My experiance with self bows

[Guss]

I have realised that I have no time to make self bows. I think I will just stick to the bow I have for right now. I have lots to learn about shooting before I learn about bow making. I did manage to make some dust and get my feet wet but I think I will put the wood away for a while. '

Anyone who makes their own bows is cool in my book.

[Arthur P]

Made some dust and got wet feet? Hmmm... Dust and water = mud...

You didn't get bogged down, did'ja? [8D]

The wood will still be there when you get the time to play with it. It took me nearly 30 years between the last one I made and getting started back at it again, because I didn't have the time. You should have plenty of shooting experience by then.

[21st Cent.]

Guss,

You are in good company. If you approach a bow project for the first time with out instruction it will most likely be frustrating. If you do decide later on that building a selfbow is what you want to do, don't be discouraged if it does not work out the first time.

You will have to make a lot of dust, take it from someone who makes a ton of dust on a daily basis.

One thing to note is that there is a shoot called the Tennessee Classic. The shoot is very cool in that if you go on the first of the week, you can spend that week building your own selfbow with instruction from very qualified folks. With the completion of your selfbow at the end of that week you will be able to shoot your bow in competition. All the tools will be supplied and you will have a blast. If you or anyone else is intrested I can supply with contact information.

Good luck and good shooting.

Milton Callaway
21st Century Longbows

[Guss]

I still want to make one and hopfully one day I will. Once I have my own place and I am not living between two houses I think I will be better off.

AP thanks for all the advice on the subject, some day I will put it to good use.

21st, I would love to say I will see ya there, but I liveinthe U.P. of MIand dont think I wiil be able to get there.Sounds like a good time. Do you have a web page for your bows?

[LBR]

The TN Classic at Twin Oaks is a GREAT place to get professional advice and help building a selfbow, not to mention a great tournament in general. Gary Davis, a fine selfbowyer, will be there. Mark "Pappy" Bagget owns the property and is a very experienced selfbowyer also. They have all the files, saws, sanders, vices, tillering sticks, scale,etc. that you will need. Wouldn't hurt to bring a pencil and measureing tape of you own. There's men, women, and kids making a ton of slivers, chips, and sawdust most of the week. They have to keep a fire going to keep all the wood that's not a bow burned up.

I've been going there the lastseveral years, and I plan to keep going as long as it's there. I've been to several shoots over the years, and many of them are great, but this is my all-time favorite--and I haven't even built a self bow.

Chad

[arrowsmit]

I agree 110% - Pappy & rest of the Twin Oaks crew really know how to put on a shoot! From the food to the greathosts (they treat everyone like long-lost family),thefantastic target courses to thespacious (covered & well lit)selfbow work area, the raffle to the nightly sing-a-long by the campfire, & everything in between, it's obvious that even the smallest details are well thought out at the Tn Classic.It'd be impossible to concieve a shoot where things are runmore smoothly & the club members make one feelmore welome. - The Tn Classic is as good as it gets!!

[21st Cent.]

Guss,

I went to your profile and sent you an email. I really liked the picture you had on your profile. What/Who is that a picture of?

Milton

PS. I hope that and am sure you will get that deer soon. I hope you let me know when it happens. I'm pulling for you.

[Guss]

21cent I forgot to say in the email, the picture is of Fred Bear, I did a search on googel and forund all kinds of cool pics of him.