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kid bow attempt #2- trying to hook a new archer

975 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  elk country rp, 
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my first attempt snapped while i was trying to string it after letting it sit 80% completed in a hot garage last summer....

my friend Harrison is 5 & very interested in archery. when he & his family were visiting us over christmas, he fell in love with the broken kid bow. i figured he'd much prefer a working model, so (with his supervision) i went ahead and did a quick shape out of scrap wood. if you ever need proof that making a bow is fun, just do it in front of a kid.
my starting dimensions were 47" x 1" x 1/2", tapering to 3/16" thick x 1/4" wide nocks. unfortunately, i got kinda busy with work & my 18month old daughter, so didn't get to work on it again til today. i recently picked up a farrier's rasp (i'm in love with it) & boy howdy! it speeds up the whole process incredibly, and it's easier on the fingers than my little 4 way. i tillered the bow using a spokeshave, farrier's rasp, and a 4 way rasp. after i had it tillering nicely, i sanded it with 80 & 220 grit, then did a little touch up by hand with the 220. next came a step that i forgot on my last attempt- bottle burnishing. brought out the shine nicely & helped to take out a couple little tool marks that i had missed with the sandpaper. i'll try to post the pics in chronolocgical order to show the tiller developing.
this is a scrap of hickory that i backed with linen using titebond 2

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Discussion Starter · #2 · (Edited)
a few more pics- and my helper......

it looks pretty good a 4 1/2" brace. i have it drying in the garage in front of a heater with a coat of spray-on spar urethane. my daughter took a keen interest in what i was doing when i test shot it. she likes stabbing the target with the arrow- i love my kid! she's into the same things as me!
it pulls to 20" currently with no creaking (i'm thinking this will do for a 5 yr old...) with 2" of string follow. i left the tips stiff & narrow to help with cast, since i'm using parachute cord for the string (easier on a kid's fingers & on the bow). the riser is also stiff to reduce hand shock as much as i can. hopefully, it'll take Harrison a long time to break it (riiiiight......).
 

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Looks great! Here are a couple of pics of my 6yo and my first attempt at a self bow (pics were taken before riser was finished) -



It is 48" and ended up only pulling about 5#@22" so it is actually too light for her. My 2yo son is having a good time with it though!


I think the lighter weight bows are harder to get a good tiller on than one over 20#!

I backed this one with 3 layers of a patriotic themed fabric.

 
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lol- i can't trust the evil one in pink with a bow just yet- she chewed a tip off of the first attempted kidbow (teething is so fun). i'm just happy that she'd rather stab the target than the dog. i think i'll start her with a nerf bow & arrow.....

AKmud- i wish i had neighbors like you!
 
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