Linda und Michael Schilling

Making a Rattan Bow

Making a longbow in only two days? No sweat! In their two-day workshops, the bowmakers team of Kunst-Griff introduced many enthusiastic beginners to the basics of making a wooden longbow –demonstrating each action step by step, in a comprehensible and clear way. This compact book, now in color, brings their workshop to you! Covering basic topics like ideal wood selection and the individual parts of a longbow, as well as more advanced construction like tillering, leather grips, bow stringers, Flemish splices and bowyer’s knots in detail, this guide provides you with the basics to get started with the fascinating hobby of bow making.

Table of Contents

Information about Rattan

Rattan Short Bow with Recurves

• Dimensions and Sawing-Out the Bow Profile (detailed)
• Preparing the Side Profile (detailed)
• Bending the Recurves
• The Tillering (detailed)
• Handle Variations

Rattan Short Bow with Recurves and Rosewood Belly

• Preparing the Bow Stave
• Tillering the Bow
• Leather Grip (detailed)

Pyramid Bow of Ashwood and Rattan Backing

• Top view
• Backing of Rattan
• Gluing Belly of Bow and Backing Together
• Preparing the Laminated Bow Stave for Tillering
• Tillering
• Wood Overlays for the Tips (detailed)

Short Bow of Pearwood and Rattan

• Cutting the Rattan Pole
• Outlining the Bow Profile (detailed)
• Gluing-on the Belly of the Bow
• Developing an Even Bending
• Finishing

Rattan Recurve Bow with a Walnut Handle

• Splicing Limbs to the Handle (detailed)
• Shaping the Limbs (string alignment detailed)
• Tillering
• Bending the Recurves and Re-tillering
• Shaping the Handle and Finishing

Rattan Bow with Padouk Ends and Walnut Handle

• Making the V-splices
• Shaping and Tillering

Rattan Recurve Bow with Pearwood Handle and Laminated Recurves

• V-Slice for the Handle
• Laminating and Splicing the Recurves (detailed)
• Shaping the Recurves (detailed)
• Tillering and Shaping the Handle

Appendix

• Tools
• Glossary
• Bow String, Flemish Splice
• Bowyer’s Knot
• Making a Bow stringer