Selfbows
 

Anyone else build them or shoot them here. I've been building them and shooting them for about six or seven years now. I love the simplicity of them. I like making them as well. I wish I could say I've hunted with them exculsively since then but I haven't. I've only had one shot with my selfbows and unfortunatly hit him in the shoulder. Then watched him a month later sent trailing a doe. ... Them deer are tough.

Anyway I'm hoping to get out and get a doe with my bow this year.

I also am hunting with rivercane arrows and obsidian arrowheads all made by me.

Anyone else go primative?

RE: Selfbows
 

I'll hack out a bow once and again, andonce in a verygreat while Iwill cut shoots for arrow shafts - with the price of shafts these days, I'll have to start doing that a lot more often -but I haven't gotten down to knapping stone heads yet.

RE: Selfbows
 

I found a guy online that offers slabcut preformed obsidian. All you have to do is pressure flake them. I wouldn't say its easy, but it sure beats doing it from scratch. I turned out some pretty nice heads that way. I actually just got some new material in a week or so ago.

Here are a couple pics of my stuff.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/JasonLester/100_3134sm.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/JasonLester/knives.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/JasonLester/Bows/100_2942.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/JasonLester/Bows/100_2904.jpg

RE: Selfbows
 

Nice! But really... you need to be more careful with your bows and quit slamming 'em in the car door. All bent up at the tips and everything... [8D]Good ol' gnarly, snarly, snakey osage.:)

RE: Selfbows
 

Beautiful work, Jason. Love a snakey osage. I'm not a selfbow guy. Love a nice one, but not much into shooting them. My business parnter is. He and a lot of my customers make very nice bows that shoot well. One customer took a doe and a buck this year with his first osage backed with a black snake skin. We're holding a bow building class in Feb. I'm suprised at the number of people that signed up already.

RE: Selfbows
 

I enjoy shooting my selfbow--won and placed in some pretty big tournaments with it, but so far I've only killed a rabbit. Was hoping to properly christen it this year, but got to find time to get in the woods before the season closes.

Never made primitive arrows--would like to, but don't have the time. I didn't make my bow either--it was a gift from a friend. That's another project I'd love to tackle, if I ever get the time for it.

Chad

RE: Selfbows
 

Chad,
I believe we've talked over on tradgang. didn't know you even shot one. They are a fun project but addictive.

RE: Selfbows
 

I think so--do you go by "snailskin"?

May will be two years for my selfbow. Before that, I'd tried several but every one of them either hinged or broke--I didn't have a lot of faith in them. Then a friend made one long enough for me (72"), and out of osage, and I really like it. My longbow is still my #1 bow, but I hope to add another selfbow or two to the rack.

The addictive part is what worries me most--I already have too many hobbies and not nearly enough time to devote to them! Recently added another to the list--a mule named Lucy. Rode several hours yesterday.....today my butt is reminding me why you don't just take off for a few hours after being out of the saddle for a dozen years! Think I know how Ben Pearson felt after his javalina hunt on "The Legendary Hunts of Ben Pearson" video......[:@]

RE: Selfbows
 

Nice, are those heads obsidian? Ive seen some very sharp obsidian points. I hear its a bear to knap obsidian compared to flint.

Im just getting into the bow making thing. Ive just started my first long bow. It wont be a selfbow. Im going to back it due to the wood im using. I hope to be making board bows before long.

RE: Selfbows
 

Chad,

Yep that was me but I've switched to just Jason Lester on there. Who built your selfbow for you. BTW I can relate about to many hobbies. I am the same way. To many hobbies not enough time.


burniegoeseasily,
Yep they are obsidian. Not that I have worked with much flint but so far they seem fairly easy to pressure flake. But you better have some bandaids. Them flakes are SHARP!

RE: Selfbows
 

You know it. Obsidian is one of the few volcanic glasses that can be fractured to the width of a single atom. Obsidian can actually be made sharper than any metal.