How to Make an Accurate Bow and Arrow

Here is a fun project and one that many wouldn’t think of at first. In fact though, in past times many people needed to do this for survival although now it is more of an exercise to do something fun and unique.

This project is making a bow and arrow.

No hold on, making a bow and arrow takes patience and careful judgment. Everything should be done in the right proportion to attain balance. Thus, the right amount of whittling is crucial in bow and arrow making. It is certainly an art.

Seldom can we make a perfect bow and arrow the first time around. It needs a lot of practice before we can come up with accurate ones. But the correct procedure in making them matters a lot. So here are correct steps in making a bow and arrow.

Select an appropriate wood for our bow—deadwood of hazel, ash, yew, or hickory. Wood selection is crucial for our bow and arrow. Usually the correct length for the bow is the height of the user. It should also be flexible and at least an inch in thickness. Then we cut a half-circle notch at one end of the bow. From the tip it should be an inch away.

Make the notch deep enough, about halfway through the thickness of the wood. The half-circle notch should be at a 90 degree angle with the side of the bow facing outward. Then carefully whittle the ends of our bow. Whittling is another crucial thing in bow making and a key factor in the success of our bow and arrow. The center of the bow should be thick but its ends should be whittled enough to bend but not break.

With arrows, we may choose the wood varieties above or opt for black locust, oak, or elm. They should be 2 feet long and ½ inch in diameter. Whittle the entire length to make them straight and smooth. At the end of each arrow should be a tiny V or U shaped notch where we insert the string of the bow for a perfect bow and arrow set.

The bowstring is a hemp string about 3 and 3/4 to 4 and ½ feet in length. Tie the ends to the notched ends of the bow. Make sure it’s ends are looped securely around the half-circle notches. Also, the bow should be curved a bit when the string is already attached. Put a tail at the rear ends of the arrows using small triangular cardboards (1 and ¼ inch base and 3 and ¾ inch height) glued about an inch away from the rear tip end.

For an effective bow and arrow, remember to whittle just right. The bow and arrow should have balanced bodies. The hemp string should be shorter than the bow. And the bow material should be strong and straight.

After making our own bow and arrow we can try them out in the woods. Practice hitting targets. Remember, often our bow and arrow are only as good as our skills.

John Grant is a the author for a how to do it your self site ( www.ihowd.com/ ) where he is writing articles about how to make a bow and arrow ( www.ihowd.com/how-to-make-a-bow-and-arrow ).

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