Several years ago i built my own wood and fiberglass recurve bow from a kit. Olympic recurve bow tuning guide online archery academy. Sand the riser with an oscillating spindle sander or a drum sander. Heres a quick vid showing how to make a recurve bow form. I use a form or jig often when making self bows with recurved or reflexed limb tips. As a woodworker it is an added bonus that you can make at least part of your own bow yourself. Build along 52 glass recurve swissbow written by andy stoeckli page 5 14. Dimensions for recurve bowstring before twisting a. On one hand the straight longbow does have a very smooth draw, because the preload of the limbs is not as big as it would be in a reflex, a deflexreflex or a recurve bow. This makes the bow longer than it is at rest, making it possible for a smaller recurve to outperform a larger traditional longbow in arrow speed. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently than the equivalent straightlimbed bow, giving a greater amount of energy and speed to the arrow. But, coming from compound to recurve, butch sought out a system that would make the bow react more like his compound bows. Obviously, the most comfortable grip size is determined by the size of the shooters bow hand and personal preference for the way the grip feels. Recurve tuning guide equipment set up online archery.
You can be confident that your new bow is designed to provide years of faithful service and that martin will always. Metal risers with cushion plungers but no weight adjustment capability. I made the bow by designing and building my own riser from 3 different types of. From bows for kids and beginners, to powerful recurve and traditional bows for adults, youll find the perfect item for your archery needs in this collection from dicks sporting goods. Whatever your reasons may be, making your own bow is sure to teach you a lot about archery. Stand about 45 meters from the target matt and shoot a group of 34 arrows aiming at some point on the target face. Grip size of a longbow the grip on a longbow is usually smaller and more refined than the grip on a hunting recurve, a target recurve, or even a compound bow. Sooner or later the enthusiastic archer gets a yern to make his own bow.
First, get to know the different parts of a recurve bow. Designed for use without sights and sometimes without an arrow rest. If the bow has adjustable tiller bow weight set the bow weight to mid location and set the tiller, making the top tiller about 18 greater than the bottom tiller. Equipment set up recurve bow it is important that equipment to be used must be set up correctly to allow the archer to obtain maximum accuracy and performance. For mounted archers, this was the answer to many problems. I had wanted to make a recurve bow for some time now and i have finally done iti made the bow by designing and building my own riser from 3 different types of exotic woods to give me a great look once complete. Due to its compact size the recurve bow is very easy to. Recurve bows, traditional bows, bows 3rivers archery. From building all wood self bows, to laminated modern longbows and recurve bows, 3rivers has everything you need to build your own bow. A 14 strand dynaflight 97 string is just slightly smaller in diameter than a 20. This manual covers the galaxy salvo and sear ilf takedown recurve bows. If you already have a string for your bow, untwist the string and measure its length. So pretend by putting your hands and arms in the initial position. A needed tool no matter how to make a recurve bow is a tiller stick and sting.
A backer board allows you to feather the risepaperthin thickness. A drum sander in a drill press can substitute for the spindle sander. Bingham projects specializes in bow building kits and products for recuves, takedown recurves, lonbowsa, takedown longbows and youth bows. A 4step beginners guide on how to shoot a recurve bow. In order to be successful in woodworking, there are skills absolutely necessary to know and master. Maintenance of bow string and bow limbs apply a light coat of bow string wax to your bow s string on a regular basis. This manual covers the galaxy crescent ilf takedown recurve bow. Build along 52 glass recurve swissbow written by andy stoeckli page 4 14. We have onepiece and takedown recurve bows and a vast range of options. By dave brewer, a friends of archaeology volunteer.
Hoyt bows have brought home more olympic and world medals than any other bow in the world. Bow limb bow limb tape tape wheel wheel direct line to target find the limb centers in order to have a reference point from which to adjust the arrows leftright position on the bow, it is necessary to find and mark the exact center of the limbs on a recurve bow, or what is termed the obalanced limb centero on a compound bow. Great prices and discounts on the best recurve bows. Feel the rush of striking the dead center of your target each time with the help of this incredible archery equipment. The bare shaft test is the preferred method of tuning a recurve bow because of its accuracy and ease.
If archery were incredibly easy, there would be a lot fewer archers. For a recurve bow your string length should be about 3. Servicing hunters, recurve, compound and olympic style archers. Takedown bows can be packed in a case, with all their accessories, in a footprint less than half the size of a longbow.
Building a recurve bow american woodworker 2007 10 issue 1. Mar 23, 2016 i made this bow and arrow using only primitive tools and materials. Learn how to shoot a recurve bowa beginners guide simple. The knowledge gained through the experience of making your own bow makes this more than just a prideful accomplishment.
This design allowed archers to achieve the arrow speeds of a much longer bow with a significantly smaller package. For a recurve or longbow the unstrung distance between string nocks, plus 18 to 20. People interested in learning how to make a recurve bow often do it to save money by making it themselves, while others prefer to have a customized bow. Group tuning is the most time consuming exercise, but can make your setup more forgiving to your individual recurve style. The reflexdeflex design of the limbs allows a recurve to shoot arrows fast. First drawing of the bow for that i rely on information i found on the internet and on measurements i took myself on several bows. Jun 11, 2014 the grip of a custom traditional bow is usually smaller and more refined than the grip on a compound bow or factory manufactured bow you might find at your local sporting goods store. So, regarding weight, recurve bow is more straightforward and lighter than a compound bow. These free woodworking plans will help the beginner all the way up to the expert craft. This article assumes a person has just purchased a new recurve bow and wants to set the bow up. As the pressure of beginner bows is always less than 25 lbs, it is recommend making strings using dacron with eight strands. This gives the bow more snap when the arrow is released. In this story, ill show you how to make a bow from one of these kits. The term recurve comes from the way the bow curves away from the shooter at the ends.
Know that galaxy products are built with the archer in mind. This bow is thought to be a hunting bow, and in a take down version. Even onepiece recurve bows have an inherently smaller bow length due to their design. If the target archer chooses one thats too long or too short, you wont be as accurate or have as much fun as you could with a bow.
The standards used by most archers are either 23 or 25 risers making 66 or 68 bows. By reflexing, or introducing recurve into the tips we can increase the speed as well as reduce string follow. Obviously, the most comfortable grip size is determined by the size of your bow hand and your personal preference for the way the grip feels. The awesome thing is anyone can learn how to shoot a recurve bow and by following the steps in this article, you will be shooting accurately in no time. The angular bow used in egypt and assyria and the famous english wooden longbow are non recurve bows. The classic, simple curved design of the recurve bow, coupled with its very basic operation, can be a major selling point for some customers. Salvo and sear ilf takedown recurve bows manual congratulations on the purchase of your galaxy bow. On the other hand these bows are of a well tempered nature and less sensitive to. The native americans in the southwestern united states did not begin using bow and arrow technology until about 1,500 years ago. Prior to the advent of the bow and arrow, the atlatl an aztec word from mexico was the primary hunting weapon. A bow may look complex, but the kit i used makes it pretty straight forward. The recurve refers to the way the bow curves away from the shooter at the tips. No specialized tools are required, but you will need a bandsaw and an oscillating spindle sander to shape the bow. Its also used in measuring the limbs of the bow and making sure they are equal and not twisted too much.
Here is a list of the usefu l and important materials that you will need. A recurve bow is a much simpler style of the bow than the more popular compound bow. The recurve bow is smaller and more lightweight than its compound counterpart. University of california, berkeley kim, jinho and kim, ki chan korea national sport university abstract modern materials and fabrication methods offer new opportunities to redesign competition recurve bows. The arm is made up of three bones, the forearm has the ulna and the radius and the upper arm the humerus. In fact, although it is a long process, you do it while youre shooting and scoring during your normal training sessions. A recurve will permit a shorter bow than the simple straight limb bow for a given arrow energy. Bow hand on bow bow elbow turned down shooting posture for now, this is mostly like the air bow exercise in lesson 1, since the strap does not stretch. They are synonymous with characters like attila the hun and genghis khan, whose hordes of invaders used this weapon to devastating efficiency.
So you want to get a bow, and the first thing you noticed when checking out a few recurve models is they come in different lengths. The origin of the recurve bow design traces back to asia around 2,000 bc. Whether your new bow is for hunting, 3d, or for shooting targets, you have made the right decision in choosing a martin. The bow s handle is shaped from a large block of solid wood called a riser block. This type of construction harnasses massive force in the limbs. With a shorter length than an english longbow, these wooden recurve bows are fast. Fundamentals of the design of olympic recurve bows lieu, d. Coaching tips 3 bow hand before we look at the bow hand and the correct position on the bow we need to firstly look at the bow arm as the position of the bow hand has a significant effect on the bow arm orientation. These plans are for a building your own recurve bow. Now that you have all the materials ready, we can start making the bow string.
A recurve bow is a bow with limbs that curve away from the archer when unstrung. Tuning should be a quick and relatively easy process if you follow a few simply steps. The modern recurve bow is a stunning piece of technological achievement. Coaching tips 2 recurve bow tuning introduction setting up and tuning your equipment is a vital part of archery although the outcomes related to tuning your equipment are directly related to your shooting technique and your skill level. Pdf on the mechanics of the modern workingrecurve bow.
We want to make this the most comprehensive recurve bow guide on the entire internet, and we would appreciate your help in the process. And you asked yourself, what size recurve bow is right for me. The recurve bow marks the second generation of bow technology. Traditionally, recurve bows are a composite of materials. Bow building is not easy, but a very rewarding experience.
With the bow and with the stretch material, next, you. Jun 07, 2018 shooting a recurve bow accurately is a challenge and it takes practice. Congratulations on the purchase of your galaxy bow. Brands such as eclipse also make custom traditional bows. Canada archery online bows, arrows, archery equipment. Modern recurve bow from skis this is my first instructable about, well, anything. But all of the bow fishing kits that i have found are with shorter recurve bows. Over forty years of archery experience are built into every martin howatt bow. Recurve bow limbs are easy to make with just a few tools. The larger size of the riser makes a recurve bow stable in hand for no handshock vibration of the bow that hurts your hand.
Turkish bows are the results of thousands of years perfecting the original shape of the bow. Its typical c shape makes the bow smaller making it more portable than longer bows while maintaining a relatively long maximum draw length, which is important especially if you use a thumb release technique. Crescent ilf takedown recurve bow manual galaxy archery. Feel free to comment with any suggestions, criticisms or advice you may have. With your new hoyt bow you get the support of a company which has been making bows for almost 70 years. I was thinking about doing some bow fishing at some point. Bow making kits and products bingham projects recurves. This order is important because the small loop will generally stay in position on the lower limb while stringing and unstringing the bow.
How to use a bow stringer one of the first things you need to know when stringing a recurve bow is that the large loop of the string goes on the top limb, while the small loop goes on the bottom limb. General rules are to never use less than 1012 strands, and to use two different. Im publishing it so you can all watch as it develops. Its one thing to get a slat or stave of lemonwood and whittle out a simple bow that will perform to a fair degree of satisfaction, but the beginner who attempts to make a laminated recurve bow is tackling the most difficult project in the critical field of bow making. Recurve bow tuning blank shaft method the recommended method. This section is designed to give some insight into what these materials are, and what they mean to the average. Figure out how many strands of dacron you need, which is based on the poundage of the bow.
With the ability to be disassembled, the takedown recurve is king when it comes to portability and storage. Building the bow was almost as exciting as shooting it. Raf nathan practice makes perfectarchery is a satisfying sport that has its roots fixed in the primal skill of hunting. Olympic recurve bows appear to be a hybrid between a long bow and a traditional recurve. Recurve stabilizer choices narrowing the possibilities. This is used to season the bow and to make sure that it bends enough when pressure is applied without snapping or splitting.
In this how to video i show you some tips for making your self bows a little faster. If owning that nice shiny new bow will make you feel good, then go for it, but remember, theres nothing worse than buying a nice shiny new bow and realising you cant shoot it for buttons. Equipment set up recurve bow university of chicago. Becoming a bowyer bow builder is one of the highest accomplishments of a traditional archer. The ultimate aim of recurve tuning is to score higher by making your group size smaller. So i was wondering, is it ok to shoot a shorter recurve bow with a draw length of 30. The lightness and strength of the riser, the accuracy of the limbs, the hitech materials used to make the strings all make for a leanmean shooting machine. Equipment set up recurve bow university of chicago archery. They are built from quality materials and are designed to. On the other hand these bows are of a well tempered nature and. We are excited and thankful to have you as a valued customer. Building a recurve bow american woodworker issue 1. Recurve bows are simply bows whose limbs bend away from the archer.
Let us know if you have any questions or if anything is unclear. This allows the bow to propel the arrow with more power and energy than a traditional straightlimbed bow. Specializing in target, hunting, 3d and traditional archery. With target bows, use a quality car polish to protect the finish and luster of your bow. I have been building pvc pipe bows for almost two years now and after seeing. Recurve bow equipment tuning 3 in this section on recurve bow tuning it will be necessary to discuss a number of different types of risers since the available adjustment features differ in each case. Now shoot a bare shaft a shaft without any fletch aiming at the same spot. I made a series of small cuts perpendicular to my riser line to make cutting. A compound bow is smaller in size but consists more parts like cams, stops and multiple strings, and the extra thickness of the riser to cope up with the strain makes it a heavier one than a recurve bow. Archery checks the weight oi a finished laminated recurve bow with spring scale and graduated.
There are some very basic things that you will need to make the perfect recurve bow from scratch. Among other things, butch used a relatively very heavy back weight of up to 8 ounces mass, combined with a 30 inch easton ace front rod with, at times, another 8. Step by step free download pdf 150 free woodworking plans important qualifications, skills and training. Because the bow can generate more power with smaller limbs, the body of the bow can be smaller than it otherwise would be.
Great prices and discounts on the best recurve bows from top brands. Select from a lineup of beautiful onepiece recurve bows. Or should i switch to a compound bow for bow fishing. Hoyts recurve bows have been designed for the serious recurve archer.