How to Laminate a Self-Bow

A self-bow is constructed of a piece of wood, shaped and formed into a bow from a length of wood the same height as the archer. Use modern bow-making techniques to build a much stronger self-bow by laminating many thick layers of wood. Laminating thin pieces of wood together renders a product that is stronger, more flexible and will fire arrows farther. In just a weekend, build your own.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-by-6 inch wood plank (same length as the archer)
  • Band saw
  • Clamps
  • Wood slats (2 inches wide, 6 feet long, 1/32 inch thick)
  • Wood glue
  • Sand paper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Draw the unstrung outline of your self-bow profile onto your 2-by-6 plank. Self-bows are generally straight when unstrung, unlike recurve bows that have a degree of curvature to their limbs. This outline should incorporate a slightly thicker middle section for a handle.

    • 2

      Cut out the drawn outline on a band saw to create a front and back template press.

    • 3

      Place the front template, bow template side up, on a table.

    • 4

      Apply a thin layer of glue to one side of a 1/32-inch thick wood slat and place it over the template, glue side up.

    • 5

      Apply a layer of glue to either side of another wood slat and place it on top of the first. Repeat this step until the desired thickness has been attained, followed by one more slat without glue on the upper side.

    • 6

      Place the back template press over the stack of glued wooden slats, and sandwich the wooden slats between it and the front template, tightening them together using some clamps. Leave the glue to dry for a few hours.

    • 7

      Remove the bow from the clamps and shape the sides of the bow by feeding it into a band saw. Shape the hand grip section and cut notches in the ends of the limbs for the string to sit.

    • 8

      Sand the bow smooth using some 80-grit paper wrapped around a sanding block, followed by some 220 and finally 400.

    • 9

      String the bow with a string of appropriate length for the bow, and test.