I’ve experimented with making longbows with four different riser layouts. Riser A represents probably the simplest layout. It puts the grip portion centered at bow center. For example, a 4” grip will be 2” above bow center and 2” below…
One of the most comfortable quivers to carry in the field or woods is a plains Indian style quiver. This one was made long enough to cover the fletchings of a standard 28" arrow with field points or broadheads with…
I have to admit that I am an artist first and a bowyer second. Yes, making bows is an opportunity to unleash my inner mad scientist, but it is also a chance to express my artistic ability. Whenever anyone asks…
When I first started making bows, the best instructions that I could find said to use a "6" rat tail file" for cutting in the string nocks at the limb tips. The 6" file made a pretty wide string groove…
In the previous post Grip Size of a Recurve I was asked what are good angles for low, medium, and high wrist grips. Well, I'm sure that this is subjective and arbitrary at best, so I made a simple illustration…
In the previous post, Grip size of a longbow, I listed some basic sizes for locator style longbow grips. In this post, I'll provide the same information for recurves—the best ways to measure a grip and suggested measurements for small,…
The grip on a longbow is usually smaller and more refined than the grip on a hunting recurve, a target recurve, or even a compound bow. Obviously, the most comfortable grip size is determined by the size of your bow…
Ken Rohloff is the founder of WhippenStick Custom Bows. Ken is a custom bowyer and creator of the bow he calls the "Whippen Stick" custom bow. I first met Ken at the Leatherwall traditional archery forum probably in the early…
It might seem like there are a million different types of longbow grips/handles, but I think they can easily be classified in five categories of common styles: 1) straight or “Hill”-style, 2) dished, 3) humped, 4) locator, and 5) sculpted/recurve…
This is the first of what I hope will be a series of interviews with custom bowyers. There is so much to learn from these bowyers who work full time doing the craft. I hope you find this information useful…