Chapter 1: Wood For Your Longbow

 

• How to choose the right kind of wood for your longbow (and the kinds of wood you should avoid no matter how cheaply they sell for!)

• The undisputed “King of Wood” treasured for making longbows over the centuries… and the magical qualitythis wood has that turns your longbow into a masterpiece (If you find a stash of this wood, grab it!)

• One “enthusiastic” but irreversible mistake most beginners commit when making their first longbow that leads to regret and money wasted later on (and what you should do instead)

• One place you can buy wood for your longbow (You’ll be able to find almost every kind of wood here if you know how to ask!)

• A widely available, inexpensive substitute for the “King of Wood” that you can buy for cheap to construct your longbow

• How to obtain top quality, valuable wood such as black cherry for “pennies on the dollar”

• 7 types of hardwood you can construct your longbow out of (You’ll be surprised at how cheap and durable these woods are if used correctly.)

• One kind of wood you should avoid at all costs as it is too soft and splits easily

 

• How to inspect the grain patterns in a piece of lumber to determine if it is suitable for constructing a longbow (I show you the exact grain patterns you should look out for.)

• The #1 reason that causes a longbow to warp out of shape after it is built, and how you can avoid this problem

• How to chop your own wood for making a longbow (If you have ready access to a forest, this could be a lot of fun!)

• What size of trees are the best for constructing your longbow (HINT: You should look for trees between ___ to ___ inches in diameter.)

• The main difference between using wood from a larger tree, as compared to that from a smaller tree

• The best portion of a tree to use for constructing your longbow (Furniture makers often use wood from this part of the tree to make a piece of furniture seem more expensive & valuable than it really is!)

• One thing to take note of if you’re chopping your own wood, and why it is important to remove all moisture from the wood (If you do not wish to wait 3 years for the wood to dry by itself, I teach you a technique to quickly get it ready for use.)

• How you should store the wood you have just chopped

• A shortcut method you can use immediately after chopping a log (This saves you the trouble of hauling the entire heavy log at once.)

• And more!

Chapter 2: Shaping The Stave

 

 

• Why a drawknife is the secret weapon for longbow makers… and how I got mine for just $5 (This sells new for over $100.)

• How to sharpen your drawknife without causing the blade to heat up and lose its strength (Make sure you don’t make this mistake!)

• How to turn a cheap, used drawknife into a very sharp precision instrument using a commonly available tool(This turns a blunt drawknife into a very sharpcutting instrument… Use with caution!)

• The first thing you should do with your stave (the piece of wood used to make your longbow)

• What to do if the sapwood underneath the bark is NOT in good condition (Most beginners make the mistake of throwing out the entire piece of wood… you don’t have to!)

• How to position your drawknife such that it provides the maximum slicing efficiency (Using this technique can help you shorten the time needed to shape the stave.)

• How to measure the draw length and determine how long your arrows should be (Using these measurements, you’ll know the dimensions of your bow.)

• One simple exercise you can do to quickly determine the length of your bow

• Why it does NOT matter if your bow length is off by a few inches (In fact, you would want it to be purposely off by a few inches!)

• How the stave should be cut (I teach you how to cut the stave by observing the grain patterns in the wood. If you cut your stave the wrong way, your bow willnot take advantage of the natural structure of the wood!)

• One cheap household item you should use to assist you in constructing your bow (This helps to ensure that all your dimensions are right. HINT: It’s NOT a ruler!)

• How a mind-trick developed by Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance sculptor, can help in the construction of your longbow (Use this mind-trick and the process instantly becomes effortless for you.)

 

• Why you should NOT cut the stave to length immediately… despite what other bow-making guides may tell you (This is from my personal experience.)

• Where you should position the handle of your bow

• How long should your bow handle be and why you should NOT center the handle right in the middle of your bow (I give you the exact measurements for positioning your handle.)

• How you can construct a simple gauge out of cardboard to aid you in removing any unwanted wood from your stave

• How to avoid leaving unwanted marks on the surface of your bow while you are constructing it

• How to construct “nocks” in your bow for the bow strings to fit snugly inside (I show you how to angle eachnock for maximum tension and range.)

• Important markings you should make on the bow so you can curve and gently bend the bow later on (using your tillering tool)

Chapter 3: How To Make Your Own Bow String

 

 

• How to make your own bow string at home… instead of buying them from shops (This is an inexpensive process that gives you an endless supply of bow strings… in case yours breaks or snaps!)

• How to construct a Flemish Jig needed to make your bow string (A Flemish Jig is a special board that allows you to quickly measure and cut your bow string threads to the right length. Think of it as an ancient machine!)

• How to use your homemade Flemish Jig to make Flemish Twist bow strings

• The 2 advantages Flemish Twist bow strings have over ordinary bow strings

• My exact measurements and blueprint for making your own Flemish Jig measurement tool

• How you can use ordinary sewing threadto make bow strings that are incredibly strong (And what you should take note of if you’re using this method.)

• Step-by-step instructions for making a Flemish bow string of ANY length… according to the length of your bow

• How to make a bow stringer to string your bow (Any archery supply store will sell a bow stringer, but I teach you how to construct one on your own!)

• How to easily string your bow with a bow stringer

• Why you should use a bow stringer when stringing your bow, instead of trying to bend the bow into position (Warning: NOT using a bow stringer can cause your new bow to snap!)

• How to “service” your bowstring such that it fits securely into the nock meant for the string… and reduce wear and tear during normal usage

Chapter 4: Tillering (Shaping) Your Bow

• Why you should not attempt to shoot the bow immediately after constructing it (Instead, you should first tiller the bow.)

• What “tillering” is and how bow-makers use this process to gently bend their bows into a gentle arch (Never attempt to do this by force!)

• The right way you should tiller your newly-constructed bow so as to prevent it from cracking or snapping (The secret lies in knowing the right amount of pressure to apply.)

• How to construct a tiller from a scrap piece of wood– A tiller is a wooden stand used by bow-makers to gently arch the bow into shape

• How to use the tiller to shape the way your bow bends when it is drawn

• How to use your homemade tiller to adjust the draw strengthof your bow (This is the amount of force you have to use to draw the bow back.)

• What to do if your bow does not bend or arch smoothly (I show you a correct way to solve this instead of forcefully bending it more.)

• One way to ensure the final draw weight of the bow is what you intended (During the tillering process, the draw weight of your bow may be altered. I show you how to take precise measurements to ensure that the draw weight is correct.)

Chapter 5: Stringing Your Bow for Completion!

 

• Nearly there! The last stage, step 5 of making your own Longbow is stringing up your Longbow so you can shot with it!

• In this tutorial you will learn how to make a bow stringer to string your bow (Any archery supply store will sell a bow stringer, but I teach you how to construct one on your own!)

• How to easily string your bow with a bow stringer

• Why you should use a bow stringer when stringing your bow, instead of trying to bend the bow into position (Warning: NOT using a bow stringer can cause your new bow to snap!)

• How to “service” your bowstring such that it fits securely into the nock meant for the string… and reduce wear and tear during normal usage

 

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