Tom Jennings of S. & J.

Archery checks the weight oi a finished laminated recurve bow with spring scale
and graduated base board. Glass and core lamination thicknesses largely determine weight of each bow.

114
How to Make
a Recurve Bow
The knowledge gained through the experience of making your
own bow makes this more than just a prideful accomplishment.

OONER or later the enthusiastic archer gets a yen to make his own bow.
S His reasons may be economical or experimental, but whatever they are,
his skill as a craftsman should be equal to his enthusiasm or his venture into
bow-making could prove dismal and costly. It's one thing to get a slat or stave
of lemonwood and whittle out a simple bow that will perform to a fair degree
of satisfaction, but the beginner who attempts to make a laminated recurve
bow is tackling the most difficult project in the critical field of bow-making.
There are so many variables and pitfalls in the construction of a laminated bow
that to turn out a successful job on the first try is an achievement in itself. Yet,
the thrill of accomplishment and the knowledge gained through this experience
make it a worthwhile venture, even if it takes two tries to succeed.
Today's modern bow is made up of laminations of wood and Fiberglas, the
wood serving as a neutral core or spacer between two laminations of Fiberglas.
Actually it is the Fiberglas that does the work of the bow, carrying 88 percent
of the load while the wood core carries only 12 percent. As you increase the
spacing between the two Fiberglas laminations by using a thicker core, you
automatically increase the strength of the bow by the square. Thus, if you
double the thickness of the core, you increase the weight of the bow four times.
Since the thickness of the laminations is measured in thousandths of an jnch,
it is easy to see how just a few thousandths of an inch more thickness in the
core can make a bow too heavy for your use.
There are several woods that are suitable for bow-making, among them
hickory, Osage orange, yew and lemonwood. However, maple is the most com-
mon core wood used in glass-faced and backed bows because it is a consistently
hard dense wood, very straight-grained, and readily available in good clear
grades. The beginner is wise to use maple rather than some of the other woods
which are tricky to handle because of knots and twisty grain patterns.
To make things easier for the beginner, there is a bow kit available that con-

Core laminations are cut from same block of Kit contains all materials needed for mak-
hard maple in order to insure matched limbs. ing laminated recurve bow in weight desired.
 tains all the necessary woods, Fiberglas and
glues to make a custom, 5-foot 6-inch re-
curve bow. The wood sections and Fiber-
glas strips are of uniform thickness and
the wood is cut from matched sections of
hard maple wood of the finest quality. The
kit, which sells for $24.95, is put out by
S. & J. Archery, 10945 Burbank Blvd.,
North Hollywood, Calif., makers of custom
Smithwick bows, and provides all the nec-
essary materials to make a custom bow, as
shown in the photos in this chapter.
Before making a bow, however, it is a
good idea to acquaint yourself with the
anatomy of a bow and the terms used to
denote its various parts. As shown in the
diagram on this page, the bow, when held
Glue up risen and base core laminations; damp vertically, has an upper and lower limb,
unit to straight bar to insure good glue lines. each extending from the central handle or
grip. The smooth ledge cut into the upper
part of the grip on the side where the
arrow will travel is called the arrow rest or
plate. The side of the bow facing away
from the archer is called the back, while
the side facing the archer is called the belly
or face. The belly portions on either end
of the handle that taper inward toward
the limbs are called the fadeouts or dips.
At the end of each limb is a string groove
which is called the nock, known respec-
tively as the upper and lower nock. The
bowstring has a reinforced center section
called the serving; the little ball of string
located opposite the arrow plate and used

After glue has dried, clean off edges of bow as-

sembly and lay out curve it is to be cut down to.

116
to take the guesswork out of nocking the
arrow is called the nocking point.
To make the custom bow shown in the
photos, you will need the following ma-
terials, all of which are supplied in the bow
kit mentioned above, and can be purchased
as a unit or as separate items:

The thicknesses of the glass and core

laminations determine to a large extent the
weight of the finished bow and should be
carefully selected with that in mind. It is
practically impossible to draw up a formula
that will give you the correct thicknesses
for any specific weight bow because of the
many other factors that can affect your
bow weight. For instance, your bow weight
will be affected also by the length of the
bow, the design and amount of recurve,
its width and taper, and the type wood used
in the core. A long center-section riser

Use a bond s a w or jig s a w to cut out this curve,

taking care not to cut into fade-out lamination.

117
will shorten the working limbs and in- The lighter 25-30 lb. bow is usually a
crease the weight of the bow, while a lady's bow and requires additional changes
shorter grip section will allow you longer in the tapering of the billet to bring the
working limbs and thus lighten the bow. weight down without reducing the thick-
It takes very little to add or subtract 10 ness of the limbs too much. This is because
pounds from the weight of a bow and, for there is a ratio between the thickness and
this reason, anyone building a laminated the width of the limbs where the bow gives
bow of his own design can never be sure the best performance.
what weight it will be until he can actually With all your materials laid out, you
test the bow. are now ready for the first step in making
Bow makers make many bows and do a your bow. This step consists of gluing the
considerable amount of experimenting be- riser blocks to the core laminations. How-
fore they establish a standard of operation ever, before applying any glue, it is a good
for any one bow, and because this has been idea to assemble the component parts dry
done with the Smithwick Custom Bow, it and familiarize yourself with the position
is possible to order a bow kit for the weight each piece occupies so that there will be
bow you wish to make. The kit will then no mistakes when the glue is applied. Once
have laminations of the correct thickness to the glue has been applied, you must join
give you the right basis from which to start. and clamp the pieces together without
Even then, the success of your ultimate delay in order to get a perfect bond. To
weight goal will depend on how skillfully make sure that the pieces are positioned
you shape and taper the limbs. Once the properly, mark the center line across the
billet or roughed-out bow is completed, side edge of each piece. When all units are
you cannot add any more weight to it. You assembled, the center lines should coincide
can only take weight off. to form a straight line across the edge of
As a general rule, the following lamina- the risers.
tion thickness specifications will, if applied In this first step, you glue together only
to the bow design shown, produce a bow the three riser blocks, the fade-out lamina-
that will correspond closely to the desired tion, and one pair of core laminations. The
weight you wish to achieve: for a 50 lb. pair of core laminatioris are laid end to end
bow: .175-inch core, .050-inch back glass under the riser blocks to form a con-
and .060-inch belly glass; for a 40 lb. bow: tinuous 6-foot long core as shown in the
.175-inch core, .042-inch back glass and diagram. This core comes in two sections;
.048-inch belly glass; for a 25-30 lb. bow: in order to assure perfectly matched upper
.160-inch core, .040-inch back glass and and lower limbs, two 36-inch lengths of
.045-inch belly glass. core lamination are cut from the same 36-

Taper fadeout into base lamination. Extreme care End of fadeout blends into base lamination. When
must be taken to avoid gouging base lamination. done right, there won't be any detectable ridge.
Glue second pair of core laminations, Fiberglas Inner-tube strips or tape can be used to secure
facings to bow assembly and secure to bow form. assembly to bow form to establish recurve shape.

inch long block of hard maple. The two

pieces, coming from the same section of
wood, are as closely matched in grain and
wood characteristics as is possible to
achieve. This is true also of the second pair
of core laminations which are glued to the
assembly in another operation.
The wood portions can be cemented to-
gether with any good wood glue, such as
urea-base glues or Elmer's Glue. The glue
supplied with the kit is Urac No. 185, which
is used with a Urac hardener. Apply the
glue evenly with a 1-1/2-in. brush to both
surfaces being joined and clamp the as-
sembly firmly between blocks and a
straight bar of wood or metal. The straight
bar is important for insuring good glue
lines. Use enough clamps to distribute the
pressure evenly along the entire area being
 glued. Allow 24 hours drying time, the first
six hours at at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
A closed car in the summer sun will usually
get at least this hot. Another trick is to
wrap the glued assembly in a sheet of
canvas that has been treated for water-
proofing and let this lie in the direct sun.
The heat will build up in the canvas
wrapping to a very high degree. Howard
Hill improvises a drying chamber by
wrapping a length of 10-inch stovepipe
with asbestos, closing it off at both ends,
but leaving a small enough opening at one
Glued bow assembly is clamped to steel form and end through which to direct the heat of a
dried in heating chamber in professional set-up. blowtorch.
While the assembly is drying, make a
wooden form for shaping the billet. This
Howard Hill dries his bows with heat of a blow form should be bandsawed out of a 2-inch
torch directed into improvised drying chamber. thick solid wood block that is seven inches
wide and 70 inches long. In the absence of
solid wood, plywood can be used by lam-
inating two lengths of 3/4-in. and one
length of 1/2-in. plywood together to build
up the 2-inch thickness required. Cut the
form out to the shape shown in the diagram,
making sure that both ends of the form cut
out are identical in shape. The best way
to assure this is to make a template, from
heavy cardboard or thin sheet metal, of one
half of the desired shape, then trace this
onto the form block, first on one end of the
block and then, flopped, on the other end
of the block. The form, when cut out,
should be perfectly square to insure a firm
even base for clamping the glued lamina-
tions. After cutting out the recurve con-
tour, draw a line on the form parallel to

After drying by heat at recommended temperature, bindings are taken off and billet is removed from
form. Billet will have taken recurve shape. Clean and square up both sides of the billet by sanding.
this shape and spaced three inches from
it and cut away the excess wood along this
line. The precision and evenness with
which you make this form will determine
the quality of your finished bow to a great
degree.
After the bow assembly has dried, clean
the excess glue off both sides of the riser
section and then lay out the curve it is to
be cut down to as shown in diagram (Step
No. 3). Since both sides of the riser section
fadeouts are the same shape and equally
distant from the center line, a half tem-
plate can be used in both positions to trace Cover outer Fiberglas surfaces with masking tape
the curve onto the riser section. The fade- for protection and to facilitate marking layout
out must be a very gradual curve into the
base or core lamination. This is essential to
the final tiller of the bow. Using a flexible tape measure or rule, establish
Use a band saw or jig saw to cut out this the center of the bow, taking care to be precise
curve but do not cut into the fade-out
lamination. The gradation of the fadeout
is too critical an operation to be done with
a saw. It should be done by careful sand-
ing, preferably using a drum sander, until
the fadeout gradually blends into the core
lamination. Be very careful not to cut into
the core lamination or leave even the
slightest ridge at the end of the fadeout.
Cutting into the core lamination will
weaken the bow at that point, while leav-
ing a ridge will stiffen the limb, add to the
bow's weight, and interfere with the bow's
performance.
The next step is to glue the second pair of
core laminations to the bow assembly. This
operation is performed in the bow form in
order to establish the recurve shape. The

Now draw two center lines on the bow. one crosswise and the other lengthwise. All measurements should
be very carefully made as even a slight error will be reflected in the accuracy of the finished bow.
Measure exact distance from, center to end of Mark off bow tips for required width, then lay
either fadeout. Mark off equal distance other limb. out limb tapers from end of fadeout to bow tip.

best way to do this is to set the two strips loops are wound around the assembly. This
end to end and secure them together tempo- spacer strip will equalize the pressure ex-
rarily with masking tape across their out- erted over the entire surface and insure a
er surfaces. Then apply glue to the inner good glue line. No glue is applied to this
surfaces of both strips and the back surface spacer strip.
of the bow assembly. Now join the lamina- As you work your way toward the bow
tions together, centering the taped joint tips, the laminations will be forced down
with the center line on the riser section and into the form and will take the shape of the
lining it up with the center line on the bow curve cut into the form. Do this along both
form. Do this in the form, using a C-clamp ends, securing the entire length, then set
on the center line to clamp the assembly to the form into a hot place to dry. Because
the form. Then, starting at the center point extreme heat may melt natural rubber,
and using loops cut from an old inner tube, loops preferably should be cut from one
numerous clamps or masking tape, secure of the synthetic-type tubes which are more
the laminations firmly to the form. To facil- heat resistant. Dry the billet at no less than
itate removal of the billet from the form, 100 degrees F. When the glue dries, the
wax paper should be placed between the laminations will retain the shape of the
form and the laminations. Also, because the form. Clean off the excess glue from the
rubber loops and tape, when tightly wound sides of the core and, with No. 1/2 grit sand-
around the assembly, exert most of the paper, clean off any wax that might have
pressure on the edges of the laminations transferred to the core from the wax paper.
and very little in the middle, a spacer strip, The next step is to apply the Fiberglas
consisting of "a strip of wood 1/16 in. thick to the bow assembly. The Fiberglas is ob-
and 1/8 inch narrower than the laminations, tained in two thicknesses, the heavier strips
should be laid along the top of the billet being used on the belly of the bow and the
and centered to leave a 1/16-in. margin lighter ones on the back. Rough the sides
along each side before the tape or rubber of the glass to be glued (either side can be

122
Cut away the excess limb. Clean and iace
the edges up to the layout lines, round-
ing Fiberglas slightly with a mill file.

Having determined which is to be the up-

per limb and which the lower, lay out the
handle and sight window and cut to shape.
 Following the photos on these pages, rough shape Curve top surface of the arrow rest slightly so
the bow handle, on a disc sander if you have one. that shaft does not rest on too broad a surface.

used) with very coarse sandpaper, prefer- However, once it is spread on the lamina-
ably using a drum sander, to remove all the tions and glass, you have 30 minutes to join
glaze. Do not be afraid to sand. and clamp the pieces together. Glue sur-
Next, join the two strips of back glass end faces must be absolutely free of moisture.
to end with masking tape applied to the side After you've glued the surfaces, set them
opposite the one roughed up for gluing and into the form with a spacer strip laid across
lay this glass, rough side up, into the form. the top as was done when gluing the second
The wooden bow assembly then sets in on pair of laminations to the first, and after
this, and the belly glass, joined end to end lining up the center mark with the one on
with masking tape like the back glass, is the form, use a C-clamp over the center
set on top of the whole assembly. This is a mark to hold the assembly to the form.
"dry run" to make sure that all the com- Then, as was done before, wrap the billet
ponent parts are properly sanded and ready tightly to the form with loops of inner-tube
for gluing. It is a good idea to cover the rubber or masking tape, starting from the
outer surfaces of both the back and belly center point and working your way toward
glass with masking tape. The tape will keep the tips. The glass will take the shape of
the glass clean and provide a surface for the curved form as you carry the wrappings
measuring and marking off the limb tapers outward. Be sure to save some of the plastic
to be cut later. glue and hardener (in unmixed form) for
Now, using M-74 plastic glue and C-31 the tip blocks. Dry the billet with heat of
hardener, apply glue to the roughened glass at least 120 degrees F., but not over 140 de-
surfaces first, then to both sides of the grees, for six hours, then let harden for an-
wood core, using a 1-1/2-in. brush. Plastic other 48 hours. Important: this glue will
glue and hardener should be applied imme- not function properly without observing
diately after they are mixed. The glue is the stated degree of temperature.
mixed four parts adhesive to one part You now have the completed billet. Clean
hardener by weight. Add the hardener to and square up both sides of the billet with
the resin and stir for five minutes. The very coarse sandpaper, using your disc
maximum time you can allow the mixed sander. Leave the masking tape on the bow
glue to set in the pot is five to 10 minutes. for use in marking the layout. Now draw

124
Final shaping is done with files. You can shape the sighting window to your own requirements, there
being no hard rales concerning the location oi the window or the depth to which is should be cut.

two center lines on the bow, one lengthwise are rough width at the tips and will be
and the other crosswise. From the cross- changed when the bow is lined up.
wise center line, measure the distance to Next, locate the points for the string
the exact end of the fadeout on one side grooves by measuring 33 inches each way
and draw another crossline at this point. from the center line with a flexible tape or
Then measure an equal distance on the rule, letting the rule follow the curve of
other side of the center line and draw an- the bow along the belly. Use a small round
other line across the bow belly. These lines rat-tail file and file the string grooves 1/8
at the ends of the fadeout will mark the inch deep on both sides of the tip, round-
points from which the bow limbs begin to ing them off slightly to prevent their cut-
taper toward the tips. ting the tillering string.
Next, at the tips of the bow, measure % You are now ready to string the bow for
inch from each side of the longitudinal tillering. The tiller is the shape of the bow
center line. This will give you %-inch at strung position. Use a string with large
wide bow tips. Now draw diagonal lines loops for the tillering string. After stringing
from these bow tip marks to the outer ends up the bow, check its limbs for evenness by
of the fadeout cross lines and you will have sighting along the string from tip to the
the correct limb taper as shown in diagram. middle of the main part of the limb as
For a 25 to 30 lb. lady's bow, the billet, shown in photo. If the recurve twists to one
which is normally 1-5/8 in. wide, should side of the middle of the limb, remove
be narrowed down on a disc sander to a material on that side and refile the string
width of 1-1/2 in. and the limb taper groove on that side. Repeat this process
should end up with 5/8-inch-wide tips in- until the recurve is in the middle of the
stead of 3/4-inch. main part of the bow.
After marking off the limb tapers, cut After the tips are in line, sight along each
away the excess limb along these lines and side of the limb and file out any bumps you
then clean and face the edges up to the lay- may see. In doing this, you may change the
out lines. Round the glass slightly on the tiller of the bow, so check frequently to see
face and back with a mill file, but do not go that the recurves do not take on an off-side
to too much trouble because these Limbs twist. If they do, you can correct it by tak-

125
 String grooves, 1/8 inch deep, are filed into both Glue tip blocks to bow tips over string grooves;
sides of each bow tip using small rat-tail file. Fiberglas should be well roughened before gluing.

Shape bow tips to the contour of the bow limbs. Finishing off the bow, file string grooves along
File string grooves into tips with rat-tail file. the recurve cm belly side of each of the limbs.

ing off sufficient material from the side to equidistant from the center line of the bow.
which the limb twists to even out the limb. The weaker limb should then measure 3/16
Before the handle can be shaped out, you inch more between limb face and string
must determine which limb will be the than the stronger limb and this limb should
upper limb, since the upper limb should be be used as the upper limb. If it measures
weaker than the lower limb. This is because less than 3/16 inch, you can lighten the limb
when drawing the bow, you will be exert- by rounding the face glass slightly.
ing more palm pressure below the center Having tillered the bow and determined
line on your grip, as well as putting more which is to be the upper limb, you can now
tension on the lower half of the bow string mark the handle for the grip and window
due to having two fingers below the nock cutout as shown in diagram, lining it up so
of the arrow and only one above it. To that the window cutout is on the upper
equalize this, the lower limb of the bow limb. Cut out the handle as shown in photos
should be a little stiffer than the upper with files and disc sander; round out the
limb, and you determine this by measuring handle and sight window to the desired
the distance between the bow string and shape as shown in diagram. You can shape
the limb curve at the point of the fadeout this to your own taste, there being no hard
on both limbs. The points along the limbs and fast rules concerning the location of
at which you take this measure should be the sight window and the depth to which it

126
String the bow and check the
limbs foi evenness by sight
ing along the bowstring from
tip to tip. If recurve tends
to twist to one side, correc-
tion can be made by removing
additional material from side
to which limb twists, refiling
string groove on that side.

should be cut. However, it should not be SOME FINAL TIPS:

cut to a depth greater than 1/8 inch from 1. When removing masking tape, strip
the longitudinal center line as shown. This from center of bow out toward tips so as
sight window should be cut on the left side not to lift any glass splinters along the
of the bow (as bow is seen by archer when edges. Use care.
shooting) for right-handed shooters, on the
opposite side from that shown in the dia- 2. When filing bow, always file toward
gram for left-handed shooters. File a slight glass to avoid chipping.
curve into the top surface of the arrow rest 3. Before any clamping, always have a
so that the shaft does not rest on too broad "dry run" before applying glue.
a surface when shooting. 4. Remember, you must use heat to cure
Filially, cement the tip blocks to the bow this glue right.
tips over the string grooves. Finish off the 5. Glass surfaces to be glued must be
tips by shaping them down to the contour roughed thoroughly.
of the bow limbs and filing the string 6. Extreme care should be used in fade-
grooves into them with a rat-tail file. out to avoid gouging base lamination or
Your bow is now ready for sanding and have fadeout end too abruptly.
painting. Sand to a fine smoothness and 7. Do not get impatient to shoot bow be-
paint with clear varnish or lacquer. fore it is finished. •

127