- 1). Select a piece of stock that has a straight grain running for at least five feet. Draw the general form of the bow onto the selected piece. A common self bow has a 1 1/2-inch wide handle with a half inch of taper on both limbs. The top limb should be three to five inches shorter than the bottom one and there should be an untapered space of about six inches between the two for the handle.
- 2). Cut out the bow blank, leaving a little room for error around the edges.
- 3). Use the belt saunder to round edges and to remove a quarter inch of stock from the inside of both limbs, all the way from the tips to the handle. Remove more stock for a lower draw weight or less for a stronger pull.
- 4). Use a jigsaw to cut shallow notches on the outside edges of both limbs a half inch from the tip. These notches should be angled towards the handle instead of straight into the wood.
- 5). Tie one end of your prospective bowstring to the longer limb and bend the bow to a depth of six to 10 inches. Tie the other end of the bowstring off, making certain to pull the string taut; a loose string will cause the bow to lose several inches of depth, forcing you to re-tie it.
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