I just wanted to say thank you for this. I was mesmerized by your videos watched all three parts, and was in awe of your craftsmanship and knowledge through experience and trial and error. I wish I knew this stuff when I was young and making bows for fun playing cowboys and Indians, I've made so many, but mine were just sticks with tension, very little science and craftsmanship went into building them. I wish as a kid, I had a look at these videos because I am sure I would have picked up a trick or two, and who know how refined my technique would of ended up like. Thanks again, this is my favorite part of KZread; folks passing on their skills and making available a visual guide of their process. All the best to you, brother.

@clayhayeshunter

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful

At last ! A truely instructional ring - management video . Thanks, Clay. I am going on 72 yo and have an illness that's getting the best of me, unavoidably . Coming late to bow building and this video will walk me right through rings. Thank!

@clayhayeshunter

6 жыл бұрын

No problem

Thanks Max, it takes a lot of work to make these videos and to explain the subject so anyone can follow along. Thanks for appreciating that.

thanks a ton for sharing your knowledge brother. it's guys like you that keep the dying arts alive for future generations. please keep it up!

@GottliebGoltz

5 жыл бұрын

Ditto.

I finally finished my first longbow build and tutorial, but did it with bamboo glued onto ipe with osage handle and tip overlays. Man, once it was done it was so fun to finally shoot it! Now I know how you must feel after finishing one. Also, I finished your book. Great stuff!

It amazes me how colorful the wood is. Great!

@clayhayeshunter

6 жыл бұрын

It is an unusually vibrant color for wood!

Thank you. I hope it helps new bow builders get started on the right track.

Hey Clay, I'm really impressed with the quality of your videos and your instructions. Keep up the good work! I look forward to seeing your new videos!

Very informational. I seem to run into the problem of hinges when making a bow quite often. And have a board stave right now I am working on and would like to finish it. With your help I should be able to get the job done.

There's no better feel than drawing thru the early layer or the, peanut brittle layer,as I call it ! Very impressive video best instructional that I've seen Clay....

This is the most helpful video I have ever seen relating to bow building. Thank you!

@clayhayeshunter

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks much

you are the missing link on the web for these kind of things! very patient and detailed tutorial. with all the hunting and bushcrafting you do, yours might be the most honest and practical approach. even bushcrafting becomes a trendsport these days! Well done and much appreciated! you damn got yourself a subscriber! Max

Great video. Between this and the Osage Orange stave harvesting vid, you've gained a subscriber.

Thank you for such a wonderful presentation. When I teach, I like to 'demystify' the processes involved and you have a great skill at that; you have very good video and narrative. I'll be starting my first bow based on your series. I teach old handwork skills and believe we have done these things for so many generations that it's part of our DNA. We already have the skills stored, we just need a way to remind us. You did a great job in tickling that knowledge back to the top for me in your video and your easy going manner of relating the information. There's not a button you can press to do this process; it requires manipulation of sharp edges and a little back and shoulder thrown into the job. So many people are embracing the reconnection to using hand tools to make useful objects. Your work in this series is solid and perfect for those of us just picking up this craft.

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

Larry Cooper Thanks Larry, I'm glad you liked it.

Even though I will never be able to do this I still love watching these videos

Maybe im sick, but this is one of my favorite most satisfyimg steps in building a bow. Putting a pristine growth ring on the back!

very cool. My first osage bow was a 52" short bow.

I just bought your book (traditional bowhunter) ind I love it lots of useful and interesting content!

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

TheElvenArcher great, thanks.

you make that look SO easy. only an expert makes tricky knots look like a piece of cake ;-)

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

KingTesticus Thanks.

great video. the explanations are concise. a master at work, making it look easy!

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

Brent Hoelzer Thanks Brent.

Great tutorial. Thanks man.

I mostly use a drawknife. I use a hoof rasp for shaping the tips and handle.

I know buying the tools and learning with them is going to take me along time but when I get the money im going to buy your book and give this a try because I'm dieing to make a decent enough bow I can hunt with because I can't afford to buy one. I don't want to hunt with a gun anymore I only want to hunt traditional archery from now on and teach my kids this way.

really well made video. helps alot. thanks

Clay hayes ,, I like your's video ... its very inspiratif to me !! good luck for the next videos....

So good I'm watching it again! Next year we should be moving into our first house! hopefully I can take up this hobby.

great filming and very pedagogical video!

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I had to break out the dictionary for that one...

Just completed my first bow a couple of days ago i honestly didn't do super well but still proud of it

Fascinating stuff. I might try it... in like 1 year when my first staves finish seasoning.

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

like fine wine...

Great vid. Thanks for this.

what type of wood are you using? what are your demensions?

Sharing this excellent series on FaceBook. Thanks for making it!

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

Odee Dillon Thanks, I appreciate that.

Best series on youtube should be on netflix;)

Really nice, Clay! Good job! It's just amazing! :)

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Leo Ruffeil Thanks Leo

@leoruffeil7692

8 жыл бұрын

+Clay Hayes by the way Clay! I bought your book! I started to read it yesterday! I'm enjoying read it, man! :)

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Leo Ruffeil Thanks Leo, glad you're liking it.

I'm unsure what species you have to work with. But, fruit and nut bearing trees are always a good place to start looking. I'd bet you could find someing in NZ making bows from local material.

I go ahead and split staves out of a log, then let them cure. If you start taking wood off of a green piece, it'll develop little longitudinal cracks as the water evaporates too quickly. Seal the ends with latex paint or elmers glue to prevent checking. I know it's hard to wait, but you'll be much better off if you can hold off untill the wood is dry. Depending on the humidity and the sixe of the stave, it could be anywhere from a few months to a year or more.

For those of you wondering, you remove the sapwood because it is useless for anything other than making pitch, and fire starting. Its wood in which the "channels" (called pits) that run the entire length of a log have been filled with resting sap that has not been able to escape, (usually you find it in the "armpits" of branches right where they connect to the tree, and the main rootball once the tree dies). Once the water evaporates out of the sap, it becomes like wax, saturating the wood around the pits. (personally I keep a bit of sapwood with me in my tinder kit, but that is really all its good for, unless you are going to make old time glue. )

Thanks for this awesome video ! Subscribed!

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

+Alex Altorfer Thanks Alex

GROS TRAVAIL BRAVO !!

my great thanks to you for the vidos, thanks to your very good instructions I've made 3 good bows out of robinia, osage orange is wery difficult to find hier in germany and is much expensive, but robinia does it for me. Good wishes.

Thanks a lot for the video, I'm fourteen and have three bows under my belt, the best of which is an ash recurve backed with hemp, tiller could be improved but it shoots fine. I bought an osage board for 45$ and it has good grain, I want a 40lb flatbow any tips?

I'm counting on it!

very informative series, i could only wish to have the skill to be able to do this.

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

OutdoorsStuff Thanks. Give it a try. It's not that hard.

hello Clay. Do you sell those osage staves? And if you do,how much and do you ship to Europe?

What is the name of the little rift being played at the begining of your video?

yepp, looked it upp and you were right.

man that draw knife is sharp!

If you have really thin growth rings and accidentally go through do I need to chase the next ring if I plan on sinew backing? My growth rings are dam near 1/16 so super thin.

thanks

Also I want to go on my first hunt next fall, what should my target prey be? I want an easy beginner kill, preferably an animal that isn't to hard to gut.

Right about now someone is going to caution you against cutting towards yourself.. lol. Great vid. Thanks

thank you !! :)

What would you say is the biggest difference between long bow vs recurve? And even though you make your own which is super cool, are there any mass production ( for lack of a better word) that you would recommend ?

I have a question for you sir, Since I use wood heat, my house gets decently dry if I were to go out and harvest a hickory for staves and then leave it in the house, would it still take a year? I'm really dying to have a use-able bow for this winter because I have this deer walking through my yard that I want to eat.

It took me a while to realize you are clay from alone

Hey clay, I have a hickory log that has termite galleries in the outer ring. for a good backed stave, should i take it down to the darker colored ring or the lighter one.

@damian3671

6 жыл бұрын

PaPrimitive 2000 darker

yeah i thought about it after and the yew has a lot more sap wood

I've never really done much with board bows, but the fundamentals should be the same.

Does it work with teak as backing and oak as belly??? (6 feet longbow)

Do you like the post vise? I am upgrading my small one to handle the staves better. Did you mount the post into a floor receiver or does it hang? How do you like the overal vise? I like that old stuff!

can you recommend a good moisture meter to get to know when the wood is ready?

@clayhayeshunter

6 жыл бұрын

I just use a Wagner. But you have to consider that you’re only really measuring the surface moisture in Osage. It’s too hard to get the prongs deep enough for an accurate reading.

Hey Clay, Great Videos!I have a question though. At the 4:00 min mark you describe the difference between the early wood and late wood. My question is how do you decide which late wood ring to use. Because when I look at your example about 4 rings down there is a thick late wood ring. If it's thicker does that make it a ideal back or does it not matter

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

thicker rings are just easier to follow for beginners. It doesn't matter to me how thick they are.

Hey, this is pretty cool to watch! Nice video! Maybe I don't need quite as much slow explanation, but that's because I'm only watching for entertainment, not instruction.

Nice

Great video series on making a self bow. I enjoyed them all. Would it be OK if I harvested hickory now (I live in Kentucky) and let it dry for 6 months before taking off the bark?

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

loren brown That'd be just fine.

Okay, I' m trying very hard to make a bow that works. All of mine have broken. I think I tillered both a little too much. I use the same tools that you use. Do you have suggestions or any videos you would recommend? Great job by the way.

"country cue", I believe.

Could you use a table saw to get rid of the material around the heart wood?

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Aaron Wag I've never seen anyone use a table saw bow a lot of guys use a band saw. Use whatever works for you.

How many have you made and they break when you shoot it?

How long does it take you to get all the bark and sapwood off a stave? I know you're a lot more experienced than me, so it'll take me longer, but I'm curious how quickly an experienced bowyer can do it.

What tools would you recommend for a beginner and what wood would you recommend for a first bow as well?

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

a large rasp and a draw knife. I've made lots of bows with those two tools. As far as wood, use what you have locally. you'll mess up a lot to start with and you don't want to be messing up to many hundred dollar staves.

How dry should the wood be before using these processes

Where do you buy your lumber?? I've been looking at cant fine the right one, they're usually too thin.

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

I make my bows from the trees I cut.

What are your thought on hickory and would it be the same process like Osage?

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Hickory makes a good bow. There is no sapwood like on osage though. Just remove the bark and there's your back.

Hey Clay did you have to dry that stave out and if so how long do you dry your staves?

@clayhayeshunter

5 жыл бұрын

Most of my staves dry for several years. You can speed the process in a hot box.

nice vid good job :)

i thought you usually want a layer of sapwood or is that just certain kinds of wood

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

+chunchoe you would on Pacific Yew, but not on Osage.

wats that first tool u used to carve the bow o:

hey Clay, I the ring chasing on dry ash is the same as osage orange? thanks a lot

@clayhayeshunter

6 жыл бұрын

For ash, all you need to do is remove the bark and cambium. No need to chase a ring.

@emiledufour5412

6 жыл бұрын

ha ! so easy, but is it as effective than the osage?

I just have to ask.. do you have Staves for sale? Up here in NE MT we just don't have any good trees suitable for bow making. As far as I know. Thanks for all these great videos, Clay.

Clay, what size draw shave do you use and can you recommend a brand/make? And your drawknife is straight, not curved, correct? Thanks a bunch for making these awesome videos.

@clayhayeshunter

5 жыл бұрын

I’ve used both straight and curved. Both work well. You need a minimum of an 8” blade but 10 is better. All mine are old Greenlee knives. I’m not familiar with the new ones. Just get one that’s heavy duty.

Hello Clay I've been watching your channel. I would love to build my own self bow. I live upstate NY. And help would be helpful. I also wanted to ask, do you sell yours you make?

Hay Clay! Awsome video, very detailed! I have a question please- I just cut my first stave, It`s mulberry. I the ring chasing on mulberry the same as osage? Can I chase a ring now, when the stave is not yet dry and then season it (I`ll seal the back, of course...)

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

dor duieb I've not worked mulberry in a long while but, from what I remember, it's not the same as osage. You'll just need to do your best to get one ring on the back. If you remove the bark too soon, you risk the wood drying to fast and checking, even if you seal it. I'd wait at least a few months to start.

@duieb

9 жыл бұрын

Clay Hayes Thanks Clay. I started debarking a scrap piece (just to get the fill of it..) and the bark is very tight to the wood. I guess I have to wait a few months... BTW, I know that white woods (like hickory) don`t need ring chasing, you can just peel the bark off and the sapwood is the back of the bow. Does it realy matter WHEN I cut the stave? I know that the best time is around mid spring, that when the bark peels off easly, but if I cut it during early winter and season it, does the bark come off easly when it`s dry?

@MustObeyTheRules

9 жыл бұрын

Mulberry is a good bit harder to chase a growth ring on compared to Osage. It's a lot harder to work mulberry down to one ring but it is very possible with patience.

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

Joe is right. Mulberry doesn't have the pithy earlywood layers like osage so it's a little harder to follow a ring. I'd wait at least a month or two before debarking just to let the stick loose a little moisture. Then you may be ok to back it and seal for final drying.

Hi Clay, I'm having tough time following the same growth ring. Looking at the cut ends of the stave, the cross section shows that whoever removed the sapwood (I bought it on line) also removed more growth rings on one side than the other. I've smoothed the sides the length of the stave can follow a fairly thick latewood growth ring, ~3/32" thick, the length of the stave. *First question, is there any way of marking/staining the side to highlight the earlywood and latewood so that one appears darker than the other? My plan for the back is to start on one end, on the side that the growth ring is closest to the back, work down to that growth ring, then work across exposing same growth ring across the stave and finally work my way down the length of the stave. *Second question, Is this a sound plan or is there a preferred method?

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Steve Lardner Hi Steve, there may be some dye that will fork for you, but I've never tried it. I just find what I think is the lowest, or deepest, ring and work out from there following that ring. I never do what you're trying.

@stevelardner189

10 жыл бұрын

Clay Hayes I tried some cherry stain I had and it worked okay, not great. By "lowest" do you mean the closest useable growth ring? for my stave it's about the 4th ring in and 3/32" thick. By 'deepest" do you mean the thickest useable growth ring?

@stevelardner189

10 жыл бұрын

Clay Hayes Clay, I'm working my way up the stave along a growth ring but because of the undulations across, some earlywood sits lower than the latewood. I have a picture but no way of attaching it to this post. I don't want to cut into the latewood just to remove the earlywood. Should I just leave it or try and remove it? How do you handle this? I'm planning on using a small rasp and then my pocket knife to remove it.

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Steve Lardner OK, I think I understand what you're talking about now. You have some islands of earlywood surrounded by the latewood ring you're after. If I'm on the right track, you'll need to just take a rounded point tool like a pocket knife and scrape those areas out down to your ring. I always leave that type stuff to last. Hope that helps.

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Steve Lardner I'm using deepest and lowest to describe the same thing. Basically, the ring that is both exposed on some part of the stave and closest to the center of the tree. That's your backing ring. I don't usually worry about thickness of the ring.

Hi Clay, I'm down to one growth ring the length of the stave. It's nearly perfect, nearly. I have one spot that concerns me. The stave is 63" and just over 2.5" wide. The spot I'm worried about begins 6" from center and goes for 5". Along that section I pulled up two narrow strips of the latewood. They're about 5/8" off of the bow's centerline (~1/2" from the edge). I don't think they go completely through the latewood. That section will probably be just at the beginning of the taper to the tip. How concerned should I be? Should I just chalk this growth ring up to practice and take it down to another one?

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Steve Lardner Hmm, if it makes you nervous, you could always back the bow with something like rawhide. But, if you didn't go all the way through, it probably won't cause a problem. Just sand it smooth.

was thinking while working on an oak bow, is it fathomable to utilize the sap wood as the belly? working with quite scarce staves and just don't feel good removing sap wood as well as cracked heartwood. with oak the sap wood is far less pronounced and in my opinion has nearly as much integrity as the rest of the stave

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Midnighter169 I've never worked with oak but many hardwoods have very good sapwood. I'd assume most oak species are in that category.

Clay thanks for getting back to me I appreciate it , are you going to be putting out anymore Videos on Bow making ? .. I have really been obsessed with the plains Indian short bow or horse bow made from the Buffalo Rib and sinew , i seen one touched one when i was about 13 orb14 yrs old I am 60 next year , but threw the years all i have done is ran into brick walls , left and right ..

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Lucky B Hi Lucky, I'll probably do some more advanced videos in the future but I'm busy with other projects at the moment. thanks for writing. ch

i see you use the drawknife bevel down. what does that do?

@clayhayeshunter

10 жыл бұрын

Hi Tim, using a drawknife with the bevel down allows for much greater control. It allows you to guage the depth of your cut.

I made a shot bow from pine but it broke apart so I wondered if pine is a good material for bows

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Mustafa Baayoun Pine isn't generally considered a good bow wood.

@Zamolxes77

8 жыл бұрын

Wow really, I always thought pine would be very bad for bows, comes to show how little I know about bows.

I went to a 3 day bow making school in Marshall Mo. about 25 years ago . It was headed up by several professional bow makers . I was just wondering if you might have gone there also .

@garyminick1050

2 жыл бұрын

We used Osage staves to make our bows also.

Nice!!!! I wanna Shave out an old M-100 Winchester Stock out of a Floor Rafter that has been drying over that past few years, (Mabybe 55+ years) ... Approximately 11x 8 butt stock on it... Cut from a tree !! Hope it is still nice and solid on the inside or that Idea will be down the hole lol.. I still have to cut the tip off of one end.. It is Ironic that I am going to be doing this project but on a Gun Stock, & Stumbled across your page... Have a good one Bud. Thanks 4 Sharing !!! +1 Sub

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+violeman thanks

Good video! Now I understand which is sapwood and hardwood. It is easy to see diference, but is there same think with other tipe of woods? I don`t think so!

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

+Martin Nemcek there is for some other species, but not others. It just depends on the tree species you're talking about.

@marti2568

8 жыл бұрын

+Clay Hayes I think I have found an answer on the ridle.www.concannonlumber.com/NHLA.html

can I buy staves at the hardware store?

@josephkostecki8502

5 жыл бұрын

Boys Tablets haha

Qual o nome dessa madeira ? obrigado.

Queston? I live in Scotland and its pretty hard to try and find osage around here. I've done some research and I found that Hickory, Cedar (or Juniper) and bamboo which i can buy obviously. Would you recomend any of these and would it be the same process to make a long bow, like the one in these videos? Thanks Clay

@clayhayeshunter

8 жыл бұрын

Hickory would be very similar except you wouldn't have to take any sapwood off. Eastern Redcedar and Juniper are very similar species and both make good bows if they're backed with Bamboo, rawhide or sinew.

@rorythomson9572

8 жыл бұрын

Okay thanks man, thats great information!!

Great video! By any chance do you sell any bows? thanks

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

I don't. There's no real profit margin. Too much time.

what kind of europen wood would be comparable to osage?

Do you know of anywhere i can buy an osage stave?

@clayhayeshunter

9 жыл бұрын

+Mike Bowerman Not at this time. I'm working on setting up something though. Best I can say is to look online or maybe go to a traditional archery shoot close by. There's usually someone at those gatherings selling staves.

ok.. awesome, between listing to you on various podcasts and these youtube videos, I have decided to try out this self bow thing. The one question I have is what is the minimum diameter of tree that i can start with?

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

+Ralph Cody that depends on the wood and bow design. What part of the country are you in?

@Rufustoe

7 жыл бұрын

I'm in Middle Tennessee. I'm getting a piece of Osage Orange about a foot in diameter. I was hoping it would be big enough

@clayhayeshunter

7 жыл бұрын

Oh yea, that's plenty big. Make sure it's not too twisted or knotty though. good luck

Where do you get one of those draw knives? The only ones I found where on ebay for like $80 and were antiques.

@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32

8 жыл бұрын

Obi-Wan Cannoli I am Australian we don't have Amish here, and on later research after I made this comment I realised Australia has terrible bow wood.

@danield679

8 жыл бұрын

Is this THE Neil DeGrasse Tyson? If so, AWESOME!! I love your PBS programs, and your Podcasts, and I bet you're stoked about the Juno probe!

@timdeboer8804

6 жыл бұрын

Hope you got a reply before now but I've got at least 4 of those knives because they are great to use! I have picked ALL of mine up at either Garage Sales or Antique shows. I'll bet you can get them by the truck load at Flea Market and at any of them if you pay more than $10 you over paid Ha Take them home and hit them with the grinder if needed and than sharpen em up, Man your golden.