Thread: Bow rack

Nice work Gary.

... and love the proverb .

Nice! Very nice indeed!

Pity I can't mount my recurves in something so nice and compact.

The rack looks great Gary.
As your location is Japan, I asume they are yumi.
I would love to see the bows as well.

Very nice work.
I wonder how many Archers - past and present - inhabit the hallowed forum halls.

Hi NCArcher.
Thanks for showing interest in my yumi.
The reddish one is an ordinary practice bow.
The bamboo yumi is quite unique and I am very proud of it.
You will notice that the bamboo is spalted, which is really rare.
This yumi is about 30 years old and was a present from my teacher.
Thanks again
Gary

Very nice equipment mate.

Do you make any of the bows or arrows yourself...??

It would be a good challange for some of the regulars on this site to turn up an arrow. !!!!

Anyone up to it.........

what are the details of an arrow?

Well, its long and thin......

Sorry.

But as I remember it, the placement and attachment of the "feathers" is part of the "Key" to successful arrow making.

Sometimes they are straight. Sometimes they are designed to make the arrow rotate in flight.

Then there is the tip of the arrow. It is designed to penetrate. Is it a hunting tip, that should not fall out after impact.

Hmmmm, a purpleheart shaft should fit the bill well............

Arrows are easy. I've been making my own as long as I can remember...

A nice length of straight grained cedar, split into shocks slightly larger than the required dia. Pull these shocks through a dowel former (a plate with a hole in it) and then heat/steam the shafts so they're dead straight. Cut to length, a "pencil sharpener" type tool is used to fit the heads and nocks, then a clamping jig used to glue on the flights with whatever twist you want.

Maybe 10 min per arrow, not including "waiting time."

Making bows, now... that's a test of skill and patience.

Originally Posted by garymalm

You will notice that the bamboo is spalted, which is really rare.

The spalting doesn't affect the performance of the bow?

Thanks Gary,
They look great. Your teacher must have been very proud of you to give you such a wonderful gift.

Echidna, purleheart making arrows is a bit of a science. The arrows have to be matched to the bow. Bows shot with the fingers (not a release aid) have a thing called archers paradox where the arrow has to bend around the handle of the bow. The spine (flexibility) of the arrow shaft has to be matched to the length of the arrow and the draw weight of the bow.
A lot of traditionalists (not me, i'm too lazy ) cut light weight fine grained timber into approx. 12mm square lengths and then plane the edges off until the arrow is round. Various shooting boards and jigs are employed.
Cedar is a good (traditional)choice but some of the australian hardwoods are finding favour as arrow shafts. Vic. Ash for one. Mainly for heavier hunting shafts I think.

Here are some pics of the arrows on the bow rack.

Skew. Actually spalty was a bad choice of word. The bamboo is naturally stained by a fungi, but there is no rotting, so it has no effect on the bows strength.
Pic 1. bamboo arrows.
Pic 2 flights. Don't know what the white one is, but the brown one is of bird of prey as these are very expensive arrows.
Pic 3 Standard duraliumn Kyudo arrows flights. Turkey feathers
Pic 4 Standard duraliumn Kyudo arrows

The bamboo arrows are only used in special occasions.

Cheers gary

gary what do you line the handle with to stop the arrows marking the bow ?? aAnd like skew im an arrow slinger too .

gary what do you line the handle with to stop the arrows marking the bow ?? And like skew im an arrow slinger too .

do you know how to build a compound bow rack