power tools
Hope this encourages others to try this as well
@Mohammad Haseeb just random wood that was hard enough . i put my fingernail in it and it did not leave a mark
Also fibertape and wood glue
And if u want to make a bow just remember that in the pdf blueprint the lenght is wrong (66")while in the vid its 64
Also to bend the wood first wet it thoroughly before applying glue
I had plenty of trouble finding the right dimensions
never knew you can make it yourself?? how do you think people made them back in the old days?? lmao
Do we still live in the old days and automatically just know how to make a bow?? Lmao no
But for real I'm pretty sure he meant he didnt no he could acheive as easily as he did
When I took wood shop in school, I learned to dampen both surfaces of the wood with water to open up the grain before glueing. It helps the wood absorb the glue and forms a very strong bond.
Would it matter if using waterproof glue? Or can your technique be used on both?
@@kadebaitrum7797 it does matter as the grain/pores open and you can feel "hair" of the wood, then the glue can penetrate the wood more.
Hhhmmm ok
@@TheSzybas you didn’t even answer my question Woodglue vs waterproof wood glue
@@kadebaitrum7797 I meant you can use both. Waterproof glue becomes waterproof after it dries/cures/solidifies.
Why is no one talking about the editing. The transitions are nice.
Yeah it's pretty good, but he doesn't know how to use any of tools properly
He came out with a bow so apparently does
Yeah, this guy is super talented
@@Dainith
Pretty clever to find multiple uses for tools such as a chain file or draw knife. McGyver would be proud.
Agreed.
WOW!! Great video. the youtube algorithm is on point today. earlier in the day my 3 year old son came out to my woodwork shed and asked me to make a him a bow. later this evening i sit at my desk and this video is in my top recommended. i clicked on it and it was 34 minutes of satisfaction. if i was on the fence of wanting to learn about making bows, Kramer.... you sold me!!! i watched this video from start to finish and im locked in. i even ran out to my work shed to air mark a piece of apparmat for my first bow... thank you Kramer Ammons for the inspiration and confidence.
In this world of CNC, it's so refreshing to see a true craftsman at work and with such passion for his work. A well edited HD video with clear instructions and guidance. Fantastic work
Nigel Smith I was seriously impressed when I saw him using cabinet scrapers. I thought that technique was lost to the ages
Uses saw blade as a scrape*
FYI:
Poplar. Poplar is a hardwood tree that produces soft wood when compared to other hardwood trees. The hardness of poplar is about on par with that of pine or cedar, but the cellular structure gives it a much finer grain and more pleasing appearance than the more coarsely grained softwoods.
Thank when he said poplar was a hard wood I was like huh? Poplar is very soft and my shop teacher in highschool always said it's just soft wood even tho it's a hard wood tree....... Okay I finished the video and fill like a hypocrite because I see comments talking shit on a TH-camr for getting something wrong then they say it later in the video and I just did that and I apologise...
would cedar work? the choices at the local big box store have been pretty slim lately.
Poplar wooden shoes. Worn in Europe for a long time. Cheap, warm, durable. Had a pair as a child. Greetings from the Netherlands.
@@bodhemon In my opinion, Cedar is a very poor choice because it is VERY brittle and the oils in it can make it difficult to achieve proper glue adhesion. In my opinion, one of the easiest woods to work with and readily available, and inexpensive, is maple. I highly recommend maple, especially for the first try! Norway maple is a "weed tree" around my part of the world and tree cutters can usually supply you with tons of it for free!
Another option is to cut your own limb off of a tree. Get permission first, of course! Presently I have a limb of Yew and a limb of Osage Orange that I hope to eventually turn into bows, if God keeps me on this side of the grass long enough to get around to doing it.
@@bodhemonCedar is pretty much the worst possible choice because it is extremely brittle. SPF(what 2x4s are usually made from) isn't a good choice but at least it isn't super brittle like cedar.
This is absolutely amazing. I made play bows to hunt squirrel and mice as a kid, I wish I had these tips back then. My inner child has been re-awaken. Thank you.
I have been building self bows for over 10 years now. I still picked up some good tips watching this. I have built a bow from raw ash staves and red oak prepared lumber but this will be the first time using poplar. Looking forward and excited to start this project. Thanks for your info packed vids.
Fantastic video thank you . Im a carpenter by trade and have already made a bow about ten years ago with a friend . We made 3 . 2 long bows and one recurve. One snapped while tillering . But the recurve survived. Love the dry wall tape idea . I backed mine with a 1/4 inch purple heart with Ash and worked well . You have inspired me to make another bow and I shall purchase a bow string from you . Its all about the tricks of the trade and you have just taught me alot thank you .
I tempted to make a bow before and failed, feared to even touch the thought of starting over. Then I saw this video, realized that I have missed a lot of details that can make a difference, and after I watch this video I feel like can make a new bow. Thank you for this great video and thank you for making me confident again.
Something that really helped me is I heard somebody say "even a broken bow is a learning experience." I think a bow breaking actually gives you more information about what to do than one that hasn't broken.
What were things you missed in your first bow? I’d love to do this so any advice for beginners would be greatly appreciated.
@@amandariffe2599 well, my first bow had a branch knot in it, which I thought would be removed once I thinned it down and sanded it, but it ended up being a V-shaped break in the back of the bow. I never fired, or even strung, that one because I was certain it would break. My second bow I removed material too aggressively (used a dual-action sander) and unevenly (ended up with a really thin spot on one limb before I really started on the other). I haven't made a third yet, but my biggest takeaway from the first two is to carefully select your wood and don't rush, no matter how certain you are in the moment that it'll be fine.
Edison Said He Didn't Fail 99 times
He Found 99 ways not to make a
Light Bulb.
Keep on Keeping On👍
GOD BLESS🙏🙏
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the quality of this man's custom made links? I mean.... Beautiful work, really.
Very true!
Maybe i missed something but why put drywall tape on if you are just going to shave it all off ?
@@DC-zd5ejhe wood is taken off of the other side, not the one with the tape
Yeah yeah yeah nice work . Wanna impress me ? Take a bow and make a tree out of it. Then you will be a master....grasshoppa .
Yo MY BOW IS DONE!!!!!! I started it right as COVID was starting in March, 2020... started tillering and life just got in the way for many reasons. Long story short, the half-finished bow moved from a rental house to my first house to my current house where the poor thing sat all alone for the last 2yrs untouched collecting dust and a smidge of bird poo in my non-enclosed garage...I resurrected that project last week and brought it to a tremendously successful and satisfying completion literally an hour ago taking my first dozen or so shots at a home-based archery shop nearby. I bought a beautiful grey and blue string from Shatterproof last week and it measures a 30# draw at 28" but at 6'4" I'm probably a 30-31" draw. The shop's making me some target arrows for the weekend. Man it's so satisfying shooting a bow I crafted myself!!! Thank you a million times over Kramer! My experience is a clear-cut validation of this video and your talent for teaching! Great work!
- James
P.S. this was my first and, so far, only attempt. It helps that I've been working with wood for almost 20yrs though.
materials: 15 dolars
skill: priceless
Hotel: Trivago!
@@Meloncholymadness qaurintine?: pornhub
@@captainheat2314 you spelled pornhub correctly but not quarantine? what a waste of life your mother and father gave you.
@@nani8308 Pornhub is a conjunction of two much simpler words than quarantine. What a waste of life your parents gave to someone so judgemental over a little joke on a TH-cam video.
@@austinrosatte2715 maybe that was a joke too, lighten up...
1 minute into the video and this guy's personality has already earned a sub from me, seems like a nice, helpful and knowledgeable dude
You sound like you want to be his boyfriend heeheehee
So... I made my daughter a bow...
She keeps asking me if she can take it to school when it starts up again, and her evil little laugh when she says that she “ just wants to show it to this one girl “ kinda worries me.
lol
Raise her with the WORD of GOD and set an example by living the example yourself that GOD'S WORD gives us and you'll see a difference in both your lives with no worry.
@@1ofhis518 da hell
@@agustingallo485 JESUS is the only way out of hell
@@1ofhis518 🤣 nice comeback
I have been wanting to get back into archery for years, so I started looking for a bow to buy. I discovered real quick that none of the bows available in stores look good to me nor do they feel right in my hand. They are all bulky and cluttered with sites and gadgets. So I thought, "how about I make my own". So I have been watching "how to" videos and reading article and blogs for about 4 months before going out and actually buying material for my first build. Your videos are the most informative ones I have watched so far. Keep the great videos coming. My first one had a catastrophic failure in the upper limb so I glued it back together and hung it on my wall as decoration and a reminder of what not to do. I can tell you, making a bow in an apartment with only hand tools is a huge challenge.
I watch a lot of craftsmen and makers and the like on TH-cam, and I gotta say, the production values here are off the damn charts. Great editing, shows you how to do the thing, minimal fluff, fantastic music... Good stuff, sir.
Ok Kramer you can log in to your account now.
I personally find the music detracting from the project, but you do you. I'm just gonna mute it and read the captions.
Great bow make vid.. but edit it down to half please... Cleanest workshop I've ever seen.. Thx..
@@grahamwilliams1836 on the contrary, some of us actually like the long form vijeos
As a drywall hanger, taper and carpenter, I've found another purpose for my mesh tape LoL. Excellent video!
DUDE!!! Same here!! I've always said I'll never handle anything else drywall related, then I watched THIS!!!
I gotta give this one a try!!
Ive got a few rolls of mesh tape left over from my combat archery days.. We used the tape to make the arrows safe.. A non taped arrow could split and become "live" during a session..
Drywaller here,as I watched the video I wondered if fibafuse tape would be better...lol.
now you just need a use for the drywall..
b pc about pc on a pc lol
This will open up the art of bow making to a lot of people of all age’s Great tutorial!
Mate- this is by far the BEST most complete and detailed instructive bow build video I have ever watched. I’ve been wanting to build a bow for a long time but was scared of my lack of expertise and experience. You have laid out so many hacks, tips and important nuances I feel ready to give it a go. This is truly brilliant. Thank you so much and keep it up! When I buy some bowstrings from your website, you’ll know I got the tillering right 😂
I'm gonna build a "Quarantine bow" TOMORROW, THANK YOU!!!! Or start one, I mean... Sorry, I got excited there. lol
Us too!
I made a bow out of wooden crutches
@@_ForgedInTrees_ handi-capabow
@@theunusualshow430 nah show yourself in
ME TOO!😊
It is 54 years since I made my own bow, where I worked at that time they used hickory poles with a hook on the end to connect /disconnect railway wagons, I bought one of these at scrap price, cut it in half all the way down its length and made two bows, wish I had known about the fibreglass at that time? but made the handle exactly the same way :) Brilliant video thanks.
dude you're the man. I been a carpenter for 15 years but you just now made it a hobby haha. thanks
Just went into the shatter proof archery shop. I built this bow. Mine was only 38 lbs. Kazden was awesome. Made my string while we chatted. Thank you both for the bow. Off to shoot this one and make one that will kill with the hickory bow blank.
I made this bow. Made out of Red Oak. 36 mm wide x 10 mm thick x 59" Long I put 5 strips of fibreglass ( Board strips ) stuck down with Uni-Bond wood glue. Made everything the same as video. Same bow, same handle and used a walnut stain to finish. I bought a strip of laminate in walnut, the type you put on the edge of a kitchen unit for the back of the bow. It looks stunning. It pulls at about 60 LB. Very powerful and great fun. Will put a Clear lacquer over it soon to preserve.
Thanks Dave! I've been wanting to get into archery. I'm a tradesman so when I saw this video it made me want my first bow to be home built. I'll find myself some red oak. Thanks for the heads up!
Hi, I'm curious how the lacquer will fair on something that bends. Will it crack?
Wondering how that laminate looks on a bow, would you mind sharing a picture with the community via imgur or such?
@@Nitidus imgur ? I do not know of that app wait and I will google.
@@daveb1149 It's a website where anyone can upload pictures and share the link afterwards, e.g. here in the comments :)
Thanks Kramer for setting me off on an archery adventure! I finally have a wonderful board bow, actually two of them after four failures. You make it look easy but figuring out what tools to use and how to use them takes some trial and error, hence the failures. Mostly I gouged the limbs, causing me to tiller them too thin and having the weak limbs crack. My best result was a board bow of red oak built to Kramer's specs (so far all bows I have made are to the specs in this video). I thought this one would also be a failure as I cut in the arrow rest in "too deep", at butt-hair more than half the width making this bow a true center shot. I kept it as thick as possible at the arrow rest to not weaken it any further and it turned out fine! It draws at 45 lbs at 28" which is perfect for me. A good rule of thumb is not to thin the limbs under 0.4". This will ensure a strong and durable bow. My other finished bow is made of maple, another great wood to use, however I made this bow an ambidextrous bow with arrow rests on both sides. This was a mistake, as it is a strong beautiful bow with a 50 lb draw at 28", but it shoots terrible with carbon fiber and aluminum arrows, all arrows hitting erratically 2' to the left at 50'. The oak center shot bow shoots modern aluminum and carbon fiber 500 spine arrows as well as my store bought recurve. The maple bow may need wooden arrows? Oh, don't paint the fiberglass tape and then put more glue over to fill in the mesh pattern. I thought it would made a deep rich back, with multiple layers of paint between the glue but the glue didn't adhere to the paint very well. I had to peel it all off and start again on a poplar bow. A power planer can save much time to remove wood on the limbs, then finely removed with a spoke shave down to 0.4", then finished and tillered with a power sander with 60 grit. Go with red oad or maple for best results, poplar is sorta weak. I tried mahogany too but it shattered on the first pull of my draw knife, a very weird experience.
If you want paint to stick to the glue, it needs to be primed first! Same thing if you want to paint the wood
Wow- THANKS !! - C.
In childhood, we use to make very basic bows in minutes with wet green bamboo cuts which has natural bending tendency without all these complexities. You are a pro. Keep it up.
So I have been doing finish carpentry for 24 years and when joining wood, the smoother the 2 pieces of wood the better. It equals more surface contact and less chance for a void or air when the glue shrinks and dries. You never rough up your pieces, especially with a hack saw blade. You get them as smooth as possible with a surface planer/jointer, put them together, hold it up to light to see if the joint is tight. Wipe them down with a damp cloth, then apply wood glue (I prefer tight bond 3) and clamp it until joint is so tight you see no air between the wood pieces. Wipe excess glue that squirts out with a wet cloth and let sit for 24 hours. I use a couple pieces of scrap wood to put between the clamp ends and the project to avoid denting as well. That will make a joint so strong it will break on the grain before the it separates. Otherwise great video.
Not everyone has access to a plainer or precision equipment, I’ve heard roughing up the contact pieces when access to these tools is limited. The guy who told me this had 20-30 years in furniture woodworking. Especially when using hard wood
@Justin Pless Unfortunately, some people are just wrong. The less air gaps you have, the better the joint, it's just science. On any woodworking instructional, you never see them roughing a joint for glue. Whether it be mortise and tenon or dove tail or any other joint, minimal glue and maximum contact. You can get it pretty close with a table saw and use a hand plane to dial it in. Like I said, I like the video and you did a great job. I am a stubborn old timer and like to curb the propagation of bad technique.
@@mel_camino thanks I appreciate your input and explanation
If theres one thing I'm endlessly grateful to the internet for, it's the realization that all you needi s a shedful of tools and wood to make some stuff that otherwise you might pay 100s or 1000s of dollars to get, in what's really just a few hours of work. A serviceably longbow made with traditional methods? Absurdly expensive. A functional recreation of a medieval instrument? Even more so. But there really is nothing stopping you from making them, and making them well after just 1 or 2 tries. Just wait till I get round to backyard blacksmithing.
@Death Maze Challenge You always do stuff like in the ancient days? You do what your feudal lord says? You don't learn to read unless you're a priest or plague doctor? You eat a subsistence diet while your childhood brain is developing, stunting your vertical and intellectual growth? No, you don't. We're better at most things now than we were during the feudal era. I can produce a serviceable vielle in 2 days, and I never had a day of instruction. Vielles are a lot more physically complex, and have to stand up to just as much tension relative to their size and mass, especially when yo udon't have access to gut strings and have to use artificial violin strings which have a lot more tension. Maybe longbows are significantly different, who knows? But I doubt it would take more than 5 attempts to get one that works well.
@@curvingfyre6810 forging is fun, I'm very new to it, and currently my forge is a hole in the ground with a blow drier duct taped to a metal pipe. Start with that. My first "project" was a fire poker. Once my finger heals from a table saw accident I'm making a pair of tongs.
@@leoblack6730 Ever made a blade? I've got a bit of structural steel already in a decent blank, enough to get a full tang, partial pommel, and about a foot and a half blade. How much practice would I need on something simpler first?
@@curvingfyre6810 I haven't yet as I'm still pretty new. I was more just telling you how easy it is to start a forge, as I spent maybe 15 dollars on the pipe, hair dryer and charcoal. Make sure your metal is non galvanized, and if it is soak it in vinegar for a day or two
@Death Maze Challenge there was an attempt to master an apprentice LOLOLOL.
love this video. I am older and have had numerous health issues including brain traumas. Have started to build a bow years ago but it was over whelming for me to get straight in my head. However, your backing etc is super simple and easy so I may be trying this out. thanks for the awesome video
jerry cox --- No need for the life story, oversharing is getting ridiculous online.
@@Liofa73 so sorry, hope you have a great life
@@Liofa73 you insensitive prick
Great, after watching this video I'm gonna get a million recommendations for homemade medieval weaponry.
I've made a successful 64" bow off this video and found myself overwhelmed with motivation to make more bows . I've watched alot of his other videos and stumbled upon a kids bow video he made from a fresh cut tree. I made myself a fresh cut bow with the fiberglass backing process as used in this video. I think to myself it would be cool if he could do a video comparing fresh cut to a dry 1×2×6 bow made identically to each other (64") and track the flight, weight, different challenges,etc....Kramer your awesome!!! Full of knowledge, and thank you for making this amazing skill free to learn.
The best DIY bowyer videos out there. I really appreciate you showing us how to build them on the low budget side of life.
Man! Thank You for Sharing your experience in bow making. So far this is the best information for beginners HANDS DOWN. Keep it going.
Have no idea why YooToob recommended this vid to me..but I'm really glad they did..gonna have to give this a shot.
Keep up the great work..your style is fun, instructive, and user friendly.
Subscribed!
Doug Gyver YooToob? Its called TH-cam
@@fenrir6470 Are you high? Look at the url, it's YooToob.
@@fenrir6470
You must be from one of the lesser countries where they spell it wrong..
😎
Agreed. This guy should be a woodsmithing teacher. VERY informative! He speaks to wood like myself...
th-cam.com/channels/nTzuJR7aAz7M-nCtovgIKQ.html
I made my first board bow in '21 during the pandemic. It is an English longbow, made of hickory. 72" about 44# @28" draw. When I first got into building bows back in 2010, i bought a piece of red wood. And I showed it on a FB group page. A few people talked crap about it, gave me crap, saying I'll never be good at now making. So I left that group, cut up that board and used it for firewood. I gave up and didn't try to make a bow until 2021. And I found this channel. Going to make another bow soon. I want to make a short Comanche bow.
Now, all we gonna add is the "instant legolas" mag.
Let me show you its FEECHERS!
Mithridaties *manic smile*
@@Crowellcontracting *hearty German chuckle*
Lol
Yess i was juste thinking about it ! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !
WOW just WOW I just stumbled on this and watched the entire video. I last shot a bow when I was a kid at summer camp (a really long time ago) Your workmanship and instruction was beyond reproach. I will never be able to make a bow, but I give you much respect on this video. Your enthusiasm is awesome.
I've build bows out of many things, i was obssesed with them in childhood. Me and my friends became masters at shooting bottles and cans with arrows. Problem was, we were poor, so to make a bow is not that much of a deal really. To make straight, light good arrows, that's the problem. So we developed a way of making arrows from cattail plant, we could only find this in the winter. The arrows werent really resiliant to many shots, but they fly like nothing else i ever shot from a bow.
You've made a really nice bow there, but i can tell you, it won't last to long.
I've build so many wood bows i can't even remember, and all of it had one problem, it snaps, or in time loses strenght, the wood fiber start to break, and lose compresion. I think the best bow i ever had, was made of bambo, it was such a fun bow. Light, and is weird to explain but it was so easy to pull and had such a good power. I guess because the bambo wood is dense, and it alot better at releasing the energy and decompresing, it does it so much faster than other type of wood.
If you wanna get good at shooting arrows, you don't need a fancy bow, you need a rezilient bow, one that can last hundreds and hundreds of shots. After firing so many arrows, it becamse a reflex, you don't even have to aim anymore like in the movies, you just feel where the arrow will land. Ther was this famous guy that was shooting pills on tv. Some people think is some superhuman talent, is not... Is really just alot of practice.
Nail on head dude..its the same with shooting clays...after a few years and thousands of clays you can just relax and break them on reflex.
Yep. Our mind knows precisely where our eyes are looking and our arms are aiming and how long it will take to let go the string, after some practice.
I too was obsessed with bows as a kid and also was very poor. Got my first real bow at about 12,a fiberglass recurve, would spend hours shooting golden rod stalks from one side of the hollow to the other. About 1out of 50 would fly probably close to 300yrds. I read once many years ago that the Egyptian s had bows that would shoot a slender, weight forward, fletch less arrow to 4000feet, incredible!
This is the absolute best primer on bow making I’ve ever encountered. Bravo!
You somehow remind me of Jessie from breaking bad when he was talking about his wooden box...
All jokes aside this is a super high quality video and im planning on doing this very soon. Many thanks for the level of detail you went into.
"These factory-cut boards are actually really straight" I can see you don't shop at Lowes Lmao
The big box stores are all like that. Some lumber was meant to build circular stairs!
@Dave Hanson That would actually be really bad to *make* a bow because you want the bow stave to remain straight when it's not under tension from the string. As soon as the bow starts to warp in that direction, the bow loses a lot of strength. My first experiment in bowmaking was using a piece of green tamarisk harvested from a local flood plain area, but it warped almost immediately and dropped from probably around 25 pound draw to under 10.
I think boards like that are meant to make boats ;)
Lowes has the worst lumber ever. I hate that it's the closest lumber supplier near me
Or HD or Menards.
I do that's where I got my wood
You, sir, are not only a skilled craftsman, you are a pretty fair teacher, too. Well done.
BETTER TEACH THAN OTHERS IVE HEARD , THIS IS A LISTENING TEACHER .A SALUTE TO YOU
TEACH ....U.S.MARINE...
You have provided me and my family with a source of food and income in the upcoming apocalypse. Much appreciated!
Is nobody gonna mention how good his transitions are in the beginning
Been wanting to build my own bow for years. I am going to give it a shot!
How'd it go?
Kramer! thanks so much, I have watched this video 100+ times along with some / many others. Thanks for sharing this it has sparked something in me to make and keep making my own archery equipment. Love it! My first two I made out of 2 red oak that busted on me after about 2-3 weeks of shooting, but those were just the beginning. Thank you again for all your hard work and encouraging tutorials. Gods blessings to you my friend
Ya'know I am always glad to see young adults working, and working hard to acolmplish a craft as bow making. I now want to build one. Thanks for continuing to make America the Greatest place on earth 🌎 🙏
I’ve been watching how to make primitive tools and how to set fire. I came across how to make a bow on other videos but love the way you describe to full details and can see the passion you have while making them. I made my first spear out of a tree branch and some arrows. I am really looking forward on making a bow now. Thanks for the video
Love the camera work and music choices. It sounds and looks so epic and movie like. Specifically, that finished stained bow reveal slowly down the table, awesome. I love stained wood, it looks so good.
That was amazing start to finish! Turned out to be a beautiful bow!! 158 FPS from a home built bow that was impressive!! I look forward to my first attempt once I have some basic tools required to make it.
Good to see you using fractions and imperial measures, so much more practical than metric. Nice bow.
I'm so happy right now. Among all the useless stuff youtube recommends to me, this is a real gem. Quickest subscribe in a while.
Thank You for the instructions! My nephew and I are following them to build bows, using poplar, built three now, broke two. Third one is on a shelf in a box to keep it safe. We are switching to red oak. Staying "Staying Shatter Proof" despite the shattered bows. We are enjoying the build and the learning process. Again Thank you
Lockdown 2020
Friend: How's your weekend?
Me: Nothing much. Just made a longbow for the apocalypse
need a Target? i know this guy...trudeau... hell of good one
@@varietyhub498 I know a bright Orange Dumbass that is easy to spot
UP TO 80% OFF FIRST PURCHASE!
CODE: pbnhnck
Works on WISH.COM ONCE
You know - they say "Timing IS Everything" - and so here we are.
Don't panic, but enjoy the time with your family and be at peace with what is going on around us.
A great idea for how clubs can produce a range of affordable bows of different sizes and draw-weights for introducing newcomers to the sport. Thank you.
While what you're making is not a longbow, it's what the rest if the world calls the American Flatbow, the technology and technique should be easily adapted to manufacturing a true English Longbow and will massively reduce the initial costs if getting into the sport. A great idea and excellent instructions in how to go about it.
Now, all we need to do is to sort out your shooting technique.
Rick Bear
EFAA qualified National Instructor in the English Longbow
Hey Kramer, I’m watching your review of this video.
Your future self reviewing you past self.
Not sure if you are going to see this comment in amongst all others.
Just want to say your review, of you , your honesty, your reflection, your openness about how you have grown.
Was refreshing and I respect you more now.
I never doubted you as a bowyer, a teacher and a source of information.
I’ve got to watch the last half of your self review still, I just hope it’s as inspiring as the first half.
If I met you and had one chance for you to hear me I’d say,
Just be you, evolve, as we do but never doubt your contribution or worth.
I subscribe to your Chanel because of you.
Keep up the good work, love the content.
youtube: you like archery?
me: well, no..
youtube: great! here's some bow making
im kinda glad
Be honest, you wouldn't click on it if you didn't like archery. Deep down we all know bows are cool.
@@Pir-o honestly I'm always excited about any kind of craftsmanship
being a bowyer and being a archery are two different things.
Super in climate luxury
Haha that’s funny!
If you like outdoor’ adventures check out th-cam.com/channels/nTzuJR7aAz7M-nCtovgIKQ.html
ok first comment was only a few minutes in. finished the tutorial and i gotta give it to ya thats one of the best of THOUSANDS of how to´s ive ever watched. im no authority and this will not positively affect you in any way but bravo man outstanding job!! subscriber!!
Also, my how measures 6 feet from top to tip and when I'm ready for a string I am going to order it from you! Thanks again for the inspiration. I have watched many videos on the subject and yours is among the best!
watch his 30 minute livestream stage length should b 2x drawlength plus handle section
@@avrumisolaimani8546 it seems to be 66 in hes string. ...from groove to groove minus 3 inches. is that right??
I wholeheartedly agree the editing is some of the best I've ever seen especially at the start of the video
Man thanks! I saved this video and a beauty piece of Elm for over a year and finally got started the other day. I'm just starting the fiber tape and once I'm done I'll buy a string off you ! Great video and build.
Excellent diy how-to! I have been wanting to tackle a bow build for a very long time and could just never get my confidence up to try it. But now I do and can. Thank you.
I wondered about trying this myself, but after watching this I realise I have about 5% of the skill required and 1% of the patience required. Still fascinating to watch tho! :)
I feel the same. 1% the patience is about right.
In my case i have the skill and patience just lack the time and tools to make it. Guess il stick to olympic recurve
Try making a PVC bow instead, it's way less work, only costs about $10, and will give you a 40-50 pound draw bow that works great. Not a work of art like this wooden one, but very easy and functional. Check out Backyard Bowyer for a great DIY video. I made one and it's awesome. Next project is to use this video to make a wooden bow.
100% agreement my friend
Jx
Its rare that TH-cam recommends me something I like but when they do they do a good job.
Your video is like a '90s action movie with all the slow motion going on it's wonderful I love it
Fantastic! I’m going to build one with my son this week. I would love to see you build a Legolas bow from lord of the rings.
Him: You won't need much clamping pressure.
Also him: Puts ten clamps on this tiny piece of wood.
"If you don't have clamps..." go to Harbor Freight and buy some cheap ones.. not sold on the "use duct tape" part.
lol i was gonna comment on that
@@saintless can als use the vice….
🤣😂 thank you for saving me the trouble of saying this exactly.
Did anyone hear him say “ a lot of that wood will soak into the wood”.
Don't rough up the wood for gluing. That's actually a misconception. The glassier the wood can be, the better the wood cells will accept glue and the stronger your binding will be. I'm subscribing.
Did not know that.
Not sure about that, but with the glue these days are normally stronger then the fibers of the wood
Not about "glassy" wood. I think it's about symmetry. You want both application surfaces to be as identical as possible. Sanding both a bit helps to create similar surfaces. I'm no carpenter tho, I just read one article online so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
@@willsantos9090 I agree, flat and true to each other is absolutely important, but I AM a carpenter and the smoother the wood, the better the gluing will be
From my understanding the best glue joint depends on the type of glue. Some perform with zero gap glass surface, some perform with gaps and coarse texture.
Ace, young man!
I really appreciate you taking time to teach an old dog, like myself, new tricks!!✌️👍
Well done with the edits dude, really brings the video together
Another awesome, informative video. I'm new to the whole bow building/shooting community and have only started watching videos on the subject but, you are the first person I have watched who mentioned using fiberglass tape for backing. Game changer!
00:33 seconds in and I've paused to say your editing and flow is ON POINT! Instant SUB.....now I'll continue
Yeah he really locked me in with that.
Good quality video all the way through.👍
You just gave me renewed hope for the Red Oak Board bow I’ve been carving on. Basic tools. Started with my hatchet. Need to get some tight bond and some backing.
Lockdown got me interested in things i didn't even know i could be interested in.......am definitely trying this
Already on it building 2
Yeahh, i already build 😅😅😅 on my channel got a vids
I'm in the middle of doing my own right now. Making the handle from laminated purpleheart and Walnut, and waiting for it to cure as I type this.
I can't believe I sat through more than half an hour of watching him make a bow. I liked it
Nicely done ,remember that if your arrows are specifically made for the bow and its draw weight that it may shoot faster,
Other than that looks great and looks like a good shooter .
It will keel
@@kramerammonsarchery IBO is a compound thing, you might damage your bow shooting 5gpp. Id suggest something more like 7 or 8 gpp, 8-12 gpp is typically what trad guys shoot. 7 would be fine for a practice or target bow.
@@Lost_Hwasal Thanks for the arrow suggestion; I was wondering about that.
@@Lost_Hwasal In my state (Washington), we need to use no less than 9..if memory serves me correctly. They (fish&game), put a Lot of restrictions on bow hunters.
@@Eric-gi9kg Obviously there is a huge difference between bowhunting and having fun on the range. If i was hunting trad i think 9 gpp would be a pretty good weight. If you read the Dr Ashby report a lot is to be said for hunting with heavier arrows. A selfbow like this is going to be a bit slower than a laminated recurve, for the backyard 7 to 8 gpp should be fine.
@@Eric-gi9kg I checked the Washington rule: "Arrows used for big game hunting must weigh a minimum of 6 grains per pound, with a minimum arrow weight of 300 grains, including the broadhead." For newbies like me, you might clarify that you are talking grains not grams -- 1 gram = just over 15 grains.
For Kramer Ammons: Really nice tutorial. Thanks.
Guy Carden, Pullman, Washington
Never even searched for bow making. watched this video and feel the urge to make a bow now. thumbs up!
Shots on the bow, but the cinematography and the editing is 🔥
Whow Kramer, this has GOT to be the best how-to-make-your-own-longbow-video on youtube by a long shot! You cover it all. I hope it attracts more and more bowyers, because there is nothing more satisfying than shooting arrows with your own made bow. Oh, and that website works great. Well done also!
the most badass video ever... just started my first bow build, wish me luck!
I’m building this bow right now. I’m at the floor tillering process.
How did it work out for you? Does the bow shoot fine? I'm also building one, but I'm only at the backing stage right now.
@@timarcher4743
I haven’t finished it yet. I had to stop and build a tillering tree. Then hunting season kicked in and well I went hunting. Lol.
@@odelloutdoors3424 how is the bow I’m making one too
@@jacobnoah5209 I haven’t finished it. My garage isn’t heated so I stopped work on it. I did make a self bow from Osage that turned out awesome. I still plan to finish the board bow some day.
@@timarcher4743 how is your bow
Basically the cost of a bow is justified. Quite a bit of work goes into making a bow!
Some people actually make their own beer, and clothing, too. Ridiculous.
The sentimental love that is put into anything you love doing,
is irreplaceable.
& to share that with others, makes you a Master of this trade.
so funny
when it breaks, it's easy to make another one :)
69th Like NOICE
I've got goosebumps for the end result of this bow together with the cinematography. Kramer. You are an artist. Channels like this are so inspirational and educational for someone like me who is just beginning to build bows.
Stoked you have reappeared in my feed after 2 years.....always great to watch your work.
"I'm not selling tshirts I'm selling BOWSTRINGS" Best TH-camr self-promo.
Epic Merch Drop: A T-Shirt that says, "I'm not selling T-Shirts, I'm selling Bowstrings."
@@themichaelangelou9785 lame
This is a long way from bending a branch with a bit of string that we used to do when we were kids... Nice work, and very well explained. Great job.
When I'm working wood like that, I like to take a sharpie and draw lines across the length of what you're taking down so you can see that you're pulling equal amounts from each side then you're removing the sharpie off the surface of both sides.
very slick editing for 4 years ago, you deserve more subs especially for how dedicated you are
Why am I watching this I don't even have a shop or any tools at all
Buy a hand-saw with the wood, still cheaper than buying one
because your unconscious is telling you that you need to use your creative energies. just as all humans do.
Me too
Started today to make one with your plan! 😱 Once i did the cutting and gluing. I started a second one!! 🙊 Waiting for the glue to dry now.. I'm so excited to continue!!!
Did it break
I've been into archery since I was young, and I've always wanted to craft myself a longbow. The only problem is that I had no idea where to begin, but this video is a great start. I know I'll probably fail quite a bit to start off with, but the experience is gained through failure. Great video!
Kramer, I'm working on my 5th bow. So far everyone I have showed my bows to have been really impressed. I'm surprisingly good at this. This might be something really good for me. Thank you!!