Bow.pdf

OR LEATHER

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a perfect fifty-four or take your archery

with a dash of small game hunting, you will find

keen enjoyment in this ancient sport. Making

the tackle is simple.

Size of tackle: The first thing to know is what

size of bow and length of arrow to use. This de-

pends entirely on your physique, and particularly

your reach. If your reach is 64 in., you can use an

arrow 25 to 26 in. long, with a bow not less than

5 ft. 3 in. from tip to tip, Fig. 5. The weight of the

bow, that is, the number of pounds pull required

to draw it, depends on your muscular develop-

ment. Most men can draw a 50 to 60-lb. bow, but

a 35 to 40-lb. bow is the best weight for general

shooting, and good scores can be made with the

25 and 30-pounders.

The long bow: The long bow has a deep or

SIDE BACK

"stacked" body, which is generally recognized as

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POPULAR MECHANICS

scale, as shown in Fig. 10. Bend the bow gradually. Take off a

shaving here and there to equalize the bend. Take your time.

You can always take off more wood, but you can't put it back

on again. The bow should be quite stiff for a distance of about

6 in. atthe center, and should then curve evenly to the tips. The

beginner's most common fault is to make the bow "whip ended,"

Fig. 9. Besides checking the curvature, sight down the bow as

you work and note if the string cuts the center of the belly, as

in Fig. 7. If it throws off to the side, your bow has a turn in it.

This can be corrected by taking off wood opposite the turn.

If desired, you can back your bow with red or black fiber

attached with waterproof glue before the shaping is started. In-

stead of cutting plain nocks, you may decide to purchase and fit

a set of cow-horn tips, or, you may want to turn them from col-

orful plastic. It will be noted, Fig. 3, that plain nocks are not

cut across the back of the bow as this would weaken the wood.

The groove in horn or plastic tips, however, is let into the back.

The flat bow: The flat bow is easier to make than the long one

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439

the nocks 1in. from each end, Fig. 3, using a round file, Fig. 2.

Make a bowstring from upholsterer's twine, as shown in Fig. 1,

and brace the bow as in Fig. 6. When the bow is braced the

height of the string from the center of the bow should be about

equal to the width of the hand and thumb with the latter stuck

out as in Fig. 28. You can now "tiller" it to check the bend of

both limbs, atthe same time measuring the weight with a spring

and can be 3 or 4 in. shorter for the same

length arrow. The same general method of

bandsawing is used, Fig. 8, but the belly

side is only lightly rounded off. Typical

sections of a 40-lb. flat bow are given in

Fig. 11. The handle riser can be the same

or of a contrasting wood to the bow itself.

The narrow plate, which prevents wear, is

inlaid, using a .%-in. disk of %-in. plastic.

Self arrows: A "self" arrow is one made

from a single piece of wood. The simplest

way to make self arrows is to buy a con-

struction kit, which includes the Kc-in.

dowel sticks, feathers and heads. Birch is

the best wood to use. The various parts

and dimensions of the arrow are shown in

Fig. 12. First put on the head. A number

of different ones can be purchased, but for

average target work the brass parallel pile

head is most satisfactory. Cut the tenon on

the end of the shaft by turning on a lathe,

Fig. 14. If you are careful, the head will be

a drive fit and will hold securely. If the

head is a bit loose, anchor it with a few

punch taps as shown in Fig. 16. Cut the

arrows to the required length and then cut

the noclrs. Plain nocks can be cut easily

by running the shafts over a circular saw,

as in Fig. 13. The nock should be across

the grain. If you want more strength at the

nock, insert a thin slip of fiber or plastic.

Aluminum or molded-plastic nocks are

POPULAR MECHANICS

very attractive and are

fitted by tenoning the

endof the shaft the same

as in fitting the head.

Fletching is the hard

part of arrow making.

However, if you use one

of the jigs shown in

Figs. 17 and 19, you will

be able to turn out good

work at a fair rate of

speed. Turkey feathers

can be purchased al-

ready cut, or you can

strip your own feathers by grasping the the top and bottom members. The upper

vane at the tip and pulling outward, as ring is removable, being a press fit over

shown inFig. 15, afterwardcuttingthe vane the three spacing dowels.

to the required shape. The one-feather Footed arrows: Footed arrows are more

fletching jig shown in Figs. 17 and 18 is decorative and more durable than self ar-

built around a paper clip. A disk of ply- rows. The footing is made from any tough

wood, which slips over the shaft, is drilled hardwood, and is slotted for a distance of

with three small holes to supply an index- 5% in., Fig. 20. Shafts are usually Port

ing head, and is prevented from slipping by Orford cedar or Norway pine, and are ta-

means of a piece of spring wire. One feath- pered to fit the slot in the footing. Perfect

er at a time is clamped by the paper clip tapering of the shafts can be done by the

and pressed into position. Any type of ad- circular-saw method shown in Figs. 21 and

hesive can be used. Celluloid cement has 24. The taper should be made with the flat

the advantage of quick drying and the of the grain. The shaft is assembled to the

ability to anchor on lacquer, thus allowing footing with waterproof glue and the as-

the shafts to be painted previous to fletch- sembly is then clamped or wrapped with

ing. Waterproof glue on bare wood is the twine or rubber strips as in Fig. 22. Other

most 'durable. In the three-feather jig, than a special tenoning jig, the best method

the feathers are held between metal plates, of rounding the footing to match the rest

one plate of each set fitting into grooves in of the shaft is by turning, Fig. 23. Nocks

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441

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