Am I crazy for considering this....

[Whosure]

I am contemplating going to some bow making courses and entering the traditional bow industry. I have very little wood working experience, but the older I get the more and more I desire to work with my hands and build things. That being said, I was wondering what you would deem as the bare minimum equipment to make recurve and longbows. How do you come up with your longbow and recurve riser design? What would it cost to get a variety of woods, and laminates to make the limbs and risers? I live in a housing edition in San Antonio and I don't have a yard to build a shop in. Would a two car garage be sufficient space or would I need more toom? I don't desire to be like Black Widow, Blacktail or Stalker, but I envision it more like your setup as a hobby I do during my free time. I am just wondering what the initial financial charge would roughly be. I understand as a business some of this would be tax deductible, but I don't want to mortgage the house to do this. Or would it be a better idea to start with Selfbows since they don't require all the equipment, laminates, epoxy, hotbox, etc? Where are some of the fairs, festivals, and other shows that I could attend to sell the bows in my area? Any advice and lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

[Doug Roberts]

All I can say is I think it sounds awesome!... Turn a hobby into a business!

[Bisch]

Am I crazy for considering this....

I know one of the best bowyers in TX that built out of his garage for years before he finally got a dedicated shop! It can surely be done. Don't know what the essentials are, but I do know it can be done. Talk to a few bowyers. That is where you will get the best info as far as what things are most important. I think a LOT of guy who build bows as a hobby start by building kit bows from places like Bingham. Bingham sells everything you need to build bows, and if you start with the kits, you will have a head start on trying to figure everything out on your own. You also might check out some reading sources on bow building like the Traditional Bowyers Bible.

Good luck!

Bisch

[Whosure]

I thought about the book, but unfortunately I just don't comprehend new concepts and practices well from reading. I actually have to see it to remember it and apply it. Great post and thanks for replying.

[gatorgar]

Bisch gives good advice. Get yourself a kit and go from there. I've built a few, from kits, and it can be rewarding but extremely annoying at the same time. It might also help you to get a you finish bow. I know Sarrels used to sell a 75% complete bow. All the gluing was done, which is the annoying part.

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[Whosure]

Seems Sarrel's site is no longer active, but I will check out 3 Rivers for the kit. Thanks.

[Briar Friar]

Id suggest saving yourself the extra expenses of laminated bows and equipment...and build selfbows. Keepem small and quick to build...for children...at first. Pimp them at rodeos, fairs and farmers markets. My little boy would definitely persuade me to buy one. I am not a bowyer. Good luck.

[Kossetx]

Go to the poorfolks bow building website. He builds a variety of bows and gives decent info.

Since you state you want to get in the industry I assume you mean sell bows. it's going to take quite a bit of machinery to do consistent work required to be pro.

I suggest you build a dozen bows before you decide to invest too much. If you were closer I'd give you a few full length tapered lams to start. I teach my student that building is just a series of steps and an equal amount of troubleshooting steps. It's not rocket science but it's not simple either, especially at the pro level.

[El Paisano]

Check this out.

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/thread2.cfm?forum=23&threadid=288888&messages=46&CATEGORY=9#4217257

I don't think you will get rich doing it, but who knows.

[M.E.B.]

Fedora used to give bow building seminars. I know that Jeff Massie went. Check and see if he still gives classes.

[Lost Arra]

If you are a hands-on learner and want to start with some selfbows come to OJAM next March. Just south of Stillwater OK. After 3 full days of draw knifing, scraping, tillering, sanding and shooting you will have a great time, be covered in yellow dust and get an idea if you want to do this as hobby/vocation without any investment other than gas.


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[chackworth3]

If you are wanting to build glass bows, my advise would be to start with a binghams kit. They have DVDs and printed instructions that show you all the basics and the things that you need to get started and the overall genre process of building a bow. Build a couple of their bows just to learn the process and get your own process down and then start working on your own design. I know a lot of guys that have started out that way that build very nice bows. Some trad sites also have build alongs you can look at to see how others go about their process and that can give you ideas and help you figure out the process that best fits you.

[DRT]

Yes

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[DRT]

[emoji43]

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[Whosure]

I was thinking the same thing a simple emblem to put on the riser. I think I like Death Stalker Bows, deadly African scorpion, more than Tejas Bows. Thanks DRT for the feedback.