Things you will need:
5-6 foot long piece of wood (see step 1 for more info)
6-7 inch piece of wood (see step 1 for more info)
7 feet of sturdy string (strong fishing line will work)
2.5 foot dowel rod
goose feather
rock
flint
wood glue
hot glue (optional-it is faster "drying")
file
4 screws/nails
Steps:
- First, gather the materials. The limbs will be made of thin and flexible wood. It should be about 1.5 inches wide, 5-8mm thick and about 5-6 feet long, depending on how tall you are. The type of wood can be anything from pine to yew (preferrably yew) but it must be flexible. Next, buy a thicker piece of wood that is the same width as the first peice but about 3-4 times thicker and about 7 inches long.
- Find the midpoint of both pieces of wood. Line up the midpoints and glue in place. Make a mark 2cm from each end of the thick piece. Evenly mark the section into 3 smaller equal sections. Find 4 nails or screws that will go through the first piece and hold the thick piece without any nail/screw sticking out. Drill holes at the center of the wood where you marked it. screw the nail/screws in so the head is resting tightly on the thin piece of wood.
- At the ends of the bow, file 2 small notches for the string, 2 for each end. String the bow so that the string goes around the notches and make sure the string is 1-2 inches shorter than the bow. Make the loops loose so you can unstring it. Leave strung over night. From then on, only string when you need it (or when you want to have some mindless shooting fun).
- To make the arrow, buy a dowel rod about half the length of the bow. To create a arrowhead, shatter a piece of flint and attach (with string, glue, etc.) Fletch the arrow by cutting a goose feather down the middle. Glue it to the back of the shaft.
- There are many different draws, but the simplest one is to pinch the back of the arrow, put it up against the string, draw back and release. This can shoot the arrow a few hundred feet and can last a long time (with care).
Tips:
- The bow can last longer if you rub oil on it. Special oil is available for protecting wood.
Filing a small notch at the middle of the bow may help keep the arrow from slipping.
To make a blunt arrow, wrap rubberbands around the front of the arrow.
