From Tree to Bow: Making a Hickory Recurve
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Relaxed and detailed build-along, from tree to recurve bow. Primitive bowyery through a modern lens. The final bow pulls just over 40# at 28" and is 60" ntn. It's about 1" at the widest and weighs 450g.
dansantanabows...
CZcams: / dansantanabows .
Facebook: / dansantanabows
Instagram: / dan_santana_bows
As always if you have any questions feel free to ask me anything about bow making in the comments.
For more detailed help with your bows you can find me hanging out here / bowyer . If you haven't already it's a great idea to make an account on Primitive Archer. And if you're on Facebook check out the many bow making groups on there.
Finally if you think you see a bow in the trees here's a great website for tree ID www.arborday.o....
Go make a bow!
-Dan
Music by TeknoAXE. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and modified from original versions in duration and volume.
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Awsome bows that hickory recurve is really pretty
Thanks Avid Angler! That was a really good piece of hickory with a great late wood ratio. It’ll be fun to dig into the rest of the staves from that tree
A masterpiece! I’m so glad I watched until the end, the last time lapse was the best one!
I did my best! Thank you
Nice Video.. Thank you Bro..
From Indonesia..
thanks doc!
The beginning of a new bow and the finishing of a hickory ongoing project for months! What a great way to show the commitment of a bowyer! Beautiful work and fantastic video
Thanks Omar, I really do spend a lot of time with these bows and I always enjoy trying to show the life of the tree
Excellent work!! I'm excited to see more videos by you.
Thanks Mr! I’ve got plenty planned for the future
Wow, my son is trying to make a bow because he's into survival stuff right now. So we looked up hickory tree identification and it lead us down the youtube rabbit hole to you! You've got a new subscriber!
Tell your son to look up r/Bowyer on reddit. If you post your progress along the way I can help walk you guys through it and make sure you’re on the right track the first time around. Welcome to the community and good luck!
Hickory isn’t as plain Jane as one might think after all! Lovely work, and I particularly enjoyed the artistry with the dyes. I also enjoyed seeing how you work on carving using the draw weight measure. Fascinating!
Thanks Erica! The central dogma in most modern styles of tillering is to always pull with the archers intended draw draw and no more. As you remove wood from the stiff areas the bow will draw further and further every time. Eventually you hit the target draw weight at the target draw length and you’re all done!
The quality of your videos is outstanding and your bowyer skills are spot on. Excellent job.
Really appreciate it Steve. I’m just getting started here so there’s a lot more to come!
Beautiful video man. Also your music choices are spot on. Really chilled me out watching this - thank you :)
Thanks for the kind words, good to hear you felt something. I think TeknoAXE really saved the day with the free music!
How does this dude not have more subs? he always has good videos and I have never been disapointed by one.
May not have the most but it’s the best crowd!
Man oh man. Wow I love the atmosphere of your content. The weather. The setting. The grace. I appreciate and respect your content so much. I only found your channel The other day and I subscribed. As someone who got into archery and trying to understand archery on a more spiritual level. I can connect to your content. The raw smooth feel to it is amazing. I love things like this.. as youngsters we have to get in touch with the real life. We need to re-educate ourselves with real knowledge..I personally think that our ancestors were ahead of us. Because in today's life everyone is searching for some kind of happiness and solace, tranquility but the world is moving to fast and the system is enslaving us. But if we can just take a step back. We can breathe. And your content shows this through archery and bow Making.
Thank you Musaad that was very sweet to hear
Love it! Great job.
Thanks Olga! Today I made a bunch of jam with wild grapes. Strong and tart! there’s a jar with your name on it
Dan Santana Bows omg thank you 😋
Great video! I been loving these man keep up the good work. I bet you could do great videos about other things as well
Thanks again man! This was the video I’ve really been wanting to make from the start. I think I’ll always keep the videos at least bow-themed, but I’ll definitely branch out into some of my other interests too.
immediately recognized your shop cuz i saw your reddit post before lol
haha I’ve heard my shop precedes me
Amazing work as always, inspired me. I am attempting my first hickory bow
Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions
I love your work, mate. I swear, your build videos re-instill a sense of passion in me. I have wanted to get into bow making for the past few years, but apartment life (and life in general, at times) doesn't make it very easy. Would it be possible to get some tips/tricks/a "where to get started" list? lol. But, in any case, keep up your artistry. It's a beautiful craft.
Glad to hear it Jordan. There was a great beginner thread on Primitive Archer recently www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=68764.0.
Sam Harpers website has some awesome build alongs for apartment dwellers. I often recommend the red oak build along to beginners poorfolkbows.com.
The Swiftwood Bows channel has some incredible buildalongs too but they’re not always as apartment friendly.
If you get more serious about bow making pick up the bowyers bible books, there are 4.
Next make an account on at least one bowmaking forum. I hang out on primitive archer a lot, and that’s where the highest level discussions happen. A lot of quality work is posted on instagram and facebook groups too, but the discussions are often a bit more shallow.
If you’re on reddit I help moderate r/bowyer which is a very beginner friendly forum. It’s great place to post tiller checks or pics of staves you’re not sure about or anything else. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions or when you get your build going
Good stuff, man.
Thanks! I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a long time
@@DanSantanaBows Everything looks super chill and relaxing. Absolutely an enviable life! Is this what you do for a living?
solkatlol I would like to but I’m just getting started.For now I’m focusing the bow efforts on teaching, the videos, and building up a little stock. I’m holding off on selling bows until I get a proper website set up later this year.
Fantastic work!
Nice to see use of pigment paints. I collect ochre rocks from creek and river beds and grind them into a fine powder. Usually my binder is egg yolk but I’ve heard pine pitch can also be used to waterproof The pigments. Haven’t tried flowers yet, Did you just simply rub the flowers onto the wood? Thanks for the vid.
Cameron Pain Yeah that’s all I did. I’ve put in a lot of work making solutions and paints but I like the results from just rubbing directly. plus the plant matter gets into the grain for a more rustic 3d look
Greetings from New Zealand, that is an outstanding video, I have subscribed and look foward to more content.
Thank you, much appreciated!
You are a source of knowledge in this field. And what's more, your videos are very pleasant..never get tired of whatching them again and again to find new tips..My great trouble are the the knots of the wood.I hope ti find some good advices
Thank you! If you haven’t seen the tillering video yet I go into knots and character a bit more there. And if you’re ever struggling with a knot post a picture on r/bowyer and we can give you advise
@@DanSantanaBows thanks!
Last question: the inner and harder oart of the lumber Is the back of the bow I suppose
@@ppaooh Depends on the wood. This video will explain what you need to do czcams.com/video/Soc6zGGqHXk/video.html
Beautiful.
Thanks again Alan!
Wow! What a sky!
Loved the video mate, well done! How long did you season your stave?
Thanks man, I’m not sure exactly. I cut the tree early this year then roughed and bent it green. Then I forgot about it in the hot box for a few months. I never really think about how long to dry for, I just fiddle with the hot box until it’s at an equilibrium moisture content I like, then forget about the bows until the mass is stable
Very nice video. I am looking forward to seeing that maple bow finished. Question, what will deflexing the bow in the handle section do for you?
It’s a fairly short bow and I was worried about the stress on the limbs with the recurves. Deflexing sacrifices some potential speed, but will give the bow more stability and let me push for a higher draw weight. Likely I’ll add a bit more reflex down the line, with dry heat
Nice work you're on another level
Amazing, thank you for make this video.
Thanks Deivid, I’ll be back with more!
I would love to purchase one from you. The bows are awesome thank you
Sure thing Kelly, I’d be happy to make you one. Shoot me an email at dansantanabows@gmail.com to let me know what you’re looking for
Beautiful bow....love it
Thank you Pietsch!
👌Sir Ur an artist i wish i cud create sm bow wit u learn frm u , i make Mongolian traditional bows n i like it, but due to sm reasons now i unable to make it.
Thank you Enock. I do teach classes, and for those who live far away I’ll keep sharing what I’ve learned in videos. If you need some help with your builds post on reddit on r/bowyer and we can help come up with a design that will work for you
@@DanSantanaBows Thxx sir i lik ur vedios , they r helpfull
Great Video. Thank you
My 8-year-old daughter is enjoying your videos. She wants to know what you do with all the wood shavings.
I have a question... I've got some wallnut wood but it dosent have any heart wood... Can I make a bow out of it?
Drawz vibes Yep. I’ve never done it but read that you definitely can.
@@DanSantanaBows thanks!
I want make a bow from an ash. Right now I'm growing the ash :-) What should be the ideal diameter of the trunk to harvest the tree? I don't need very strong bow, 25-30lb is just fine.
Václav Čermák 2-3 inches should be enough. You could probably get away with as little at 1 inch for a 20-25 pounder.
In the video ‘lightweight bowmaking and relaxed bow wood gathering” I make a lightweight bow from an ash sapling. If you keep the bow long without letting it be too massive, these lightweight bows can still shoot pretty well
@@DanSantanaBows Thank you for your reply. Seems that I'll have to give the ash tress one more year to grow. I'll check the video you mention.
Thank you for your enlightening and atmospheric videos. One more advise please: How hot is the steam and how long does the bow have to be in the bag?
Get the steamer as hot snd filled with dense steam as you can. Usually it takes 30-40 minutes but for very small or light bends sometimes 20 is ok
Thanks, I will try that (seems more efficient to me than heating small parts over a saucepan)
Amazing video. What was the flat scaping tool you used to fine tune the limbs
That’s called a cabinet scraper, the choice tool for tillering self bows. It’s just a sheet of carbon steel. The secret is forming a sharp burr on the edge
Good day Dan. What was the dimensions of the bow? I am planning a sugar maple board bow. For some design tips I am going to kompliment for it from this vid.
Sorry I meant implement some of your design ideas....
I don’t always like to give dimensions because they will depend enormously on the individual stave, design, and bowyer. A more experienced bowyer can get away with a shorter, narrower, or heavier bow, for example. I can get you some numbers when I’m back in the shop but my honest opinion is that they could be misleading and unhelpful.
The useful dimensions are in the description of the video. The tillering process will help you figure out the true dimensions of your bow. Personally I would go with a flatbow design for a maple board, probably 9 times out of 10. Would really recommend Swiftwood Bows board bow series for a detailed build along for that board. Let me know if you can’t find it or have any other questions
@@DanSantanaBows Thank you Dan. I got the dimensions in the video description. The board had some issues so I had to cut it so that the broadest workable area is but only 4,4cm. I think however that it is still going to work. Will keep you posted when I start start the build.
Sounds good. That should be wide enough for many designs
I was wondering if it makes a difference that on the steppe type recurve bows the tips were flattened perpendicularly to the rest of the bow and often hold straight by applying antler or bone onto this tips. Obviously it was important for them that the siyahs of the bow won't bend, which provided a higher speed of propulsion to the arrows I suppose. Would the tips that you make here bend, or do they just marginally participate in the bending of the bow because you curved them artificially?
@@petrapetrakoliou8979 Steppe bows are much shorter because of the horn sinew design. And so longer siyahs are really necessary. In order to keep mass down the siyahs are better off being thick and narrow. This is possible since this part of the bow is non bending
The recurves I made here are more about improving string angles while adding minimal mass. This is a common style for vintage flight bows. Both designs suit the material. That said you will see lever tips in many wooden designs, particularly the mollegabet bows
Türkçe olarak bu yayi nasıl yaptığınızı yaza bilirmisiz
Which wood u prefer for this bow making?
My favorites are the ones you see me using. That said, any quality bow wood can be adapted if you have a bit of experience using different woods. In my board bow tutorial there’s a list of good bow woods around the world (check in the description)
if this is your first bow i’d really encourage you to make a straight stave bow instead. This way you can spend the first bow learning the fundamentals rather than troubleshooting annoying problems with recurves.
If you’re not sure about where to start or what wood to use let me know and I’ll help you get started.
The Bitternut Hickory that grows around here is much darker than yours. What kind of Hickory did you use in the video?
This is the sapwood, which is light colored for all the hickory species I’ve seen. The heartwood is walnut colored and how much of it is in the log varies with species. Most bowyers i’ve talked to agree hickory has better sapwood for bow making purposes
So, do you use the heart wood as the back? Or the front?
Use the underbark surface as the back most of the time. For an in depth answer see my video the back of the bow, 6 ways
Just wondered if you had made a crepemyrtle bow?
Have heard it’s good bow wood but i don’t think it grows in my range
@@DanSantanaBows It’s pretty much an ornamental.
How long do you wait for it to bend? And wait with the steamer?
about 30-40 mins in the steamer
@@DanSantanaBows ❤️ Thx 🙂
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Why do you heat treat the belly?
to improve the compression resistance and prevent as much set as possible. It’s not strictly necessary
Every one uses the word hickory when making bows but never say what type of hickory it is as there are a few species of hickory so it makes it a bit hard to get the right hickory if people live in different parts of the world , any idea what type of hickory it is ? you used for your bow thanks.
@@fishmut There’s more variation within hickory species than between them. They’re all so similar that most commercial operations lump them together. It’s more important to find an individually good piece, rather than buying the ‘best’ species.
For bows, pignut is probably the best on average. Shellbark is very good too. Any hickory species can make a top shelf stave