Art in the form of a Bow

I craft my bows with a lot of love and care and do my utmost to ensure their as durable and efficient as they can be. However being made of natural materials they require more care than fiberglass laminate bows.

Please note the bows may differ in poundage slightly from what is advertised when shipped. This is due to the wood’s moisture content changing as it is shipped elsewhere in the country.

Keeping the brace height the same is important for the bow to perform at its best. All my bows  have a brace height of 6” from the belly handle to the string. Please do not increase the brace height beyond this as it can overstress the limbs.

Oiling /waxingevery 6 months to a year will help extend their life greatly as well as help keep them at an optimal moisture content. Too dry and the bow can break, too wet and it will shoot sluggishly and take more set.

Please store the bow either horizontally on a rack or vertically hanging on a wall peg. Do not leave the bow leaning against the wall for a long extended period of time as it can change the tiller and harm the longevity of the bow.

When shooting ensure the bow is not overdrawn past its maximum draw limit.

After shooting sessions or retiring from hunting for the day ensure the bow is unstrung and left to rest. The bow can be left strung all day when hunting but needs to be unstrung and allowed to relax after the day is done. Don’t leave the bow sitting strung in the hot sun for hours, its not healthy for the limbs to be left to cook when strained. Please don’t leave the bow strung on the wall either as this will weaken the limbs over time and will render the bow near useless for shooting.

Please don’t let random people, friends or family draw the bow without instruction as to how long the draw length is. They could accidentally pull the bow far beyond its maximum draw length and cause a breakage. That’s not a fun situation for anyone, speaking from experience.

Finally please check the bow every so often visually to make sure there are no cracks or damage that could affect the safety of the bow. It’s highly unlikely anything will be damaged if the bow is used and treated properly and will give you many many years of fun and happy shooting.

​

 

 

​

 

Reference:

Do

• Oil the bow every 6 months to a year depending on the frequency of use.

• String the bow using a Bow stringer.

• Unstring the bow at the conclusion of each shooting session.

• Only draw the bow within and to the maximum draw length

• Use appropriate weight arrows. Too light or too heavy aren’t healthy for the bow 10gpp is optimum. Example: a 50lb bow needs an arrow weight of 500 grains.

• Check the bow visually for any damage

• Check the string for any nicks cuts or abrasions that may affect shooting

• Store in an appropriate place inside either vertically on a wall peg or horizontally on a bow rack

• Wax the entire bow before a hunting trip

• Wax the string whenever it starts to look fuzzy.

• Keep the bow in the shade on hot sunny

 

Don’t

• Overdraw the bow

• Draw and release the string with no arrow. This is called dry firing.

• Increase the brace height drastically as this can overstress the limbs

• Leave the bow strung for long periods of time unattended

• Let random people, friends or family draw the bow without instruction as to how long the draw length is.

• Store the bow leaning against a wall for an extended period of time, this can potentially weaken which ever limb is on the ground.

• Store the bow in a basement or damp area without a dehumidifier

• Shoot arrows under 8 grains per pound of draw weight

  ​