[Geezer51]

Looking to maybe go this route with wood arrows. Bow could have bone tips or similar, but want it to be all wood. No fiberglass. Either composite or just one species of wood.

Does anyone make a "production" bow that is worth having, and that can be drawn to 29"?

 

[Geezer51]

Lots of lookers, but no responses. So I surmizing "no". Guess I'll have to go the custom route.

 

[stevelong]

edited - sorry - I MISSED where you said NO FIBERGLASS. I apologize.

 

[Juspassin]

Nothing really special about matching up wood arrows with an all wood bow. Many many bowyers out there who can make you a wood self bow, but as has been mentioned, not cheap. Many of us have gone into making them ourselves, which is quite rewarding in its own right.

 

[workaholic]

Self bow, or a u-finish, might be the way to go. Not sure when manufacturers started using fiberglass on their bows. May have to find an older, as in 40s or 50s bow to get no glass.

As far as u-finish, I know several bowyers offer them, as well as places lime 3 Rivers, and some of them don't have glass in the build.

I believe HH does one piece bows, without glass, but don't know if he sells them or not.

Building your own, and maybe starting with a kit, like from Bingham's might be a good option as well. The thought of doing that has crossed my mind a bunch over the past few years.

 

[karstic]

Directly support the Ukraine economy and Ukrainian fighters defending their homeland with a wood + bamboo laminate bow from Sarmat Archery...

Bamboo laminated bows | Sarmat Archery

I have a couple other items on order from Ukraine. Their mail is experiencing delays, but tracking shows that stuff is moving along.

You could also look into self bows, flatbows or longbows in yew, hickory, bamboo or osage. Three Rivers and various other sellers carry that kind of thing.

Check out the wood self bows from Hunt Primitive. They are works of art...gorgeous...

Login • Instagram

 

[Model 52]

I guess it depends how you define “production” bow and your budget.

Kota makes bow and markets them through a couple of Scheels stores in South Dakota, so not really custom but more “limited production. They sell for $600-$800.

Blacktail Bows also also maintain some stock and they also have a production model. They start around $900.

 

[karstic]

It looks like those two companies list mainly fiberglass laminate bows. Sounds like the OP wants something all wood.

 

[Model 52]

It looks like those two companies list mainly fiberglass laminate bows. Sounds like the OP wants something all wood.

He needs to be more specific, “all wood. No fiberglass. Either composite or just one species of wood“ suggests he’s ok with a laminate, even though laminates are not all wood but rather also a significant amount of glue between the laminates.

In the case the Kota and BlackTail bows They use a three layer laminated bamboo core sandwiched between wood veneers of your choice, then covered in a layer of thin fiberglass cloth and clear resin to protect the wood and seal it from moisture changes. It isn’t providing any significant power to the bow and doesn’t seem to diminish the feel of the bow, especially the smooth draw and liveliness of the bamboo core.

It comes down to what he specifically wants.

Does he want wood feel and performance? I used to race on a set of Epoke skis that had a wood core with an opaque fiberglass outer lamination (much like the Bear recurves and long bows). It gave the liveliness and feel of a wood ski, with a lot more durability.

Does he want the look of wood? I used to own a wooden canoe finished with a layer of fiberglass cloth and clear resin. Unlike a traditional wooden canoe it didn’t gain 30 pounds of water over the course of the summer. At the same time it also offered the look and the silence of a wooden canoe.

The Kota and BlackTail bows accomplish both by using minimal glass and clear resin. Bows like the Bear Montana don’t look like wood bows as they use opaque fiberglass laminates on the front and back.

If he wants a bow that is 100% wood and has an exterior finish that doesn’t involve a layer of glass and clear resin, he won’t find it in a production bow.