A composite bow is an improved version of a regular bow. Man has used it for hunting and fighting since ancient times. Initially, bows were made from solid wood, but the strength and tension of the string were insufficient. In addition, bows large sizes were inconvenient, and the small ones could not provide sufficient arrow range.
It was then that some people came up with the idea of making a bow from several components. This was done in different ways - in some places it was simply additionally glued with horn or harder layers of wood, in others the handle and shoulders were made separately, and sometimes both of these methods were combined. To glue the components of the onion, a special fish glue was used, which was made from bones boiled for a long time.
Such weapons first appeared in Asia, and in Europe they continued to use ordinary solid ones for a long time. Nowadays they are made only for fun, and almost all modern ones have long since become composite.
Advantages of Composite Bows
They have a number of significant advantages. The first advantage is that it provides similar combat power at a much smaller size. This makes it more comfortable to wear, when hunting and in combat conditions, compared to bulky conventional devices. This bow makes it easy to shoot from a horse and cart.
Another advantage is much greater power. A composite bow can shoot arrows much further and they penetrate armor more easily.
Disadvantages of Composite Bows
If you are planning to buy a bow, then you will not experience any particular disadvantages of a composite bow. However, ancient people constantly had problems with them, because it took a very long time to make such complex weapons, and this process was extremely complex. In addition, traditionally such bows were glued, which in conditions of high humidity lost their adhesive properties and durability. Because of this, the onions needed to be constantly dried.
Now these disadvantages are not very relevant, since purchasing a composite bow in a store will not be at all difficult.
Asian bows
The composite bow, the photo of which is below, was especially widespread in Asia. There they were worn by foot archers. Such bows had a length of no more than 150 centimeters. Most often in Asia they shot light arrows - either with a canopy at a distance of about 150 meters, or aimed no further than 50-70 meters. Heavy arrows were rarely used, but with them the bow was dangerous already at a distance of about 225 meters, which was a very serious distance for those times.
Scythian bows
The composite Scythian bow deserves special attention. You can see his photo below. Many people have heard about the existence of Scythian bows. Opponents were afraid of the Scythians with such powerful weapons. Historians accurately claim that in those ancient times there was no weapon that could compare with the Scythian bow in power. At the same time, now, at the first glance at him, it is even difficult for many to understand how he could shoot at all.
The design of this type of bow is amazingly interesting, but at the same time very complex. So it will be very difficult to make a Scythian one - it consists of many parts and is made from quite rare materials. In general, if you are not directly interested in reconstruction, then you are unlikely to need Scythian weapons specifically, and a traditional composite bow will completely replace it.
The length of the Scythian bow was only about 70-80 centimeters, and its arrows weighed only 15-25 grams. Due to the small size and light arrows, he could only shoot at three to four dozen meters, although in principle the arrows flew at 100-120 meters, but less accurately and very weakly. It was pointless to shoot from such a bow without aiming, so before firing the Scythians always slowed down or even stopped completely in order to take better aim.
Modern bows
The construction of a composite bow today is actually not all that different from its construction in ancient times. Today, the romance of antiquity and the Middle Ages is very strong in people, and they are increasingly paying attention to swords and bows. However, the first exercises necessarily require a partner, special equipment, etc., while with a bow you can have fun alone, having only it, arrows and a set of targets.
Almost all modern bows have a composite design. This is due to the fact that solid ones are significantly weaker, so making them simply does not make sense. Modern bows are made from various metals and plastics, that is, modern materials that are resistant to moisture and external irritants.
Of course, some craftsmen now make bows from wood, although usually using modern adhesive materials rather than fish glue. Such devices are more interesting not to athletes, but to true lovers of antiquity. Olympic bows, of course, are not made of wood.
Recently, they have become popular compound bows, however, they are not composite and should be discussed separately. Such bows have no analogues in ancient times.
Olympic, as the Olympic bow is also called, is sports equipment, in design as close as possible to the traditional one. They are made from modern materials, and interesting modern elements are added to their design - stabilizers, and sometimes even sights. A modern Olympic bow is always completely disassembled. Its design is simple - a handle, shoulders, a bowstring, a stabilizer and a sight. Everything can be easily put together and get
Olympic is used in Olympic Games, as well as in such popular sports as archery biathlon and field shooting. It is worth noting that the skills required here from the athlete are somewhat different than when shooting from a conventional bow, without a stabilizer and sight, but the accuracy of Olympic bows is significantly higher.
How to make your own compound bow
A finished composite bow is quite expensive, and not everyone can afford it. In addition, doing something with your own hands is always very pleasant, and a bow made by yourself will be ideal for you in all respects, from size to string tension.
In general, if you know how to work with wood at least a little, or at least work with your hands, then making a composite bow is quite within your capabilities, and there is no need to resort to the services of craftsmen and weapons stores.
Historical bow
If you want to make a bow similar to what some ancient tribes used, then you will have to try hard. The fact is that such a bow should be as close as possible to the original, that is, it should be made from wood, preferably the one that grew in those places, and from horn. For braiding, it is recommended to use birch bark, animal veins and skins. Well, the onions will have to be glued together with the same fish glue - and it needs to be slowly boiled from fish bones all day long. The glue, by the way, smells terrible during cooking.
In addition, the bow will have to be made either from drawings from the Internet, or even from images reconstructed by historians based on ancient descriptions. In general, the matter is quite long and troublesome, but the result will be amazing.
Instructions for making a bow
Making a composite bow yourself is much more difficult than a regular solid wood bow. For a regular bow, it is enough to simply choose a suitable board and branch, while a composite bow will require the manufacture of three parts and their strong connection.
A composite bow should be made in several stages:
- First of all, you will need to cut out the handle of the bow - its middle part, which you will hold with your hand and where the arrow will rest. This piece is cut from a single piece of very strong, straight-grained wood. It is extremely important that it is resistant to bending. For additional strength, this part can also be made of several layers of durable wood, having previously glued them together. Sometimes the handle is additionally reinforced with metal plates. The part must be cut from strictly dry material.
- Then you will need to make the arms of the bow - two absolutely identical parts that will bend when the bowstring is pulled. To make shoulders, many people recommend using old skis - they bend well and are made from durable wood. However, you can cut out the shoulders separately, giving them the desired shape. They can also be glued together from several layers of wood and reinforced with metal plates. You will need to drill grooves in the shoulders to attach the bowstring.
- Then you will need to connect the handle and shoulders together. This can be done with very strong glue, or with bolts, if appearance The finished product is less important to you than its functionality.
- At the end you will need to tighten the bowstring. You can weave it yourself, or take a ready-made rope - a Kevlar climbing sling with a thickness of 3.5 millimeters will do.
- Finally, the onion should be sanded again, soaked in oils, coated with wax or varnish - in general, give it beautiful view and protect from external influences.
How to Shoot a Composite Bow
The shape of the bow must be correct, this is important, but you also need to be able to shoot from it. Instructions for right-handed people (left-handed people should simply switch their hands):
- Take the bow with your left hand.
- Grab the string with your thumb and secure it with your index finger, with your palm facing outward. At this moment you are already holding the arrow
- Raise the bow above your head and bring it down sharply with both hands. This way you will overcome the strong tension on the bowstring.
- Aim for a second and a half and open index finger, loosening the big one. The arrow will fly an amazing distance.
First we cut out the blanks. This time I took maple. You can also use other wood, say, ash, walnut, elm, etc. The main thing is to choose a piece of trunk that meets at least the most basic requirements: namely, the absence of cracks, knots, sagging, internal breaks and displacements of layers; the layers must be uniform and located along the plane of future shoulders, and not across. It is almost impossible to find such a blank in wood stores that sell sawn boards, so it is better to take a log.
Deciduous trees are rich in sap, which contains various sugars. Without going into details, let's just say that they are harmful to shoulder function. Accordingly, first of all, we get rid of intra-tree sap. To do this, cook in hot water, walking sluggishly and not gushing, for about 40 minutes, maybe up to an hour and a half, but you shouldn’t overexpose it. Experience is the best teacher. The purpose of this stage is to get rid of the sap in the wood so that it does not crystallize in the future and does not tear the fibers from the inside during repeated bending, and also to make the wood pliable for bending and drying on a template.
While the wood is hot, we tape it to the template and leave it to dry in a cool place. This is how they say they used to make skis. We repeat the same process for the second shoulder.
Next, when everything is dry, we make a handle from comfortable wood. I also took maple. You can also use birch, it suits the task quite well.
The dimensions are adjusted according to the size of the owner’s hand, how he imagines holding the bow, and a wedge is made at both ends for gluing. We mark with a pencil the places of pasting on the shoulders. It’s time to mark the shoulders and ends of the handle during the fitting process so as not to get confused when gluing. We cut out a wedge for gluing the handle.
We cut out the bars for the “saya” horns. We make them square in cross-section, about 4 cm. We also cook them very quickly onto the template - bend them and fix them. Why fast? Because with a relatively large thickness, the cooled tree does not bend! Or it might even crack. Which is not always critical, because then you still have to adjust the geometry and remove excess wood.
Then, when the wood has dried after a few days, we adjust it to the upper ends of the shoulders. The same process - preparation for gluing onto a wedge.
Now an important step - we go through all the surfaces to be glued with a toothed scraper (see photo), to obtain uniform parallel grooves, to increase the area of the surface to be glued. The pitch between the teeth is about 2 mm.
We dilute the pre-prepared tendon glue in a water bath (60 degrees). The volume is at the bottom of the jar. We prime the surfaces for gluing. The layer dries - add a new layer. So up to 7 times. As you work, the glue in the jar becomes thicker. The primer is getting smoother. This is such a simple trick.
Then all that remains is to heat it over any heat source and join it for gluing.
Then we glue the parts of the onion and give it the shape and size it needs, according to Turkish traditions. There are quite a lot of sources, one of those that you can use is this simple diagram:
Meanwhile, we get the following picture:
Other operations on the wood include removing 1-2 layers from the back of the bow where the shoulders should work.
Tendons play a special place in bow making. They should be discussed in more detail, keeping in mind the questions that the interested public likes to ask.
Cattle tendons are used. You can buy them in the markets of Moscow and, I hope, other cities, where the carcasses of bulls, cows and calves are cut into beef for consumption. These tendons don’t go anywhere; butchers usually chop them up and add them to jellied meat kits. In short, as agreed. Butchers are a unique audience, and you need to approach them.
Cervical and dorsal tendons - as a rule, do not contain as much collagen as hock tendons, which work more during the life of the cattle. Therefore, ask to cut out the tendons from the legs, but not in pieces, but entirely.
Small tendons will be used for glue, it is still better to chop them into cubes, and the hocks, the longest ones, should be saved for sticking on the bow. It is necessary to remove excess films from the tendons and carefully remove all fat under running water.
You can use both layers of tendon, both the outer shell and the inner, tendon itself.
First of all, before drying the tendons, it is better to remove the sheath from them. It is also dried and also glued. The inner "fork" is longer, but it is more difficult to break into fibers. The shell splits more easily. It should be dried in the shade; ultraviolet radiation has a bad effect on collagen. If outside, then under a canopy, or better indoors. For example, like this:
Ready-made “glassy forks” are stored for a long time in a cool, dry place, somewhere in a closet, in a box, but without precipitation. In general, they should look like this:
Before gluing, they must be split into fibers. For this, a special device is used that helps turn the “glass” into threads. Here it is:
Who said it would be easy?
Now about another purpose of tendons - to become glue.
This is a very difficult process. Many left the race without defeating him.
Method of cooking in a pressure cooker: throw beef (Achilles) tendons, cleaned of fatty films, into boiling water (regular, from the tap) and wait until they shrink, drain the water.
Clean again from the remaining films and any cuts. The veins themselves will have the consistency of rubber and a translucent, yellowish color. Afterwards, cut them into cubes and put them in glass jars that fit into your pressure cooker. Fold so that the veins occupy one third of the volume of the jar, fill the jar two-thirds with distilled water. Place the jars in a pressure cooker so that the walls do not touch each other, or place cloths between them. Pour water into the bottom of the pressure cooker to cover the tray on which the jars stand.
Close the pressure cooker.
Raise the valve.
Put on fire.
As soon as steam comes out of the valve, not much, but just starts to flow, close the valve.
Afterwards, from the moment steam starts coming out of the closed valve, note the time - 2 hours.
Two hours have passed - remove the pressure cooker from the heat and let it cool without opening the valve!
Once it has cooled down to the point where you can hold your hand on the wall of the pressure cooker, we take out the jars and pour the contents through a sieve into a bowl in which we will evaporate the glue.
Evaporate, stirring constantly, until the consistency of thick vegetable oil, then pour into plastic trays (herring containers in pieces are suitable), to which the glue will not stick firmly and into the refrigerator to cool.
When the glue has cooled down, take it out of the container and cut it into pieces with a knife dipped in water, hang it on a string and dry.
Remove the finally dried glue cubes from the ropes and place them in hermetically sealed jars; they should be stored in a cool, dark place.
As needed, take out the cubes and dissolve them in a water bath at a temperature of about 60 degrees Celsius.
Another non-trivial topic is horns. The task of the horns, which are glued to the belly of the bow, is to work on compression. What is horn and why did it turn out to be so suitable for making bows that for many thousands of years no one came up with anything better?
First of all, a horn is hardened intertwined hairs, so to speak, the flesh of an animal. Evolution decreed that part of the hairline was formed into keratinized growths. Accordingly, the horn has a structure similar to felt, or more precisely, to a woven woolen rope. It is known that when twisted, the fibers that make up the hairs are so closely intertwined that they are able to retain their shape after repeated attempts to change it.
If you examine the structure of the horn in detail, you can see that it consists of spirally twisted structures, which also consist of smaller spirally twisted structures, and so on, down to very microscopic sizes. Thus, it turns out that in the form of a horn we have a perfectly balanced spring system that works best precisely on compression, which is not surprising if you pay attention to how animals use their horns: blows, absorbing falls, like mountain goats and rams, and almost never - in tension.
Without going into further details, we note that so far no one has come up with anything better than this natural damping spring.
So, we take the horns of an Indian cow, which differ in their length, and which can be bought at any store that sells goods for historical reenactors. They act as signal horns there.
We cut with a narrow hacksaw with fine teeth. It is necessary to cut according to outside horns, where the length of the plate is maximum.
So, the horns were sawn and using a flat saw they were given a flattened profile. The purpose of scraping is to prevent the horn plate from bursting when flattened. 
Now cook and flatten, flatten, flatten.
For those who will be doing handicrafts, pay attention to the profile of the end of the plate.
Boil first. The end of the horn plate is visible in the tank, if noticeable.
Here the water boils for 40 minutes. Plus or minus 10 minutes has no effect.
The main thing is to prepare the “conditioner” in advance in order to install the plates with minimal heat loss.
We take the plate with tongs - it’s hot! - we lay it between two pieces of heavy-duty plywood. Visible in the photo. We squeeze it with our hands and put it into the crusher. There are two ordinary hydraulic automobile jacks. We squeeze until we are stupid. The degree of stupidity is strictly individual. When on the second plate I heard a sneaky, soul-grabbing crunch, I realized that it was too much nonsense. But there is nothing left to do. I forget about them for 3-4 days. I go in twice a day to tighten my hair...
He took the horn out of the crusher.
This is what happened. In the photos you can see the pencil markings on how to cut the strip straight. Cut with a fine-toothed hacksaw.
The cut plates turned out like this:
Due to the lack of normal horns, you can use not two strips, but... six!
It is quite difficult to choose a uniform strip of horn from cows, even long Indian horns. There are a lot of cracks, they seem to be vigorous.
You can cut a few smaller strips out of the almost-no-good-for-nothing horns. Cut out 10-15 centimeters of normal horny plate.
The flattened plates must, as already mentioned, be cut to give the desired shape, and we must take up scraping and sanding so that the plates are of a uniform, albeit not exactly the same, but close to each other size, so that there is continuity between them at the joints.
It is better to sand by hand; only at the initial stages you can use electromechanical devices, but be very careful so as not to spoil such, now very expensive, material.
And also inner surface The horn plates must be cleared of the film that lines the horn from the inside, otherwise no glue will help.
The horn plate is glued to the flat surface of the shoulder. The cross section of the shoulder at this time is strictly rectangular. But a horn, especially a cow’s, has one side flat and the other slightly convex, see photo. When you cut off all the excess from the horn plate, it turns out narrow (the width of the shoulder), and flatter than initially. Then, using cycles, the edges of the plate, already glued to the shoulder, must be rounded. And on the other side, under the tendons, fill the wood around the edges and remove the excess from the working part. Well, you can make a beautiful transition near the saya. That is, aesthetics are already beginning. And the result is a lens-shaped cross-section of the bow's shoulder.
Glue the horn onto the belly of the bow. The gluing technique is standard. First, we use serrated cycles to create grooves on the horn and shoulders. The depth of the grooves is up to 0.5 mm, which is quite enough to significantly increase the area of the bonded surface. We prime with liquid tendon glue until all the grooves are filled. Next, we heat the primed surfaces over an electric stove and press them tightly against each other. We tie it with a cord and secure it. Then you need to heat it thoroughly so that the glue bubbles. Now, when it dries, it will shrink and attract the bonded surfaces with incredible force. The readiness of gluing can be determined by the loosening of the fasteners - as shrinkage will occur.
After the horn has dried, it is time for a more precise adjustment of the wooden component using planes and scrapers of different curvatures, in accordance with the templates.
Finally, it’s the turn of the tendons. Working with them is very painstaking and requires a lot of patience and perseverance. In addition to a hammer, which breaks dried tendons, you also need a steel comb and hardworking hands.
The resulting fibers must be impregnated with tendon glue. It looks like this:
It is necessary to ensure that the weight of the tendons for both shoulders is the same. But keep in mind - it is the tendons that give the bow its strength. The number of sinews must be reasonable - so as not to end up with a bow for Hercules, which will only be good for decorating the wall and waiting for the hero...
Now is a very serious moment. You can’t even bring anything fatty near you. To the point that it is forbidden to eat lard, otherwise you can inhale such a thing that all the tendons fall off. Wear rubber gloves on your hands. And now, right up to coating the finished onion with varnish, never touch it with your bare hand.
Now you need to glue, glue and glue. Sometimes scrape in cycles. And glue again.
About glue: In total, three types of glue are used in the process:
1. primer (very diluted glue),
2. medium in concentration (for tendons) and
3. high concentration (for horn).
The split and straightened fibers are immersed in glue in a bunch, soaked, now nothing should distract (phones are turned off, we don’t respond to the doorbell), until the tendons run out, the process cannot be stopped. The number of tendons is determined experimentally.
The tendons are laid along the bow, overlapping each other at the tips. This is the whole trick - the tendons, as the glue dries, become so intertwined with each other that they form a homogeneous glassy shirt that retains plasticity as long as there is at least a drop of moisture inside, and it is always there.
After an hour of fixing the glue, and it begins to “stand up” literally in a matter of minutes, when it does not grab the skin of your hands too much, you need to wrap it with a bandage made of a rubber bandage, previously cut into convenient pieces.
Now it takes a day or two to dry.
The surface of the glue is leveled using scrapers. At the same time, any excess fat is removed. It is never completely removed. After each drying it will come out.
A second layer of tendons is placed using the same method, only the gluing location is slightly different.
It is also dried, wrapped in rubber, dries for a day or two, unwound, flattened...
A third layer is placed, which already covers both the sides and the handle, in short, everything that is needed.
The tendons will compress the shoulders and turn them towards each other. How wrapped it is depends on the material. In fact, the wrapping of the shoulders in the “ram’s horn” does not mean anything. More precisely, he says, but about something completely different. If the bow is rolled into a ring, it means it has never been fired before. This means that no one can say whether it will shoot or break during the first test.
If it has lain like this for long enough, then, most likely, you will have to soak it, remove the old, petrified veins, peel off the horn and stick on everything fresh...
This photo shows traces of a rubber bandage. The bandage has already been removed, the onion is drying in the open form.
These photographs show the condition of the tendon covering: the tendons are transparent, like the glue that connects them, but individual fibers can still be distinguished. Since the material is actually the same (raw tendons and glue welded from the same tendons), the connection is on the verge of an alloy.
The second photo shows a test scraping to level the surface of the tendon covering. It's still early. The mass grabs onto the steel. Let it dry some more. 
The next stage: an additional “tourniquet” of tendons is placed on the dried tendons. More precisely, it is built up layer by layer, thread by thread, forming something like a ridge along the axis of the bow.
I specifically photographed the raw tendons so that they could be seen better due to their whitish-cloudy color. When they dry, they will look no different from other tendons.
Those who will make the bow themselves need to be patient (this is understandable) and prepare materials for at least five bows. It won't work the first time - that's for sure. From the second and third - too. Further options are possible, as smart people say.
The process itself is very delicate and requires, in addition to patience, also a great deal of experience, which comes only with the number of bows made.
There are a lot of moments that cannot be described because they cannot be captured.
For example, how to describe that the moisture content of the tendons on the bow should be measured with the lips or cheek?
If the bend of one shoulder begins to differ from the bend of the other, what should you do? And it also depends on where such a deviation occurred...
Should I add tendons or reduce cycles? And then the tendons will be cut...
In the production process described, the horn had to be peeled off and replaced twice. Hidden defects. The cows were butting. The defects became apparent after the sticker was applied.
I had to pick it up from pieces. The version with a solid overlay on the handle did not work; other pieces began to pick up. I had to return to the textbook - joining in the middle of the handle with a bone gasket.
And so on ad infinitum.
For example, the shoulders were clearly a propeller, a propeller - you could even hang it on an airplane. Even with the horn glued on, the twist remained.
After gluing the tendons and drying, the rotorcraft disappeared. It remains to be slightly corrected mirror sides horn (saya), removing literally a couple of millimeters onto a wedge. So that the bowstring moves along the axis.
What if you don’t know all this in advance?
Only experience is the son of difficult mistakes.
Be bold, brave ones, and do not look back at those of little faith.
The bow was sanded from the sinew side. Flagrant irregularities and scuff marks were mercilessly sanded off.
The main concern is not to tear the tendons.
Then the lamb skin was tanned. The fur is removed, the skin is dried and kneaded. The result was parchment.
I decided not to use the store bought one. It is expensive nowadays and the leaves are smaller than the said lamb.
The leather was primed with diluted glue. Then, primer was applied to the tendons, after which the skin, previously loosened into strips, was pressed against the bow. Wrapping with a rubber bandage is already traditional. Traces of the winding are still visible. Excess skin is cut off with a scalpel. The horn is not covered with skin. Only the tendon bands at the junctions of the horny stripes are covered with skin.
The skin turned out rougher than parchment. Now a certain amount of moisture is preserved inside the tendons and wood, which ensures the operation of this ancient composite.
No, in reality everything is much more complicated than in this description. For example, it was decided to put the onion in a humid place, where water was leaking from the pipe and intense evaporation was taking place, so that it could gain more moisture, otherwise it would be a little dry.
Then - on the heaters, heat, bend, hold, heat, bend, hold. And so on until it takes the desired shape.
The mysterious process of thermalization. Natural coals. Although, to be honest, an electric stove is more convenient.
Well, it's done. God bless! The long technological process is completed, now only fine tuning. Build, build and build. Well, and all sorts of decorations.
The feeling is amazing. It stretches comfortably, after leaving the fillies you clearly feel a jerk, like on a blocker (more precisely, on the contrary, on a blocker, like...). The arrow comes off smoothly. Even in tight spaces, at 12 meters, it hits the shield evenly - at least check the square. WindFighter - no, no, yes, he will throw the tail of the arrow here or there. And here - every shot is like a carbon copy. Not a target, but a comb. Please forgive me for the lyrical digression.
There are a few more important, in my opinion, points that need to be drawn to the attention of readers.
The symmetry of the shoulders is established during carpentry processing of workpieces. Ideally, you make one, then an exact copy of it - a second one. Usually they are led in one direction, so that as a result this leading compensates for itself. If minor.
Tepeliks allow you to bend your shoulders equally, giving them the desired bend. In fact, you don’t have to do this; you can leave your shoulders straight, as the Tuvans, Mongols, Jurchens, Tungus, Manchus and many others do.
And before the heaters, while the assembly is in progress, the whole thing is evenly adjusted, cycled in cycles. On the shoulders, 1-2 layers are also removed, exactly where the shoulder should work.
And once I glued the tendons, and even covered them with skin, that’s all, there’s no way to scrape anything off.
It is better to knead and smooth out the tendons while they still give in. Well, if very large irregularities have formed, it’s possible. But you shouldn't cut the tendons. Only the top layers are processed, and then we must try to thin them out, not cut them down.
If it turns out completely unsuccessfully, then you have to soak and disassemble the onion, and repeat what has been done.
Tilling helps to see shortcomings in shoulder function. If necessary, heat the area of the shoulder that needs correction and try to correct it using a tiller.
Actually, the tillering device is a beam with cutouts for the bowstring at different distances from the bow. You warm it up, hold it at the first level, then warm it up, hold it at the second level, etc., until you reach the maximum intended stretch of the bow.
About cycling.
The horn is cycled repeatedly. Both in the process of preparing the horn strip, and after gluing the shoulders onto the wooden base. Here you need to follow the profile, it is advisable to make templates for the selected type of bow and scrupulously check them.
Dried veins should be scraped extremely carefully, and only if there is absolutely no other way out. Sanding of dried veins is indicated only to give an aesthetically smooth surface, so that the glued sealing coating (leather, parchment) has a pleasing appearance to the eye and does not cause rejection to the touch.
Below are some close-up photos of different sections of the onion. The onion began to undergo the “decoration” procedure. The horn is painted a nice black color. The horns (saya) are painted red and bone plates are glued to the very tips to strengthen the tips and prevent chipping if handled carelessly. All this is covered with a thin layer of varnish and is still drying. Next I plan to apply as beautiful patterns as possible. The work will be manual, so anything is possible... I hope it won’t turn out too scary))))))).
interest in weapons reaches the stage where the only right decision is to make them yourself; it is important to delve into all the nuances in order to get the perfect result. The quality of a bow depends on the condition of the wood from which it is made. And the condition, in turn, depends on how the drying was done.
Anyone who has such a desire can make a wooden bow. But you need to act gradually. If you want to do absolutely everything yourself, you need to be patient, because the process takes several months.
In general, the creation of a bow is carried out in several stages:
- choice of wood;
- timber harvesting;
- drying the material;
- giving an arc;
- primary processing;
- formation of the front part;
- selection of bowstring.
Let's consider everything related to the selection and drying of wood.
Selection and preparation of wood for making bows
For residents of Russia, and almost the entire post-Soviet space, choosing wood is not difficult. Most trees and even bushes are suitable for creating a bow.
Depending on what grows in a particular region, you can take juniper, maple, hickory, ash, birch, elm, cedar or oak.
Then the fun begins. It is advisable to take care of the preparation of material in winter. Optimal temperature for cutting: -10…-15 degrees. A tree cut in winter has increased flexibility and elasticity, which is of paramount importance for a traditional bow.
It is best to look for a branch to cut in advance (before winter), fairly straight, perhaps with a slight bend. The number of knots on it should be minimal. Optimal diameter: 8…10 cm. Optimal length: length of the future onion + 30 cm for additional processing (cracks may appear at the ends after drying).
The branch is sawed off on both sides so that only the blank remains required length. Its ends are covered with oil paint. After the latter has dried, the ends are wrapped in polyethylene.
That's it, the workpiece is prepared for drying.
Attention! Drying of wood is carried out in the bark; it does not need to be removed. The bark is a natural regulator of the speed of the process. If you remove it, the “bare” tree, when it dries, literally cracks in just a few days, often quite large. This makes the workpiece unsuitable for creating a bow.
Proper drying of wood for making bows
Drying is the longest stage, and the maximum requirements are placed on it. Compliance with all conditions is very important, since proper drying is a guarantee that the bow will have the necessary flexibility, cracks will not appear in it and it will last long enough.
Natural drying
The optimal drying time is from 2 to 5 months. In this case, the moisture content of the wood should decrease from the initial 40-50% to the optimal 8-10%. To determine this indicator, a needle or non-contact moisture meter is used. If this equipment is not available, weighing techniques are used. In this case, it is necessary to know the initial moisture content of the wood used in the corresponding climatic zone.
The best place for drying the workpiece is a ventilated room with a normal complexity of 40-65%. Dry air is undesirable, as the wood dries out and loses its elasticity. Cracks may appear in it and it becomes brittle.
The workpiece is placed vertically in a place where direct sunlight does not fall. There should be no changes in humidity, since sudden drying damages the structure of the material, compromising its integrity.
2 months after the start of drying, the humidity is measured. If it is higher than 8-10%, the workpiece is dried to the desired condition.
Accelerated drying
Since we live in an age of technology, it is only natural that the natural drying process can be accelerated. This allows you to proceed much faster to the subsequent stages of making the bow.
Accelerated drying can be carried out by several methods, each of which has its own subtleties.
Boiling/soaking
Although this technique gives results faster than natural drying, it still requires a lot of time, although much less.
First, in natural conditions, the workpiece is dried to 18-20%. At the same time, the tree still remains in the bark.
When the humidity level reaches the specified figure, soaking/boiling in water is carried out. This technique was used back in the Middle Ages, preventing cracking and rotting.
Then the workpiece is pulled to the timber with clamps until it dries completely. It occurs much faster than with natural drying.
The process takes several weeks.
Infrared drying
If you can’t wait that long, there is another option - infrared drying. To do this, just one thermomat/thermal cassette with an infrared heater is enough, which can be used as a household heater at home.
The workpiece is placed directly on the thermomat and left to dry. Depending on the type of wood, the process will take 3-7 days. In this case, the result will correspond to natural drying. The material will reach the required level of humidity, maintaining its elasticity and avoiding the appearance of cracks.
Making a bow with your own hands is a complex and often unpredictable process; the behavior of a tree cannot always be guessed. Even experienced amateurs who have been doing this for years say that mistakes always happen. There is no escape from them, and wood is a capricious material. The result is rarely exactly what it seems.
Using this step-by-step guide, you can make DIY bow from old skis. Skis are great for making bow arms. First of all, they are the same. No need to worry about the material having different characteristics, you can expect the bow limbs to bend equally. You also won't have to worry about bending the wood - the front ends of the skis are already curved.
Materials and tools needed to make a bow
Materials:Skis: pieces of skis for making bow arms;
Lumber - for making a handle. You need either a large beam (minimum 8x8x50) or small beams;
A couple of bolts, washers, wing nuts - to attach the bow arms to the handle;
Nylon thread (or any low-stretch string) - for the bowstring.
Tools:
Clamps;
Hand drill with a set of drills;
Chisel, hammer;
Wood rasp or file;
Sandpaper of various grain sizes;
The tools listed below are not necessary, but will help make the process much easier if you are making a more complex bow handle.
Table saw;
Drilling machine;
Band saw;
Plane;
Belt/disc sander.
Making a bow from skis
I used skis for mountain terrain. The ends are bent at an angle of 20 - 28 degrees. Bow limbs made from alpine skis will be more “strong” because... alpine skiing more rigid.Bow Handle Design
Original handles in actual size:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-takedown-bow-from-skis/
The bow is one of the first weapons that allowed man to hunt at a distance. Boys love to play with it from early childhood, imagining themselves as brave Indians or fair “Robinhoods.”
The process of making a bow with your own hands is quite labor-intensive. Nice bow It requires a lot of time and patience, but it brings enormous pleasure. A bow made with your own hands is not only a source of pride that you can show off to your peers, but also an original gift. best friend. A person who knows how to make a bow himself is not afraid to find himself in any extreme conditions, even on a desert island. And this is a compelling argument!
Making onions: the easiest and fastest way
If there is little time for production, you need to find a wooden rod approximately 1-1.5 m long. Birch, maple, hazel, ash, juniper, and oak are perfect. Its surface should be without damage and, preferably, without knots. The rod can be dried over a fire, but in no case should it be dried completely. If only thin rods are available, they can be tied together into one.
All that remains is to make notches for the bowstring and tighten it. The easiest way to make a bowstring is from fishing line, but you can also use thread or wire.
How to make a bow with your own hands?
To make your homemade bow strong and neat, it is better to make it together with your dad. He, like no one else, knows what a real Robin Hood's weapon should be. Here's a little hint and instruction.
1. Select a long branch. It should be smooth, without cracks or damage. Good choice- oak, white acacia. The optimal length is 1.8 m. Please note: the rod must be flexible, but you should not take a green one - it is not as strong compared to a dry one.
2. Find a natural curve. To do this, place the stick on the ground and press it with your hands on top and in the middle. The rod will turn towards you in a natural bend.
3. Eliminate unevenness. Use a knife to smooth out any uneven surfaces and remove knots. If the rod is thinner on top than on the bottom, cut off the top of the onion: its thickness should be uniform along the entire length.
5. Make notches for attaching the bowstring. At a distance of about 5 cm from the ends of the bow, use a knife to make notches. They should be located on the outside of the bow.
6. Select and draw the string. Use fishing line, thin nylon cord, or regular twine as a bowstring. Please note: the string must be shorter than the bow. Gently draw the string back and check that the bow bends evenly.
7. Make arrows. Thin, dry branches are best. The length of the arrow should be equal to half the length of the bow. Clean the branch from any irregularities. Make a cut on one side of the branch and sharpen the other.
When using a bow, follow safety rules: keep the bow away from your face; shoot at stationary targets and only under adult supervision.
How to make a collapsible bow at home
To make a good collapsible bow at home, the material must be prepared in winter, when it is 10-15 degrees below zero outside. The workpiece is processed and dried for several months. But such a labor-intensive process is not the only way to make onions.
Collapsible models are easier to make, and they can be folded compactly for transportation.
Making a handle
If the tension force of the bow does not exceed 10 kg, you can use oak or birch for the handle, or glue several sheets of plywood (necessarily waterproof) with epoxy. When producing more powerful bow you need to glue together several layers of different types of wood - maple, beech, etc. The dimensions of the bar should be 6x4x40 cm.
Markings must be applied to the block. A drawing will help at this stage (the grid in the figure is 1 by 1 cm).
The handle is cut using a jigsaw. A semicircular, sharp chisel will help give the shape. The workpiece needs to be sanded; the processing is carried out in three stages: coarse, fine and finally with sandpaper.
To attach the arms to it, you need to make holes for M6 bolts. Usually, a leather pad is made at the attachment point between the handle and the shoulders.
The finished handle must be coated with ship varnish or stain.
Making shoulders: using slats
It is best to use slats from a bed or sofa to make shoulders. These elastic elements have a length from 70 to 120 cm. When choosing a length, be guided by the fact that the total length of the bow should approximately correspond to the height of the shooter.
It is convenient to select the length of the bow, guided by the span of your arms, as in this picture.
The lamellas are often 12 cm thick and are perfect for bows. If the lamellas are 8 cm thick, then it is better to glue two pieces together using epoxy or Moment glue.
To make the shoulders, the slats need to be sawn at an angle. It is important to make them symmetrical, so you need to process them by squeezing them together with clamps.
We make a shelf for the bowstring from scraps of lamella. To do this, you need to attach a plank on each side: drill holes in them and secure dowels in them with glue. Draw the contours of the shelf.
It all depends on your imagination. We cut along the contour, it is best to do this with a jigsaw. Finally, give it a smooth finish using sandpaper.
To secure the bowstring, you need to make notches 7-8 mm deep and 3 mm thick.
Like the handle, the shoulders need to be opened with stain or ship varnish. Congratulations, now you know how to make onions at home!
Using wooden or plastic skis as bow material can save a lot of time. It is also important that the shoulders are guaranteed to be symmetrical. The size of the ski bow is best made within 120-140 cm.
The handle can be made from skis, glued together in several layers, or from a block of wood, cut according to the diagram (see previous instructions).
The basic scheme for making a bow from skis looks like this.
Skis can be different, ideal if you have narrow ones at your disposal. If they are wide, you will have to process the shoulders a little - grind them down, narrowing them towards the ends. The main thing is to do it symmetrically.
Armed with our instructions, anyone can become the owner of a bow. But it is important not only to know how to make a bow for children, but also not to forget that it must be handled responsibly.
