I learned to do my own work in about a year....I am like a lot of guys/gals here,Ive been shooting bow for 25 yrs now but with the new bows Iam still learning,when you live in the middle of no-where you need to learn to be self saficaint(spl)and its cheeper all the way around in the end.....I still need to go to my sport shop and use thier press,I dontreally need onebut nowI will be getting my own...23 mile round trip to put a peep in just dosnt cut it at todays gas price's.....Ive seen some on here and other forums for around 50-70 bucks,I just half to call them or pm them.....Procrastination is what I say....

Jeff,


Check ebay for Bitx jigs. You can sometimes find a deal on them. I ended up with 3 of them with all the clamps and nock sets for around 100. Just look close. I ended up finding one auction with 2 bitz and 3 of brand (work great too) got that for 60 if I remember right. Then another bitz jig. I ended up pickeing up the other nock reciever so I can do left right or straight. Plus If I ever need to I can sell them and get my money back.Hard to tear up a bitz. If your going trad you'll want to be able to make any arrows you want.

But let me warn you about making stuff like arrows. Its addictive. I make everything: Bows, arrows (Cedar and Rivercane), obsidian heads, trade points, strings, quivers, knives....I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

Cosider yourself warned. Sounds like you may be headed down the path I did. But its Fun!

Tuning a bow isn't rocket science. I used to think it was magic and difficult. Then I had someone show me, and I realized it wasn't that bad at all. For the most part I am completely self sufficient now. All ittook was amassing the gadgets and gizmos and tools to be so. When I get into something weird I have lots of help here.

{"Completely"}self sufficient? Took me about 5 years. From learning what kind of tree to cut the wood from for bows, another kind for arrows, gathering feathers and learning how to make bowstrings from nettle fibers, then making broadheads from whatever steel banding I could find. And then learning how to make everything work.... Had it all figured out by the time I was 10 and got my Boy Scout archery merit badge.

Then I started buying store bought stuff when a couple of stores in my town started carrying ready made arrows, and even bows! Thought it was pretty cool for a long time, but I've never been quite that self sufficient everagain.

I became self sufficient whenI saw some poor bow tech trying to work on my bow.I also got tired of going to an archery shop and explaining what I wanted. Attitudes in some of those places too. I am pretty self sufficient in everything I do not just archery, I change my own oil usually.

Jeff, sounds alot like what I am thinking as well. I plan to start by learning how to fletch my own arrows. I think that Mr. Lester is most def right though, gonna be pretty hard to figure how much is too much.

I know what you mean, but the wording isnt quite accurate. I think everyone can agree there is no one point in time that you become self reliant with your equipment. I did all my own basic stuff w/o help from my mentor after about 2 years, but I know a whole lot more now than I did when I first became self reliant on the basics like fletching, tuning, general maintenance etc. And....there is a ton I still do not know. Besides that there is always new stuff to learn and tinker with. Always.

My only advice is drink up all the info you can from as many sources as possible and never decide that you know enough

There are a number of DVD's that are extremely helpful in learning a lot of this stuff too.

My Dad doesn't shoot a bow much less post on here. LOL Don't call me MR. Makes me feel older than I am. Which isn't very old (at leastin my book.)

I want to get to the point that I can tie everything on my bow,(string loop, peep...........) so that I can open my own shop. I also need to learn to tune bows with all the high speed arrow rests coming out these days. Its just all those little things that I want to know so that I can help other archers like you all have helped me so far.