Bowyer Correy sez ...This video is a silent / ASMR style tutorial on crafting what is known in bow making as a bendy-handle or BITH (bend in the handle) board bow.
Most of the board bow videos you see online advocate for gluing on an additional piece of wood for a handle riser, but it's really not necessary if you're open to tackling the bendy-handle design.
The major differences are that there's no handle-to-fade transitions to lay out, and the bow is tillered as one complete unit instead of two separate limbs. In my opinion, this is the easy way to do it. However, it's critical to prevent the handle from bending too much or the bow will suffer in performance and comfort.
Fortunately, the big-box hardware stores carry hickory, red oak, and maple boards that are fit for the task. Most common hardwood boards are 3/4" thick, which is perfect for the handle section of hunting-weight BITH bows.
Board bows are a fun DIY project for the woodworking, archery, or carpentry enthusiast that can be accomplished in a few days using only simple hand tools.
Here's a Bendy Handle bow I made years ago about 50" long and 1.5" wide, draw weight around 40# because that's what I wanted. If you look close, you can see that I narrowed the handle area even.
Eastern Woodland style bows, specifically Cherokee were like these bendy handle bows but made with staves and not boards. Some of their war bows were made like this and weighed upwards of 100#.
This is a very good style for the beginning wood bowyer. Working the outer 1/3 of each limb first then bringing the bend back into the handle is a good way to prevent having too much bend in the handle.
Because there's just a flat surface, Bendy Handle designs are also perfect for learning the basics of calculating lam stacks gluing uplaminations with glass on the front and back.
Quote from: KenH on May 31, 2026, 10:39:19 PMBecause there's just a flat surface, Bendy Handle designs are also perfect for learning the basics of calculating lam stacks gluing uplaminations with glass on the front and back.
Really....Would you kindly explain how this possibly has anything to do with gluing up a laminated glass bow, or lam stack calcs? It's a totally different ball game.
If you're so jaded about making wood-glass composites that you can actually ask a question like tht, I'll let YOU answer the question yourself. Maybe you should think like someone just starting out, without a lot of money for fancy jigs and molds, and experience; and less like someoen who knows it all and owns every tool in the world.
Quote from: KenH on June 02, 2026, 10:06:02 AMIf you're so jaded about making wood-glass composites that you can actually ask a question like tht, I'll let YOU answer the question yourself. Maybe you should think like someone just starting out, without a lot of money for fancy jigs and molds, and experience; and less like someone who knows it all and owns every tool in the world.
I'm just asking this from a rookies perspective... I'm not being jaded at all. Honestly... How can building a flat bow from a solid piece of wood be "perfect for learning the basics of calculating lam stacks & gluing up laminations with glass on the front and back."
Just pretend i'm a rookie... I'm not seeing the connection myself.
btw... Nobody knows it all when it comes to building bows, and certainly not me.