Hey guys, just out of curiousity, how hard is it to make a longbow? I would want a left handed bow, and one with a draw weight of 40-45#. I would like to know the steps involved, and what materials/tools i would need to make this thing happen. Thanks.

NH_Hunter

I used to make quite a few laminated longbows. There are a fair amount of set up materials you need to do it properly. Bingham Archery probably has a web site to give some instructions. You can make very good bows from commercially available laminates. Laminates will run around $70 probably, and you can usually find some hardwood for a riser, without buying a blank. The heat box, and press back, along with clamping rigging, can run over a hundred bucks real fast. If you don't want  otmake a bunch of them, buying one off of Ebay is cheaper, all in all.

For a beginners longbow, particularly since you are in the east with access to hardwoods, you may want to make a self bow. Many of the books available show the dimensions of the Sudbury style longbow, one of the earliest recorded bows on the east coast, that was recovered after a raid on an isolated cabin. I seem to recall the man of the house was killed, and the woman killed the Indian, and recovered the bow. I've made quite a few of these over the years, and they are very well designed, and well balanced for shooting. Pope and Young liked this style of bow. These can basically be made with a draw knife or spoke shave, and a couple rasps.

 I currently have a Plains style sinew backed bow here that I shoot, but they are rather sensitive to shooting technique, and are probably not the best to learn with. Check your local library for Indian bow books, and you should be able to find info on the Sudbury. Check author names Laubin, Waldorf, and Hamm, right off the top of my head. If not, I will try to dig up the basics, and scan and post them. You will be much better off locating the books, however, as they also show how to make strings, arrows, and other accouterments.