A little history
It is not known for certain who was the first to use the ability of elastic branches of certain types of wood to throw arrows. However, the use of bows significantly increased the chances of ancient hunters in defeating prey and warriors in clashes with the enemy. At first, this throwing weapon was made by simply bending a suitable branch, but over time its design became more complex and improved. The pinnacle of development was the composite bow, when the elastic elements were made separately from the handle and joined together during the assembly process. The process of making good military throwing weapons is complex, and reproducing it at home is not easy, but the use of modern tools and materials allows you to achieve good results.
The structure of onions and raw materials for its processing
The design of this type of throwing weapon is quite simple; it consists of three parts: elastic elements, a handle and a bowstring. Making onions at home is possible in several ways:
- From a relatively straight and elastic branch.
- From logs of such wood species as birch, elm, oak, maple, hickory or ash. It should be borne in mind that industrially made boards are not suitable for these purposes.
- From plastic, for example, from skis.
The first option can be done in just a few minutes, but the firing range, as well as the accuracy, will be unsatisfactory. The latter method is more complicated and will require skills in working with polymer materials. The second option is the longest, but if done correctly, the result will be worth the time spent.
Procurement of materials and drying
There are many descriptions of how to make onions at home, but without exception, all of them focus on using high-quality ingredients. The wood is cut in winter at sub-zero temperatures and dried indoors. The log must have a diameter of at least 12-15 cm, and a length equal to the shooter’s arm span plus 0.5 m for possible cracking and deformation. The sections are painted with oil paint, and the bark is not removed from the workpiece. Drying takes about three months, always in a vertical position.
Preparation of the workpiece
Almost all descriptions of how to make a bow at home contain recommendations to use only those tools that could be used in those days. However, using a modern circular saw will not harm the future product in any way. Naturally, all necessary safety measures must be strictly observed. The thickness of the board should be at least 30-35 mm. and not have developmental defects or damage; it is desirable that the fibrous structure be uniform and parallel to the longitudinal axis.
Roughing
The question of how to make onions at home is not an easy one. In addition to high-quality materials, you will also need skills in working with wood. From the existing board we cut out the front profile of the weapon using a special pattern. In this case, a plane and a well-sharpened knife are used; if possible, the shape of the shoulders should be the same, permissible deviations are tenths of a millimeter. An arrow stop is cut out at the top of the handle. The cross-section of the elastic elements is variable with a gradual decrease from the middle to the edges.
Making a bowstring and bending a sporting weapon
Many instructions on how to make a bow at home recommend using ox veins and tendons when working on the product. Firstly, it is quite difficult to obtain these materials, and secondly, it is also not easy to process them. As a bowstring, you can use a cord made of high-quality polymer materials with a diameter of approximately 2-3 mm. Loops are knitted at the ends, and a PVC tube is placed in the middle under the heel of the arrow. The process of bending the workpiece is carried out after steam treatment, there are different ways soaking in herbal decoctions, but they are not always effective.
Production of arrows and zeroing of throwing weapons
Having received detailed description In order to make a bow at home, the master must still learn how to make arrows. The diameter of this product is about 8 mm, and the closer its cross-sectional shape is to an ideal cylinder, the higher the ballistic properties will be. A triangular tip with a stripe equal in width to the diameter of the arrow is attached to the cut using glue and threads. The tail is glued to the rear to stabilize it in flight, and the center of gravity should be shifted forward. The bowstring is put on immediately before shooting and removed at the end. To protect fingers and forearms, special gloves and gaiters are worn. When conducting shooting, it is necessary to observe safety measures and under no circumstances point the weapon at people or animals.
It is unknown whether you will ever need to make a bow and arrow yourself, but if you take six minutes to watch a video from Primitive Technologies, you may acquire such a skill in the future. Made with homemade instruments and the trees in the nearby forest, they represent a truly remarkable creation that would have been proud of the craftsmen of the dawn of mankind.
How to make a bow and arrow without tools
As you can see, first a tree trunk of suitable thickness is cut down. Then a part is taken from it required length(in this case it is 1.25 m) and with the help of available tools it is split in two. The resulting part is subjected to further processing, with tools even more primitive than the bow itself. Naturally, due to their imperfections, the grinding process will take a lot of time.
The result is a stick with a thickening in the middle and polished ends, which due to this have become much thinner. The material for the bowstring is mined in the same forest. You need to choose a type of wood that will allow you to bend the trunk without breaking it in the process.
Next, it’s time to think about arrows, the source of which will be the same forest. The length of the arrows will be 60 cm. The grinding process takes place, then using resin from wood and homemade twine, the plumage is fixed into a specially made recess on the arrow, which is processed using fire.
The quiver for arrows, which is made of tree bark, is not forgotten either. Surely it will not be possible to create a bow, arrows and quiver as easily as shown in the video the first time, so it is better to stock up on patience and perseverance in advance. Afterwards, all that remains is to practice and improve your archery skills, receiving unforgettable experience and a sense of belonging to the hunters of ancient times
This article will be useful for novice reenactors or skilled fathers whose children have longed to play Robin Hood. So, our goal is to create something that shoots, has an acceptable appearance, with low costs for materials and a minimal set of tools. The easiest to make, but very effective and impressive model is the compound longbow. The product consists of a shoulder handle and a bowstring. In order to make onions at home, you must have:
- screwdriver or drill;
- plane;
- confirmat (furniture) drill;
- chisel (semicircular) or knife;
- electric or regular jigsaw;
- a large amount of sandpaper with different grain sizes;
- rasp.
Step one - handle
The material from which the handle is made depends on the expected tension force. If it is less than 10 kg, then you can take a solid wooden block of dense wood. It can be beech, cherry, oak (very difficult to process), or in extreme cases birch. Conifers - pine or spruce are not suitable for this element. If the shoulders provide a tensile force of more than 10 kg, then a composite of several types of wood glued together is required. Usually beech and walnut planks are alternated.
For a monolithic handle, take a block of dry, seasoned wood 30x50x400. The wood fibers should run along the long side. There are many anatomical handle designs. Let's focus on the most ergonomic of the simplest.
Using the template provided, we mark the wide side (50mm). Then mark the narrow side (30 mm). We divide it into four parts across, into two along. On the second quarter from the top, select a shelf for the arrow, as indicated in the photo. On the first and last quarters we mark the places for attaching the shoulders. They are located at a distance of 25 mm from the edge of the quarter.
We cut along the markings with a jigsaw, then rough the edges and corners with a rasp and chisel. The main thing is not to get carried away with the “refinement of forms” when processing, otherwise the handle will not withstand even one shot. We process burrs and blemishes with coarse sandpaper, then bring the gloss to zero. We drill holes for the bolts with an M6 confirmat drill. It is advisable to install a leather pad made from an old belt between the handle and the shoulders.
We cover the semi-finished product with stain and varnish. Regular furniture polish or wax may work. In the end, the product should look something like this.
Step one and a half - making a blank for a composite handle
Let's prepare thin strips of different wood - beech and walnut. All of them will be of different thickness: walnut, two strips of 15 mm and one 5 mm, beech, two strips of 7 - 8 mm. The fibers in all laths of a composite preform designed for bending must be oriented along the long side. For a high-quality, tight fit, it is necessary to process the boards with a plane and sand them with medium sandpaper. For gluing, any specialized composition for wood is used. The substance is applied in a small strip along the entire length and rubbed in a thin layer over the surface. Carefully read the glue instructions; some compositions require applying the substance to both surfaces. Next, the planks are connected and fixed with a clamp, making sure there are no gaps between the elements. Excess, protruding glue is removed.
Step two - shoulders
This element accounts for the greatest load and percentage of breakdowns. There are many options, let's look at the most popular ones.
Skis
Before shredding a pair of skis into pieces, make sure that no one else needs them. For a handle of 40 cm, it is optimal to use ski cuts of 60 cm. Considering that 10 cm of the shoulder will be used for fastening, the total length of the bow will be 120 cm. This calculation is suitable for plastic cross-country skis with a metal insert. Using a square, we mark and make a cut with a hacksaw. We also drill holes for fastening with a metal drill. At the ends of the skis, we cut out grooves for the bowstring on both sides. The final product will be more powerful and durable than a wooden one, however, its aesthetic component leaves much to be desired. Even when painted, the arms of such a bow can be seen as a recycled product.
Lamella
Another peaceful element that can easily be adapted for “militaristic” purposes. The lamella is an elastic structure made of plywood, in which all layers are glued in one direction, along the product. You can buy it in any reputable furniture store, but it is better in a specialized one that sells fittings and goods for furniture makers. The cost is more than modest, about 10 rubles per piece, dimensions: length 120 mm, width 50 mm with a thickness of 12 mm. The optimal length of one arm should be 700 mm.
Since the width of the element at the handle should be 30 mm, and at the far end 20 mm, there is no need to purchase two elastic elements. We cut the future shoulders along the entire length diagonally and get what we need. Taking into account the 10 cm overlay on the handle of each element, the total length of the bow will be 160 cm.
It is not advisable to make the arms of lamellas shorter, since bending too sharply during tension increases the likelihood of breakage. The tension force of such a product will be in the range of 10-12 kg.
It is possible to significantly strengthen the bow. To do this, you need to purchase 2 elastic elements 8 mm thick and glue them together. You can use epoxy as glue, adding a little less hardener to the composition to maintain the mobility of the mixture, otherwise it will begin to burst and crumble when stretched. It is better to use a special glue with high viscosity - PVA - Moment from the manufacturer Pritt Henkel. When connecting lamellas, it is advisable to use clamps along the entire length as often as possible. We process the resulting blanks in the same way as the previous ones. The tension force of 16mm arms will be up to 18kg. To use them, a reinforced composite handle is required. In order to give the arms of the bow absolute symmetry, we put them together, secure them with a clamp, and make the final adjustment with two elements at the same time.
Another important detail is the shelf for the bowstring. It can be made from scraps of the same lamella.
This is done as follows:
- Two parts are cut out slightly wider in size than the ends of the arms;
- Attach the part to the end of the arm and drill two holes;
- We coat the surfaces of the parts with glue, and hammer furniture dowels, also pre-treated with glue, into the holes;
- We fasten to dry;
- Draw an arbitrary shape;
- We cut off all excess with a jigsaw;
- We carry out final cleaning with sandpaper;
- We make cuts at the end of the shelf 3 mm wide and 7-8 mm deep.
For such a reinforced bow, a Kevlar climbing sling with a thickness of at least 3.5 mm is used as a bowstring, which can be purchased at any tourist store. But if you are not looking for easy ways, you can make a bow string yourself.
Step three - bowstring
Build a bow string that has the necessary characteristics and is authentic (well, almost) appearance pretty easy. To do this you will need a spool of nylon thread, you can take Chinese ones from the store fishing accessories for 25 rubles. You will also need a board a little longer than the bowstring, two nails without heads and a spool. Having measured the required distance with a rope, transfer the size to the board. We drive in the nails and carefully wind the nylon thread with uniform tension until a total thickness of 3-3.5 mm is achieved. Using a spool, we wrap the edges and center of the bowstring with the same thread. We remove the finished product from the nails.
Step four - final
We put all the details together, enjoy the resulting product and the respect of our friends.
A great article dedicated to such an interesting topic as DIY arrows. In it we will show in detail and step by step, with examples and explanations, how to make good, high-quality arrows at home and with your own hands. This material clearly shows all the subtleties of manufacturing; it will be understandable to both an adult and a child.
Arrows - the basis of a shot
All my life I thought that in art the most important thing is the artist, and not, for example, his brush. Many photographers took their pictures with expensive cameras, but they took truly stunning pictures with the simplest digital point-and-shoot cameras. With experience, all a photographer needs is the camera itself. But archery does not fit this rule.
If earlier I believed that success depended 90% on the archer, now my opinion has changed dramatically, and I believe that success still depends on the bow and arrow, and only a little on the archer himself. For example, if you give a shooting master a bad bow and crooked arrows, he is unlikely to achieve serious success.
Therefore, arrows must be made thoroughly, despite the fact that they very often break, get lost, and so on. But still, do not forget that arrows are consumables.
To make a shaft you will need:
- 10 mm glazing bead without knots, smooth, square. It happens that round so-called dowels are already on sale, in which case take them without hesitation! Most often, the material for making such dowels is pine, which is quite suitable for us. It happens that the glazing beads are glued together from several parts, the same ones will do, but if possible, then unravel the board into glazing beads yourself, you will get an even, homogeneous blank material that can only be found.
If you cannot do this yourself, then go to a carpentry workshop and pay for the services of a carpenter who will do it for you. Read about how to choose the optimal arrow length for a particular person on our website in the article section.
The best material for glazing beads is birch. It has its drawbacks in the form of the hardness of the species of this tree itself (it will affect the difficulty of processing), unlike pine, for example, but this is the most ideal option, the glazing beads will be excellent. By the way, the Mongols made their arrows from birch, and they knew a lot about weapons, even a lot.
In order to make arrows for a bow you will need the following tools.
For the shaft:
- File
- Metal saw
- Drill (screwdriver)
- Jigsaw (or wood saw)
- Sanding paper different sizes grains and files.
For plumage:
- Pattern for fletching (so that all the feathers on the arrows are the same)
- A4 paper,
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ballpoint pen
- Ruler
- Eraser
- Aluminum tape (foil, one side of which is sticky, with a protective strip)
- Colored tape (it is advisable to use bright colors so as not to lose your bow arrow in the grass).
To make a safe tip we will need:
- Insulating tape
- Stationery knife
- Aluminum tape
- Five-kopeck coin
- Material for softening (foam rubber is best for this, but you can take a travel mat for example)
- Fabric (10x10 cm is enough).
To make a combat tip we will need:
- Metal scissors,
- Vise
- Pliers
- Tin (almost anything will do, the most easily accessible are tin cans)
- File
- Knitting wire
Shaft
I advise you to make as many arrows as possible, and not to be lazy. This is especially true for those who participate in historical reconstructions, usually you can get by with 40 pcs. This will be enough to avoid saving arrows while shooting. Let's get started, we have a glazing bead and first we need to cut it into pieces of the required length (choose the length of the arrow according to your dimensions and add 30mm).
Rounding.
We take a plane (manual or electric) in our hands and chamfer the bead, do not overdo it in this matter, the task is to give our square an octagonal cross-section, it is very important that the knives (or blade) of the plane are very sharp, this will greatly facilitate the process of making arrows with your own hands.
If your plane is electric, then I advise you to simply buy new knives for it; if the plane is manual, then sharpen the blade yourself and then adjust it. In any case, sharpened knives will remove wood very carefully, and you will get very high-quality arrows for your bow.
For example, we gave 40 glazing beads the required octagonal shape.
Now we take 1 arrow blank and insert one end into the screwdriver (for this we needed a reserve in size so as not to spoil the arrow). Now we take a rough sandpaper in the second hand (use safety precautions to avoid all kinds of injuries), turn on the screwdriver and start sanding the workpiece.
After this, take a medium skin (skin with a medium grain) and repeat the same process, at the very end take a fine skin (with the finest grain) and process the workpiece last time until perfectly smooth.
We grind the glazing bead.
We begin to make a cut for the bowstring, this is very important point. We make a cut, for example, with a hacksaw for metal, strictly perpendicular to the workpiece, to a depth of about 7mm. Next, we take the needle file in our hands and begin to widen the cut with it, rounding the corners in parallel.
Now, using a round file at a distance of 1.5 cm from the heel of the arrow, we make 2 dimples, or you can remove 2 mm in depth and 20 mm in length with a special spatula for wood carving (see figure), we do this operation with all the blanks for the arrows.
Read a detailed and complete article. After reading it, you can easily make it at home, it won’t take much time.
We make a cut for the bowstring.
Protecting our homemade bow arrows. We choose a tinting (giving a certain color) antiseptic (from fungus, blue stains and other wood diseases) in the store. The color doesn't matter, choose it to your taste. Believe me, coating a bow arrow will do its job and add durability to it.
Let's start fletching the arrow
Remember, to make the arrows fly faster, make the feather smaller; if the arrows are heavy, make the feather wider.
Also, if the feather is closer to the heel, then shooting will be more accurate; the further from the heel, the faster the arrow will fly. The shape can be given in different ways (this is a matter of taste), the most optimal fletching length for arrows is 8-10 cm with a maximum width of 2 cm.
In order for all the plumage to be the same, we need to make a pattern. For this task, for example, plywood or a piece of metal, or thick cardboard will do. The color of the plumage also matters; the brighter the color, the easier it will be for you to find the arrow.
Pattern for plumage.
We mark the paper along 4 cm. As a result, we will get 4 strips of 30cm each. We take aluminum tape (its width is 5 cm) and make markings on it to make stripes 1 cm wide and 32 cm long.
Mark a sheet of paper.
Everything is cut with scissors.
We cut with scissors.
We lay the strip of cut paper on two strips of aluminum tape so that the tape protrudes 5 mm, then fasten it with narrow tape.
Paper on aluminum tape.
Very carefully and carefully we glue colored tape on top, 5 cm wide, the width of our workpiece is also 50 mm. It is important that no bubbles appear on the surface.
Attach colored tape.
This is what it should look like:
It will turn out like this.
We bend the aluminum strips.
We bend the strips.
We fix it with narrow tape
Secure with tape.
Attach colored tape.
Colored tape.
We cut off the unnecessary narrow tape with scissors.
Cut off the tape.
We smooth the surface thoroughly to ensure complete adhesion of the tape.
Smooth it out.
Using a pattern, we outline four feathers.
Cut out the feathers.
Cut out feathers.
What should happen.
Whatever happens.
Remove the protective strip and glue the first feather, do not forget to monitor the parallelism.
Removing the protective film.
Glue 2 more feathers with an angle between the feathers of 120 degrees.
Feathers at an angle.
Wrap 1cm wide (with tension) with aluminum tape before and after the plumage.
Wrapped plumage.
This is what it looks like.
Finished plumage.
You already know almost everything about the topic of how to make arrows for a bow.
Let's move on to the tips.
If you are making a bow and arrow for yourself, then you may not need arrowheads at all. But if you still need them, then we will consider several options for their manufacture.
The first option is safe arrows, they have a soft pad instead of a tip - such arrows are much safer than arrows with a combat tip.
The second manufacturing option is arrows with a combat tip, I immediately warn you that they become truly dangerous and can pose a threat to others, so remember about safety precautions and shoot them only in special places.
Safety tip
I have already described what we need to make it above in the article. Here's a photo.
We wrap the end of the arrow with electrical tape so that 2 mm of tape protrudes from the edge.
We wrap the end of the arrow.
Look how it should be.
We secure the coin as follows.
Coin mount.
Strips of electrical tape, 8 cm long, crosswise (2 pcs.).
We attach this tightly to the arrow.
Who among us didn’t like archery as a child? I think there are few such people. Of course, you need to be careful when shooting, as you may accidentally injure another person. However, if your child really asks, then why not.
How to make the simplest arrows for a bow?
This method is best suited if you are walking with your child in the forest. Find straight and dry branches. The length of the branch should be no more than half the length of the bow. We will now describe which types of branches are best suited for this purpose.
- Goldenrod. It is well suited because it has elastic and even branches. Most often it is found on the field.
- Any other straight branches will also work, even green ones. However, if they are freshly cut, you need to give them time to dry. Do not dry them over a fire because the sap inside the branches may catch fire.
Now the cut branches need to be cleared of skin and all irregularities must be cut off so that they become smooth. If the branch is crooked, you can heat it a little on the fire, then straighten it and hold it until it cools.
At one end, cut a recess so that the arrows can hook onto the bow string.
Now you need to sharpen the opposite ends of the arrow. To make the tip harder, you can lightly burn it over a fire. You can make the tips separately from metal and attach them to the arrows, but this is not necessary.
Now you need to make fletching so that the arrows fired from the bow fly more accurately to the target. They can be made from any type of feathers. Take the feather and glue it to the part of the arrow where the border for the bow string is cut.
You can cut a cross-shaped border, insert a feather into it and then fasten the tip together again using thread or glue.
How to make perfectly straight arrows for a bow?
To do this, you need to take a block of wood, the cross-section of which is twelve by twelve millimeters. Using a shoemaker's knife, cut off the edges of the workpiece, giving it an oval shape. The very tip of the arrow does not have to be processed evenly. The main thing is that it fits into the drill drum.
Now you need to make a device with which you can round the entire surface of the future bow arrow. To do this, you need a die, which must be clamped in the workbench pliers. The diameter of the die should be the same as that at the base of the workpiece, that is, twelve millimeters. Everything is shown in the picture below.
Then clamp the base into the drill drum, and insert the opposite end into the die. Now start the drill and drive the workpiece a couple of times, moving it along the die.
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Thus, after processing, you will have an excellent blank from which you can make arrows for a bow.
To achieve perfect roundness of the workpiece, you need to make one more fixture.
To do this, take a hardwood block of wood (beech can be used). You need to drill a hole in it at the beginning of the block, slightly at an angle. Now, using a plane, plan the block until the beginning of the hole appears. What you should end up with is shown in the figure below.
As you can see, it turned out to be a whole hole on one side, and a little smaller on the other. For drilling, take a drill thirteen millimeters in diameter.
Using a clamp, attach a wide chisel diagonally.
Then reinsert our future bow arrow into the drill drum and shoot it again using this device.
This way you will get a perfectly smooth product that can be sanded if desired. To do this, hold a drill in one hand and a piece of sandpaper in the other. Now, turning on the drill at the lowest speed, grind the product.
A very important part of the arrow is its feathering. It helps her fly smoothly and hit the target more accurately.
What you will need to make an arrow for a bow:
- Aluminum adhesive tape.
- Colored adhesive tape.
- A sheet of A4 paper.
- Ruler.
- Paper knife.
- Scissors.
Mark the papers as shown in the figure below and cut them. The width of each resulting piece will be four centimeters, and the length will be twenty-one centimeters.
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Cut the aluminum adhesive tape so that you get a line one centimeter wide and twenty-one centimeters long.
Now place the colored tape with the sticky side facing up. Carefully lay the paper strips on it so that there is approximately five millimeters of free space at the edges. Glue strips of aluminum onto this free space. Glue a sticky colored strip to the very top.
Then, using hard cardboard, you need to cut out the future feather ten centimeters long and two centimeters wide. Cut out the feathers. Don't forget to leave about one centimeter on one side so you can wrap it later.
Now take the prepared arrow and carefully peel off the strip from the feather and glue it to the blank.
In the same way, glue another pair of feathers to each of the arrows so that the stripes touch each other.
Using colored adhesive tape, cut strips that are a centimeter wide and ten centimeters long. Glue these strips onto the arrow blanks. Then glue two more strips in the same way.
What we ended up with is shown in the figure below.
Tracer Crossbow Arrow
Why is it needed? If you are going to shoot at night, then, firstly, a regular arrow can be easily changed, and secondly, a tracer arrow is easier to hit the target. Although it seems like a difficult task, it is not.
Take a duralumin tube and make a glass out of it. It should be twenty-one millimeters long. The outer diameter should be six and a half millimeters, and the inner diameter 5.75 millimeters.
Now you need to carve the edge to which the 4.2 millimeter spring will be attached. You can make the spring yourself, or you can take a ready-made one. It can be taken from a lighter four millimeters in diameter.
We need to make a ledge on our workpiece; it will interfere with pressing the spring into the arrow.
Now you need to get three batteries with a diameter of 5.65 millimeters. Connect them together using tape.
Now, using caprolon, you make a reflective penny. Make a hole in it for LED backlight. Its diameter should be three millimeters and its depth seven millimeters.
Using a millimeter drill, drill holes for the legs of the luminous element. One of them will be located in the center, the other slightly to the side. Make the second hole in such a way that it comes out in the same place with the diameter of the reflective element. By the way, its size is 7.8 millimeters, and the diameter of the bushing entry point is 5.8 millimeters.
It should be noted that this is not the only way such an arrow can be made. Experiment by selecting other components. The most important thing is that you understand the principle of the tracer boom.
Insert the luminous and reflective elements to the very end of the product. Bend the legs and cut off the excess pieces. The leg that is in the center is twisted into a circle, and the second one is bent towards the reflective element at an angle of ninety degrees.
Now we need you to assemble everything into one product.
To do this, make a hole in the arrow body as long as the height of the cup. Then you pull and compact the cup until it stops, install a spring in it and insert the batteries. Now press the reflective element so that the leg of the lighting element does not reach the cup a little.
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