The bow is one of the first weapons that allowed man to hunt from a distance. Boys love to play with him from early childhood, imagining themselves as brave Indians or fair Robin Hoods.
The process of making onions with your own hands is quite laborious. A good bow requires a lot of time and patience, but it brings tremendous pleasure. A hand-made bow is not only a source of pride that you can show off to your peers, but also an original gift to your best friend. A person who knows how to make a bow himself is not afraid to be in any extreme conditions, even on a desert island. And this is a strong argument!
Making onions: the easiest and fastest way
If there is little time for making, you need to find a wooden rod about 1-1.5 m long. Birch, maple, hazel, ash, juniper, oak are perfect. Its surface should be undamaged and preferably free of knots. The rod can be dried over a fire, but in no case should it be dried completely. If only thin rods are available, they can be tied together into one.
It remains only to make notches under the bowstring, and pull it. The easiest way to make a bowstring is from fishing line, but you can also use thread or wire.
How to make a bow with your own hands?
To make a homemade bow durable and neat, it is better to make it with dad. He knows better than anyone what the weapon of a real Robin Hood should be. Here's a little hint.
1. Choose a long branch. It should be smooth, without cracks and damage. A good choice is oak, white locust. The optimal length is 1.8 m. Please note: the rod should be flexible, but you should not take a green one - it is not so strong compared to a dry one.
2. Find a natural curve. To do this, put a stick on the ground and press it with your hands from above and in the middle. The rod will turn towards you in a natural curve.
3. Eliminate irregularities. Use a knife to smooth out the bumps and remove the knots. If the top of the rod is thinner than the bottom, cut off the top of the bow: its thickness should be uniform along the entire length.
5. Make notches for attaching the bowstring. At a distance of about 5 cm from the ends of the onion, use a knife to make notches. They should be located on the outside of the bow.
6. Select and stretch the string. As a string, use fishing line, thin nylon cord, ordinary twine. Please note: the bowstring must be shorter than the bow. Stretch the string carefully and check that the bow is evenly bent.
7. Make arrows. Thin dry branches are best suited. The length of the arrow should be equal to half the length of the bow. Clear the branch of bumps. Make a cut on one side of the branch, and sharpen the other.
When using a bow, follow the safety rules: keep the bow away from your face; Shoot at stationary targets and only under adult supervision.
How to make a collapsible bow at home
To make a good collapsible bow at home, the material must be harvested from the winter, when it is 10-15 degrees below zero outside. The workpiece is processed, dried for several months. But such a laborious process is not the only way to make onions.
Collapsible models are made easier, in addition, they can be folded compactly for transportation.
Making a handle
If the bow tension force does not exceed 10 kg, you can take oak or birch for the handle, or glue several sheets of plywood with epoxy (always waterproof). When making a more powerful bow, you need to glue together several layers of different types of wood - maple, beech, etc. The parameters of the bar should be 6x4x40 cm.
It is necessary to apply markings on the bar. At this stage, a drawing will help (the grid in the figure is 1 by 1 cm).
The handle is cut with a jigsaw. A semicircular, sharp chisel will help to give shape. The workpiece must be processed with sandpaper, processing is carried out in three stages: large, small and at the end zeroing.
To attach the shoulders to it, you need to make holes for the M6 bolts. Usually, a leather gasket is made at the attachment point between the handle and the shoulders.
The finished handle must be covered with ship varnish or stain.
Making shoulders: using lamellas
Best used for making lamella shoulders from a bed or sofa. These elastic elements have a length of 70 to 120 cm. When choosing a length, be guided by the fact that the total length of the bow should approximately correspond to the height of the shooter.
It is convenient to select the length of the bow, guided by the scope of the hands, as in this figure.
Often the thickness of the lamellas is 12 cm, and it is great for onions. If the lamellas are 8 cm thick, then it is better to glue two pieces together using epoxy or Moment glue.
To make the shoulders, the lamellas need to be cut obliquely. It is important to make them symmetrical, so you need to process them by squeezing them together with clamps.
We make a shelf for a bowstring from scraps of a lamella. To do this, you need to attach a plank on each side: drill holes in them and fix the dowels in them with glue. We draw the contours of the shelf.
It all depends on the imagination. We cut along the contour, it is best to do this with a jigsaw. At the end, we give smoothness with sandpaper.
To fix the bowstring, you need to make notches 7-8 mm deep, 3 mm thick.
Like the handle, the shoulders need to be opened with stain or ship varnish. Congratulations, now you know how to make a bow at home!
Using wooden or plastic skis as material for the bow can save a lot of time. It is also important that the shoulders are guaranteed to be symmetrical. The size of the ski bow is best done within 120-140 cm.
The handle can be made from skis by gluing them in several layers, or from a block of wood, cut out according to the scheme (see the previous instruction).
The basic scheme for making a bow from skis looks like this.
Skis are different, it is ideal if there are narrow ones at your disposal. If they are wide, you will have to process the shoulders a little - grind, narrowing to the ends. The main thing is to do it symmetrically.
Armed with our instructions, anyone can become the owner of a bow. But it is important not only to know how to make a bow for children, but also not to forget that handling it must be responsible.
Elizabeth Rumyantseva
For diligence and art there is nothing impossible.
Content
How to make a bow is of interest to many people. Indeed, archery is one of the most exciting sports. It is not at all necessary to practice it professionally in order to enjoy hitting the target. You can go out with friends to nature, and shoot at homemade targets at a short distance. For these purposes, you may well need a homemade bow.
How to make onions at home
First, prepare all the materials necessary to create a bow. You will need the actual piece of wood from which the future base for the bow will be made. For these purposes, ash, white locust or maple is best suited. For the manufacture of onions, you need to use high-quality dried wood, without any knots and other defects. Also prepare a bowstring, which can be made from lavsan or twisted linen thread. Any bow structurally consists of two parts - the handle and shoulders. The handle is the central part of the bow, it is from the protrusion of the handle that the flight of the arrow begins.
Depending on the length of the arms, the length of the bow and arrows also varies. If the arm span of a person is 137-150 cm, the length of the arrow should be 55-60 cm, and the length of the bow should be 137-152 cm. 60-66 cm. People with an arm span of 167-180 cm usually choose for themselves a bow with a length of 160-180 cm, while the length of the arrow is 66-70 cm.
How to make your own bow
A little about the string. If the tension force is less than 16 kg, flax twisted threads, which are used in saddlery production, can be used to make a bowstring. If the tension force is more than 16 kg, you need to use a thread made from lavsan. Now we go directly to attaching the bowstring. To correctly calculate the length of the bowstring, for this, subtract 4-5 centimeters from the length of the bow. The resulting figure will be the length of the bowstring in centimeters. You can more accurately determine the length of the bowstring using practical tests.
To make a bowstring, you need to do the following. We take a long bar, drive two nails into it at a distance of 150 cm from each other. Now the free end of the thread without a knot should be fixed on one stud of the device, and the thread should be wound in a circle. On average, make 5-6 turns for linen thread, and 50 turns for lavsan thread. When winding the thread, make sure that it goes without sagging and is evenly taut.
In the future, the resulting bowstring in this way will serve you much longer. Then cut the thread and tie the loose ends, then divide the thread into two strands. At a distance of 8-10 cm, the middle of each formed strand should be wrapped with a dense nylon thread, after which, without removing the bowstring, wrap its ends. Thus, you will get two loops with which the bowstring is attached to the bow. After the loops are ready, make sure that the length of the string matches the length of the bow.
On average, the distance from the handle to the bowstring is 20-21 cm.
After the string is stretched, you need to check the bow on the stand. To do this, you need to fix it on a vertical surface, and check the tension and bending of the shoulders. Gradually increasing the tension of the bowstring, you need to check the reliability of the bow made, while you need to monitor the uniformity and symmetry of the bend of its shoulders. Especially care must be taken that the ends of the shoulders do not bend too much, otherwise the bow may break.
When checking the tension of the bowstring, you need to ensure that the bowstring is installed correctly. If the bowstring deviates from the axis of the bow, this may mean bow deformation. You can try to correct the deformation by planing the opposite shoulder to the deformed one. After adjusting the bowstring, you can notice the tension of the string with a dynamometer. The draw force of the bow should be 10-12 kg for a beginner archer and 16-17 kg for an adult and experienced archer.
After all the bow tuning procedures, you can finish it. First of all, you need to make it more convenient - for this you need to give the handle the most optimal shape. To do this, you need to attach a guide protrusion on the left side of the handle, the length of which should be 20-30 mm and the width 10 mm. The shape of the protrusion is a small inclined semicircle - so the arrow will not jump off.
After making a bow, you can start making arrows. For the manufacture of arrows for a bow, dried wood is used - spruce, pine, birch. The arrowhead is made of solid steel. For balance, on the back of the arrow, you need to stick a plate of plastic or textolite, in which a slot is made corresponding to the diameter of the bowstring. Plate dimensions - width 2 mm, length 7 mm. To optimize flight, you need to attach a stabilizer to the rear arrowhead - usually a goose, eagle, swan or turkey feather.
When the arrow is ready, you need to center it. If the arrow's center of gravity is closer to its tail, its flight will be unstable and the arrow will wag. On the contrary, if the center of gravity is too shifted to the front of it, the arrow will, as they say, “nod”.
You can center the arrow like this. First you need to find the middle point of the arrow, and then at a distance of 1 cm from it towards the tip on the arrow you need to make a mark. This will be the center of gravity. In order for the front and rear of the arrow to have the same weight, the mass of the arrow can be changed by changing the weight of the arrowhead.
How to make a bow with your own hands at home can be seen in this video.
That's it, now you know how to make a bow.
Did you find an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!The hunting bow is one of the oldest human tools used by our ancestors. These devices reached their apogee of development in the Middle Ages - and the most powerful and accurate were not English ones (as was presented in literature for a long time), but oriental bows: Arabic, Korean and Japanese. The aiming range of their shot, given the simplicity of design in comparison with modern high-tech products, reached 200-220 meters, the maximum range of the arrow was 870-880 meters, and the tension force was up to 80 kg! Hunting bows are used to this day, but the cost of some models is quite high. Therefore, we suggest that you make such a tool with your own hands.
What is a hunting bow and its varieties
Initially, hunting bows were made exclusively of wood and had a simple arched shape. Somewhat later, simple models were replaced by composite ones, which first used bone endings, and then more complex structures from separately assembled parts: a central handle, a pair of shoulders and endings. Now block compound (or Olympic) options have been added to them. However, they are not used for hunting.
Collapsible bow design
In general, the current classification of hunting bows is the following division:
- According to the material of manufacture:
- traditional (made of wood);
- composite (from several materials).
- According to the structure of the main part:
- classic (D-shaped in a bent form, that is, with one bend);
- recursive (M-shaped, with several bends).
- According to the number of components:
- simple bows - from a single piece of material;
- collapsible models - from several components.
Photo gallery: Modern hunting with industrial bows
Bow Mathews Compound bow VilingStore Compound bow Mathews CREED
Principle of operation
The principle of operation of classical bows (both traditional simple and recursive ones) is based on the creation of a pushing force that is imparted to the bowstring when the shoulders are straightened and provides the arrow with an initial speed that depends on the tension force. At the same time, the initial speed of the boom in a simple design also depends on these factors, while in block models, eccentrics located at the ends, synchronized with each other by a system of separate cables, are responsible for accuracy and speed.
A professional compound bow is made mainly from expensive and high-strength materials (carbon and fiberglass, magnesium and aluminum alloys, etc.) and contains a separate optical aiming system. In this regard, it is extremely difficult to make such a device on your own, and most importantly, very expensive. Therefore, further we will consider the assembly of hunting bows only of the classical type - both simple and complex recursive ones.
Photo gallery: Various designs of simple models
Materials and tools for manufacturing
To make a bow, you will need the following tools and materials:
- hacksaw;
- plane;
- strong rope (for bowstring);
- insulating tape;
- plastic tube (for PVC bows) or wood (for traditional options).
As for wood, yew is considered the best - it was from this tree that the famous English bows were made in the old days. In the absence of this rare breed, you can use larch, mountain ash, ash, hazel, willow, cedar, juniper or elm. In other words, the material must be homogeneous, flexible and beautiful.
Believe it or not, this is a homemade compound bow!
Manufacturing instructions
simple model
When making a simple PVC hunting bow, you will need a piece of SCH 40 pipe about 2.5 cm thick and a length equal to the distance between the middle of the thigh and the fingertips of the outstretched hand. After measuring 1.5 cm from both sides, make cuts. Insert and fasten the bowstring into them so that the maximum tension is approximately equal to the length of the bow.
The length of a simple bow is longer than a compound bow.
Attach to the string so that the maximum tension is approximately equal to the length of the bow
Unfortunately, a simple plastic bow can hardly be called a full-fledged hunting weapon - this will require a much more complex composite structure, in which 2 short pieces of a thin tube (to strengthen the shoulders) about 10 cm long will be inserted into the main pipe. larger diameter.
Homemade bow made of PVC tube and wood. Bowstring - silk thread
When making a wooden structure, it will be necessary to cut (cut out) the main part of the bow about 5 cm wide in the central part and 1.5 cm in the side ones.
Photo gallery: Making onions in the forest from improvised means
Simple homemade bow design
Video: Homemade bow their PVC pipes
Composite
A real hunting bow should be composite, and in shape as close as possible to modern high-class sports products. As a base, it is better to use flexible and non-layered wood from the lower and dense layers of trees growing in dark areas of the forest. On the "horns" is good, for example, bird cherry, growing in open, dry, clearings far from the water.
The length of all three parts that form the kibit (base plus both horns) should not exceed 1.5 m - otherwise the bow can get more range, but much less accuracy.
The step-by-step manufacturing technology will be as follows:
- The cleaned blanks are dried (not in the sun!), All 3 parts are planed and dried again. Then the base and horns are given their final look and dried already in the bright sun.
- Kibiti elements are glued together with special store-bought glue or self-made fish glue (from digested bones or the swim bladder of large fish).
- Ready kibit is dipped into melted animal fat (or cedar resin) for impregnation.
- The joints are additionally pulled together with tendons or a dense flexible cord and impregnated again, after which the finished bow is processed to smoothness with a knife and, if desired, polished.
It is also possible to superficially glue the base with strips of birch bark, and the horns and ends with overlays made of natural horn (or metal). However, such strengthening and creation of layering is relevant only for weapons with a very high (more than 20 kg) tension force, which hardly makes sense when hunting birds and small animals with a bow - except in terms of decoration.
Photo gallery: DIY compound bows
Compound bows dried after gluing
Homemade compound bows
Video: How to make a compound bow at home
Accessories
Making all the components of the bow at home is even easier than the main structure.
bowstring
Can be spun from nylon cord, although real hunters prefer natural material. Which is usually blood-soaked and dried rawhide rolled into a tube 3-4 mm wide. Although it is inferior to modern, even inexpensive synthetic materials, in terms of performance. The skin should be replaced with tendons from the vertebral part of large animals - moose, cows, etc. Or a bunch of natural silk threads can be used.
The bowstring is put on simply - first with a loop on one horn, and then, bending the end of the bow resting on the ground, on the second. For a recurve bow, the distance between the string and the handle should be about 15 cm, and the string must be removed when storing the bow.
Video: How to make a bowstring
Arrows
The length of the arrows should be proportional to the length of the bow and the maximum amount of string tension. In practice, this means that with the bow drawn, the arrowhead must protrude at least a few centimeters beyond the bow.
The diameter is approximately 6 mm, and the entire axis of the arrow must be perfectly flat. For small game and poultry, light wood is taken - spruce, pine, birch. For a larger animal - heavy and dense species (ash, hornbeam, oak). Arrows, like a torch, are pricked from logs, after which they are shaped into long and thin round cylinders.
For a simple onion, almost any tree growing in central Russia is suitable.
- Juniper
- Hazel
- Birch
- Ash
The workpiece should not have large knots (growths, mechanical and thermal damage.
The length of the workpiece = the length of the bow + 30 cm (15 cm on each side for drying cracks, the occurrence of which is not excluded).
DO NOT REMOVE the bark from the resulting "log"!
Cover the ends of the workpiece with oil paint. Drying of wood should be even, in order to avoid the appearance of internal defects in the material. If this is not done, then the bow will not last long.
Dry the processed workpiece in a vertical position at room temperature. The air should not be too dry, otherwise the wood will dry out and the labor will be wasted. Drying time 2-5 months, depending on conditions.
Tip: look after yourself a harvest before winter if you don’t want to climb snowdrifts for several hours.
Primary processing
The resulting blank is a log (Fig. 1).
Our task is to get a board from this log (Fig. 2).
How to achieve this? There are several options, each of which is quite historical.
- Ax processing
- With a saw
- By splitting with wedges (from harder wood).
The thickness of the board is equal to the width of the bow being made in the handle (for a Slavic bow, about 3 cm).
After receiving the board we need, it is necessary to mark it.
Visually check it for the presence of an oblique layer and other defects. According to the results of the inspection, make adjustments to the thickness of the bow at the site of the defect in the material (increase it).
Figure 3 shows the markup scheme.
Please note that we did not remove the bark from the workpiece. Do not damage the outer part of your future bow!
The excess part is separated from the bow by means of an ax (rough work), and then a knife and a planer (finishing work). With this treatment, you get the side profile of the bow.
After separating the bow, begin the formation of its frontal profile (Fig. 4).
The ratio of the width of the handle to the width of the end of the shoulder is approximately 3/2. At these stages of work, be extremely careful. It depends on the accuracy and accuracy of your work whether the limbs of the bow will work equally evenly or one will be more elastic than the other. At these stages, the bow cannot be bent - this can lead to splitting of the workpiece and its damage.
The section of your bow will depend on the thickness of the log you have prepared. It can vary from lentil to almost rectangular.
fig.5 (sections of bows)
Onion steaming (final stage)
At this stage, the bend of the bow is formed. Some manufacturers resort to soaking the workpiece in various infusions and solutions. The wood treated with water vapor has all the properties we need.
Why, in fact, steam onions?
Here are a few reasons to be aware of the production process:
If the wood dries out during the drying process (therefore, it is not recommended to bend the onion before steaming).
In the case when your primary preparation was not straight (which is not uncommon, and which should not be feared. The frontal profile of your weapon does not have to be straight at all. This will not affect the effectiveness of shooting, unless it will be inconvenient for another person to use your weapon. The main thing - convenient for you!)
If you are making a relatively short weapon (Slavic version 1 - 1.3 m).
If you intend to make a bow with a reverse bow.
In the case when you are making a "light" (for example, game) bow.
In order to give an aesthetic appearance.
At the beginning of the stage, your workpiece represents the following
You need, for example, to get this bend:
To do this, you need to steam the shoulders of the bow (the element being steamed becomes plastic and easily takes the bend that you set. Steam the shoulder of the bow until you can bend it easily for captivity).
The following parts are steamed (shown in white).
It is best to steam at the same time, so that then the onion shoulders dry out simultaneously and evenly.
After the shoulders are steamed, the bow is drawn into a special slipway prepared in advance for this particular bow.
The black color shows the wooden bars, between which the "hot" onion is forced. The number, shape and location of the clamping bars depends on the shape of the bow you need.
In such a slipway, the onion dries up to 1 week. After that, it is taken out of the slipway, the ends of the bow are formed for the subsequent putting on of the bowstring (a place is being prepared for horn / bone tips or a "step" is simply cut out under the loop of the bowstring).
Note that we did not remove the bark from the "back" of the onion! When steaming and captivating in the slipway, part of the bark will peel off from the back of the onion. Separate it with a fingernail or wooden knife. ATTENTION! Do not damage the fibers on the back of the onion! If some of the bark remains, do not worry, gently sand it with sandpaper to a smooth state and your bow will take on a decent appearance.
The bow is almost ready. For the longevity of the bow, it must be protected from drying out or moisture. If you adhere to the historical and reconstructive direction in your work, then I recommend impregnating the bow with hot wax or melted fat (do not overdo it! The impregnation should be no more than 3 mm in depth, otherwise the bow will lose its elasticity), otherwise you can use varnish, modern paints or mastics.
Put on the string shortly before shooting, and take it off immediately after.Sew a cover for the bow so as not to damage it during transportation and storage.
Store onions in a room with room temperature and moderate humidity in an upright position.
Shoot your bow at least once a month so that he doesn't get used to shooting.
Treat your bow with care, and it will answer you with faithful and long service!
How to make an arrow blank at home
The existing samples of the work of military historical clubs are made on an intuitive level and do not meet the requirements for historical bows and equipment (arrows, arrowheads, etc.), both in terms of the materials used and in terms of the results of firing from them . This state of affairs seems unacceptable to us. With all due respect to iron and people who are seriously involved in it, we cannot understand such a dismissive attitude towards historically reliable and practical shooting equipment.The lack of information on historical small arms (thrown) weapons leads to the fact that archery competitions at various tournaments turn into a comedy worthy of prime time on leading TV channels. Armed with hybrids of a slingshot and a fishing rod or products made from car springs that fit the same cars and pull, the masters of a well-aimed shot try to hit a half-meter target from a mind-blowing distance of 20-25 steps (15-18 meters). As a rule, they fail to do so. At least from the first shot.
The suggestion that, with such weapons, English archers could send thousands of Frenchmen to the next world at the battles of Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt causes a mocking chuckle even from an inexperienced person. Of course, it takes practice to achieve acceptable shooting. However, practice alone is not enough. Reliable information is needed about the methods of correct and accurate shooting of historical bows, as well as the technologies for making bows and equipment.
Therefore, we are preparing a series of materials dedicated to the manufacture of historical throwing weapons, arrows and other equipment in the hope that this will partly remove the lack of information on this topic and inspire our colleagues, as well as just interested readers, to make their own bows, arrows, etc., as well as to search, research and exchange information on this topic. The first of the articles brought to your attention is devoted to the manufacture of arrows.
Most people perceive arrows as a stick with feathers and a tip. This is not entirely true. The "stick" has a well-defined length and shape, the appearance and size of the plumage can be very diverse, and the arrowheads have so many varieties that it is difficult to list. In this article, we will try to tell in a popular form how to start at home, without going into tricky technical details, to make the very “stick” that will not only fly competently, but also hit the target in obedience to your skill.
So, we proceed to the first stage of manufacturing our arrow: the search for material for the shaft (now this will be called the "stick"). To begin with, throw out of your mind that you can go into the forest and cut the young shoots of a hazel or other shrub. Everything is much more complicated. The minimum that we can offer you is to take a walk around the building materials stores and find in them a product called a glazing bead (rectangular wooden slats), but at the most get ready for a little warm-up in the form of buying and further processing the board.
Now about the secret, about the type of tree that we will use.
There is a very rich selection of woods for making arrows. Each variety has its pros and cons when choosing. The main varieties that go to the arrows: oak, ash, beech, elm, birch, pine and the list goes on. Some varieties have good strength, but are hard and heavy, others are fragile, light and ductile.
Well, perhaps one of the most important factors on this list is the availability and price of these types of wood. In our case, we will take pine as the most common in our area (Moscow), as well as the cheapest. This type of tree suits our needs. Pine is a fairly light and durable tree. Its abundance on sale and in the "free" state (at construction sites, cottages and forests) allows you to make a rather picky choice. The criteria for choosing a board or bead for our workpiece are as follows:
She must be patient. Not dry, like badly dried fish, but aged. If the tree was simply dried, it is more sensitive to moisture (with further use, it can "lead").
Thickness (should be at least 2 cm for a board and 1.5 cm for a glazing bead, by the way, it does not make sense to take it thicker, since in this case "the stock will pull the pocket" in terms of processing).
Texture (the material for the workpiece should not have knots, the fibers should run parallel along the length of the workpiece).
So let's assume that you have found such material. Amazing. Then we move on to the next stage of our process - the selection of tools. In the work we need four items: a saw, a planer, a rasp or a bastard file, a file and sandpaper with a grain size of 60-80 (Euro marking).
If you have a glazing bead as a starting material, then you will not need a planer, if a board, then get ready for a little warm-up. She will have to be squandered. Later in the process, we will explain how and where to apply these tools. Let's start with a lyrical digression. There are no identical people. Therefore, our workpiece in the future will have a strictly individual length. We explain. This is due to different arm lengths. How to determine your workpiece length for an arrow. Elementary. To do this, you will need a meter ruler.
The method is simple. Stand up straight and take the ruler at zero with your right hand. Next, hold the ruler between the index and thumb of the right hand at the 1 cm mark. Why this will be said below. Next, take your left hand to the side at a 90 degree angle to the body and clench your hand into a fist. Turn your head towards your left hand and at the same time put a ruler on the fist of your left hand. Now, if you know or have seen how a bow string is pulled, pull your hand with a ruler to your chin. Fix this position.
Next, look under the index finger of your left hand, and you can see your desired length for the future workpiece. Add another 2 cm to the result (we need our 1 cm in order to make a cut for the bowstring in the future). The author of this article has an interference length of 76 cm, taking into account our 3 cm. For example, we will assume that you have the same length as mine. Now we can proceed directly to the manufacture of a wooden base for our future arrow.
Step 1. Take a board or bead and measure our 76 cm. Saw off. If you have a board, then use a planer to sharpen it to a thickness of 1-1.5 cm. Next, mark the board in width into pieces according to the dimensions obtained as a result of turning so that parts of a square section are obtained (the same glazing bead). Saw. If everything is done correctly, then you should get a smooth source material, as if you bought it in a store. By the way, there is nothing terrible, if it turned out to be a little crooked, this is fixable.
Step 2 Take what happened and use a rasp or a bastard file to give the workpiece a hexagonal shape. The main thing is to do everything carefully.
Step 3 Repeat everything in step 2 with the only difference being that you need to make an octagon out of a hexagon, with maximum attention and accuracy. Next, take a small piece of sandpaper and wrap it around what can now be called a blank for an arrow and hold it in your hand with the help of reciprocating movements to give a circular section. As soon as the shaft of the arrow is round and smooth to the touch, the work can be considered finished.
There is one thing left, and perhaps the most important thing, to consider your work ready for the further manufacture of the arrow, this is the measurement of thickness. The thickness should be 8-9 mm along the entire length. In general, it depends on a lot of factors and is one of the most important parameters of an arrow. In the following, we will talk about how to choose the right arrows depending on the bow you are using. In the following articles, we will tell you how to choose and put the plumage on an arrow, how to make a tip and how to choose it for an arrow, as well as how to make a simple machine for quickly making blanks for arrows.
Making fletching for an arrow
We think that everyone is more or less aware of what the feathers on the arrow are for - to stabilize the flight, i.e. so that during the flight the arrow flew exactly at the target, and not to the side, while also tumbling. Here we will talk in detail about how the plumage is made and installed on the arrow ...The feathers of a wide variety of birds can be used to feather an arrow. Goose, turkey, turkey feathers, black grouse, capercaillie, etc. It is important that the feather be strong enough, long (about 10 cm) and have a width of at least 3 cm. In European bows for arrows, flight feathers of the left and right wing were used (tail feathers were also used in the East).
There is no fundamental difference between the feathers of the right and left wings. However, it is important that one arrow has feathers from one wing (i.e. only from the right or only from the left wing). Goose feathers meet all our requirements (long, stiff and wide enough). In general, the choice of feathers for an arrow largely depends on what is easier to get in a particular region.
Based on our experience, we can say that we would not recommend using crow feathers, since they are very fragile (after a few shots, they will become disheveled and the pile will break off, as a result of which the flight of the arrow will become unpredictable), although it is worth noting that there are a lot of these feathers and they can be used for game arrows, since the life of the "toys" is short. So, let's assume that you have goose feathers or any other suitable feathers, then we go directly to the process of making plumage.
You will need: a sharp knife, glue ("Super Moment", PVA, etc.), threads and a needle.
In our case, the plumage will consist of three feathers, standing at an angle of 120 degrees to each other. The leading feather (one of the three) should be parallel to the layers of wood on the shaft, so that the cut under the bowstring (perpendicular to the leading feather) is subsequently located perpendicular to the layers (this is done so that the loads arising from the shot are distributed throughout the shaft, and did not fall on a separate layer of wood).
There are other plumage options (one-, two-, four-feather).
Look at the pen. He has a rod. On one side of the pen there is a pronounced groove in the center of the rod. Place the pen in front of you with the chute up. Next, using a knife, carefully cut the feather along this groove.
You should have two parts. We will use the wider one. For the arrow, we need three feathers.. If you did, then continue on. With all three parts of the plumage, we do the following: we cut the feather rod so that about 1 cm remains before the beginning of the pile (generally it is called differently). Then we go to the end of the feather and find a place where the thickness of the rod becomes less than 0.5-1 mm., And there we also cut it off (make sure that all our feathers have the same length). Then cut with scissors from the end of the pen approximately 0.5 cm. pile (leaving the rod intact) - then there will be a rewind of plumage.
Done. Now we move on to installing feathers on the shaft of our arrow. Take the feathers, attach them to the shaft so that the thin ends of the plumage do not reach the end of the shaft by about 1 cm. Set the plumage so that you get 120 degree angles between the feathers. The next step is winding. To do this, while holding the feathers with one hand, with the other hand, take the thread and pass it under one of the feathers so that after you do this, the length of the skipped end is approximately 10 cm.
Now, without cutting the thread, turn to turn, we wind the feather rods (the missed end of the thread will come in handy for you to tie a knot later, so winding is done over this "tail"). It's not scary if during winding the angles between the feathers (120 degrees) go astray, they can be easily corrected, say, in the middle of the rewinding process. After rewinding, we proceed to the process of "sewing" the plumage to the shaft. To do this, take a thread about 40 cm long and not very thick.
We insert the thread into the needle, but do not tie a knot, but we will sew "in one thread". Next, we tie one end of the thread to any feather at the base, where the rewind ends. We begin to sew feathers along the entire length in increments of about 1 cm, but so as not to disturb the texture of the feather if possible (do not break the villi). Keep in mind that the term "feather sewing" refers to the process of winding the plumage by passing a needle and thread through the feather pile at the stem.
When the process is completed, with the rest of the thread we fix the feathers at the far (thin) end of the feather into a "bulk" (ie, not trying to put a coil to coil). According to the type of our first rewind, we fix the feather from behind (when the feathers are sewn, you can straighten them, because in the process of sewing they will bend into a spiral, but do not try to give the feathers a perfectly straight shape, this is useless and unnecessary).
Now everything that happened (feathering, rewinds) should be slightly glued to the shaft with glue (try not to get glue on the pile itself, otherwise it will simply break when shooting in these places). Done. Then the last phase is shaping the plumage.
Keep in mind that the large dimensions of the plumage (length, width) allow the arrow to stabilize better in flight, but they dampen its flight speed more, thus reducing the firing range. Too wide a nib will fray more on the bow and may injure the shooter's hand.
Due to its structure, the pile of the fly feather is bent along the edge. So, find the place where this bend begins - this will be the maximum height of your pen. Based on this, shape your plumage. There are many varieties of plumage forms, however, within the framework of this article
there is no opportunity to consider them in detail. We recommend that you start with a simple conical shape of the feather, expanding in the direction from the tip to the heel of the arrow, like rocket stabilizers. You did everything right and you like it. This is great, but if not, don't worry, everything will come with experience.
Now make a cut in the “heel” of the arrow (this is the name of the place where the arrow is inserted into the bowstring), first with a metal file, and then with a rectangular file. The cut should go perpendicular to the leading pen (see above). The cut depth should be within 8-10mm. and width 2.5-3 mm. We recommend rounding the bottom of the kerf (grinding off corners and burrs) in order to reduce the risk of splitting the arrow.
How to make a cut in the heel of an arrow
I recommend making a cut of the following shape (see fig.). This design, as it were, snaps onto the bowstring, preventing the arrow from slipping. The narrowest point of the cut (shown by the arrow) should be slightly less than the diameter of the bowstring. Do not make the cut too narrow, otherwise, at the moment the arrow jumps off the bowstring, additional loads will appear on the heel of the arrow, which will affect the trajectory of its flight. At the same time, a kerf that is too wide spreads quickly and loses its holding properties. Do you prefer reading on your phone or tablet? Then scan this QR code directly from your computer monitor and read the article. To do this, any application "QR Code Scanner" must be installed on your mobile device.
Who among us did not like archery as a child? I think there are few such people. Of course, you need to be careful when shooting, as you can inadvertently injure another person. However, if your child really asks, then why not.
How to make the easiest arrows for a bow?
This method is best suited if you are walking with a child in the forest. Find straight and dry branches. The length of the branch should be no more than half the length of the bow. Now we will describe which types of branches are best suited for this purpose.
- Goldenrod. It is well suited because it has elastic and even branches. Most often it is found on the field.
- Any other straight branches, even green ones, will also work. However, if they have just been cut, you need to give them time to dry. Do not dry them over a fire, because the juice inside the branches can catch fire.
Now the cut branches need to be cleaned of the skin and cut off all the bumps so that they become smooth. If the branch caught a curve, you can heat it up a little on the fire, then straighten it and keep it until it cools.
At one end, cut a recess so that the arrows catch on the bowstring.
Now you need to sharpen the opposite ends of the arrow. To make the tip more solid, you can lightly burn it on fire. You can make the tips separately from metal and attach them to the arrows, but this is not necessary.
Now you need to make plumage so that the arrows fired from the bow fly more accurately at the target. They can be made from any kind of feathers. Take a pen and glue it to the part of the arrow where the border for the bowstring is cut.
You can cut a cross-shaped border, insert a pen into it, and then fasten the tip together again using thread or glue.
How to make perfectly straight arrows for a bow?
To do this, you need to take a block of wood, the cross section of which is twelve by twelve millimeters. Using a shoe knife, cut off the edges of the workpiece, giving it an oval shape. The very tip of the arrow does not have to be exactly processed. The main thing is that it fits in the drill drum.
Now you need to make a device with which you can round the entire surface of the future bow arrow. To do this, you need a die, which must be clamped in the tongs of the workbench. The diameter of the die should be the same as at the base of the workpiece, that is, twelve millimeters. Everything is shown in the picture below.
Then clamp the base into the drill drum, and insert the opposite end into the die. Now start the drill and run the workpiece a couple of times, driving it along the die.
Thus, after processing, you will get an excellent blank from which you can make arrows for a bow.
To achieve the perfect roundness of the workpiece, you need to make one more fixture.
To do this, take a wooden block of hard rock (can be made of beech). You need to drill a hole in it at the beginning of the bar, a little at an angle. Now, using a planer, cut off the bar until the beginning of the hole appears. What should eventually work out is shown in the figure below.
As you can see, it turned out a whole hole on one side, and on the other a little smaller. For drilling, take a drill thirteen millimeters in diameter.
Using a clamp, attach a wide chisel diagonally.
Then insert our future bow arrow into the drill drum again and drive it again using this device.
Thus, you will get a perfectly even product that can be sanded if desired. To do this, hold a drill in one hand and a piece of sandpaper in the other. Now, turning on the drill at the lowest speed, grind the product.
A very important part of the arrow is its plumage. It helps her fly smoothly and more accurately hit the target.
What you will need in order to make an arrow for a bow:
- 1. Aluminum adhesive tape.
- 2. Colored adhesive tape.
- 3. Sheet of A4 paper.
- 4. Ruler.
- 5. Paper knife.
- 6. Scissors.
Mark the papers as shown in the figure below and cut. The width of each resulting piece will be four centimeters, and the length will be twenty-one centimeters.
Cut the aluminum adhesive tape so that you get a line a centimeter wide and twenty-one centimeters long.
Now lay the colored tape sticky side up. Carefully lay paper strips on it so that approximately five millimeters of free space remains at the edges. Glue strips of aluminum onto this free space. Glue a sticky colored strip on the very top.
Then, using hard cardboard, you need to cut out the future feather ten centimeters long and two centimeters wide. Cut out the feathers. Remember to leave about one centimeter on one side so that you can wrap it later.
Now the prepared arrow is taken and the strip is carefully peeled off from the pen and glued to the workpiece.
In the same way, glue a couple more feathers to each of the arrows so that the stripes touch each other.
Using colored adhesive tape, cut strips that are a centimeter wide and ten centimeters long. These strips are glued onto the blanks of arrows. Then glue two more strips in the same way.
What we ended up with is shown in the figure below.
Tracer crossbow arrow
Why is she needed? If you are going to shoot at night, then, firstly, an ordinary arrow can be easily changed, and secondly, it is easier to hit the target with a tracer arrow. Although this seems like a difficult task, it is not.
Take a duralumin tube and make a glass out of it. It should be twenty-one millimeters long. The outer diameter should be six and a half millimeters, and the inner diameter should be 5.75 millimeters.
Now you need to carve a border to which a 4.2 mm spring will be attached. You can make a spring yourself, or you can take a ready-made one. It can be taken from a lighter four millimeters in diameter.
On our workpiece, you need to make a ledge, it will interfere with the pressing of the spring into the arrow.
Now you need to get three batteries with a diameter of 5.65 millimeters. Attach them together using tape.
Now, using caprolon, make a reflective penny. Make a hole in it for LED lighting. Its diameter should be three millimeters, and the depth should be seven millimeters.
Using a millimeter drill, drill holes for the legs of the luminous element. One of them will be located in the center, the other a little to the side. Make the second hole in such a way that it comes out in the same place with the diameter of the reflective element. By the way, its size is 7.8 mm, while the diameter of the bushing entry point is 5.8 mm.
It should be noted that this is not the only way to make such an arrow. Experiment with other accessories. The most important thing is that you understand the principle of the tracer arrow.
Insert the luminous and reflective elements to the very end of the product. Bend the legs and cut off the excess pieces. That leg, which is located in the center, is twisted in the form of a circle, and the second is bent to the reflective element at an angle of ninety degrees.
Now you need to put everything together into one product.
To do this, make a hole in the body of the arrow as long as the height of the cup. Then you pull and tamp the cup until it stops, mount the spring into it and insert the batteries. Now press the reflective element so that the leg of the lighting element does not reach the cup a little.
