Great Lakes Longbow Invitational

[Bowhunter57]

I've never shot a selfbow, so I don't know if there are any "negative" things about them. I'd like to put my hands on a few selfbows, shoot a few and talk to the owners/builders.

Since the Great Lakes Longbow Invitational is coming up, Aug. 12th & 13th.
I was wondering if anyone has attended this event and if there are selfbow owners/builders, there.

 

[Wiley E Coyote]

I've never shot a selfbow, so I don't know if there are any "negative" things about them. I'd like to put my hands on a few selfbows, shoot a few and talk to the owners/builders.

Since the Great Lakes Longbow Invitational is coming up, Aug. 12th & 13th.
I was wondering if anyone has attended this event and if there are selfbow owners/builders, there.

Yes there are! The best way to really enjoy a selfbow is to build your own and that we'll take several attempts to learn the craft. Not much more rewarding in bowhunting then to take a tree and make a bow and arrows with it and harvest animals. Cool stuff!! That's just my opinion.

 

[Bowhunter57]

@Wiley E Coyote
I've never been to this even, for one reason or another, but I think I'm going to make the trip and enjoy my time there. Whether I buy or build a self bow, I won't be able to decide until I shoot a couple of them. I'm not a fan of hand shock, so if this is going to be a normal thing for this type of bow, I'll be done before I get started.

 

[Jamie]

There are a few selfbow guys around at all the big shoots. One right here on this forum the last time I checked.
“Hand shock” in any bow is nothing more than a manifestation of wasted energy. Poor design, poor construction, poor tuning and poor shooting form can all cause and/or contribute to hand shock.

 

[Jamie]

There are a few selfbow guys around at all the big shoots. One right here on this forum the last time I checked.
“Hand shock” in any bow is nothing more than a manifestation of wasted energy. Poor design, poor construction, poor tuning and poor shooting form can all cause and/or contribute to hand shock.

What I did a lousy job of saying there is because a bow is made of wood does not mean it will have handshock or perform poorly. The reality is most selbows are not well made because they are mostly made by amateurs who never spend enough time building bows to learn how to make a good one. Still, I have shot fiberglass longbows and recurve bows that were as unpleasant to shoot as any poorly made wooden bow. Furthermore, if you do not want to feel a bow in your hand while you are shooting it, then you should not waste your time with wooden bows, especially selfbows. Because of the very small handle section (compared to glass longbows) and the necessity to join the working limb with the non-working handle in such a small amount of space and material there is movement and vibration which you will feel. This is not the same thing as handshock, although most people usually confuse the two.

 

[Bowhunter57]

@Jamie
Thanks for clarifying your description of hand shock and self bow design.
I understand the difference between hand shock and feeling the bow's stored energy. I used to own a horse bow and when it was shot, you would get a dead thump feeling in the grip. It wasn't the annoying buzz like a cracked baseball bat, like I've felt out of the traditional straight gripped "D" shaped longbows.

I may end up passing on the idea of building a self bow, but I want to explore the idea with some hands on experiences and see how it goes from there.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I'm going to add this video from Clay Hayes, as he's helping these two guys build their first self bow out of Osage. It's a 48 minute video and after watching about 40 minutes of it, I've already decided that I'm not interested in a self bow. Watching Clay Hayes give instruction to these guys as they build, lets me know that there's way more to building one, than just carving wood, heating, etc. However, that's what makes Clay the master bow builder that he is today.

I'm glad I watched this video, as it shows sooooo much of what all goes into building a self bow. From the type of wood selection, to how it gets whittled down and why, then the heating processes, etc., etc. Amazing and much respect to those that put there hands to the tools!

I'm still interested in going to the G.L.L.I., as I think it'll be a good experience.

 

[Jamie]

You don't build selfbows, especially from osage orange, just because you want to have a selfbow to shoot. It's not a destination. Wooden bow building is a long, arduous journey of hard work, disappointment, failure and the greatest source of satisfaction a hunting archer could ever hope to find.

 

[Bowhunter57]

@Jamie
I understand that there's a lot of work that goes into building a self bow.
Could you explain your statement: "You don't build selfbows, especially from osage orange, just because you want to have a selfbow to shoot."
Here's Clay Hayes making a self bow out of Osage Orange:

 

[giles]

It is extremely dense.

 

[GoetsTalon]

Forget what thread it was? Working in the shop or something like that but Jamie was showing bows that he built and a couple he was working on. He knows what he is talking about and if he says no or you can't I would not question it.

 

[Jamie]

If you have never located, selected, cut, hauled, split, dried, reduced to staves/paired billets an osage orange log of adequate size Then reduced that stave to a bow blank and tillered, timed and balanced it into a shootable selfbow, you have only climbed mountains. Why do you think basically NOBODY does it long enough to learn how to do it correctly? I have been building wooden bows for over 25 years and have constructed hundreds of them. I have no idea what amount of knowledge and experience actually qualifies anyone as a "master bowyer", but I do not think I am one, and I doubt Clay Hayes is either.

It sounds like you are not really all that serious about it, but if you want to learn how to make a selfbow, then I would be glad to offer whatever guidance I can. I would even offer personal instruction if you are serious about it.

 

[Jamie]

I don't trust anyone who uses their drawknife bevel side down for that sort of wood removal. Worse still as a scraper. Whatever works, though, I guess.

 

[Bowhunter57]

@Jamie
I appreciate your knowledge, experience and replies to this topic.
After watching several of the videos from Clay Hayes, I've decided that building a self bow isn't for me. Clay has 25+ years at this craft too and I admire anyone's talents and perseverance to stay with and/or pursue such an interest.

I wouldn't mind the work of trial and error that goes in to building. However, I see more inconsistencies of some of the bow builds themselves, through no fault of the builder, but just the characteristics of the types of woods, how it gets handled during the process, etc., etc. Even after building a self bow, there's weather and climatic influences on the bow. I've noticed most self bows are left unstrung, until they're being used.

I've had a couple of nice flintlock rifles that I eventually gave up on, because of inconsistent ignition. I just didn't want to put in the time and then have it not fire, when it was needed. I've witnessed guys that have owned flintlocks for decades that still have misfires. I'm happy for those that care to pursue their interests with flintlocks, but it's just not for me. Therefore, the reason why I have caplock or inline muzzleloaders.

 

[Jamie]

Sometimes what we are doing is less important than how we are doing it.