Contrast is good when making bows!
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…
String nock files for making bows
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…
Low, medium, and high wrist grips for a recurve
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…
Grip size of a recurve
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,…
Interview with Ken Rohloff of WhippenStick Custom Bows
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…
Interview with Bill Howland of Brackenbury Custom Bows
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…
Brent scores big with his Classic Takedown Recurve
My friend Brent scored big on this nice 10 point buck this weekend (November 3) with a bow that I made for him. One of his Facebook friends said that "Brent scored on a nice buck with is "old school…
Is this the best rasp for making a longbow or a recurve bow?
Probably the best rasp in my tool box for making bows is the "Universal Bowyer's Rasp," also called the "UBR10," designed and sold by Dean Torges. It is really useful for making all types of bows: recurves, longbows, and self…
Applying the designer’s “rule of thirds” to tip design
Anyone can glue on some tip overlays and shape them into a suitable bow limb tip, but do they look good? As a graphic designer, I'm always interested in making my bows look good and have good proportions. This applies especially…
How a recurve bow works
What is a recurve? A recurve is simply a curved portion of the tip of the bow limb. Recurves can either be static (rigid) or working (bending). Many sizes and shapes of recurves have been tried throughout archery history, and…