Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

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By Corasaurus Rex Follow More

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1 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Don't take the world to seriously relax a little and enjoy the ride. More »

I had wanted to make a re-curve bow for some time now and I have finally done it!!

I made the bow by designing and building my own riser from 3 different types of exotic woods to
give me a great look once complete. I used skis as the arms because of the flex and it was much
easier then forming my own arms, though I may now attempt that.

I have included a whole bunch of pictures in each step to make things easier to understand.

Overall this project wasn't that hard.

materials needed

- A single, 3" x 24" x 2-1/4" block of hardwood ( I made mine by gluing 3 types of wood together)

- Pencil and paper for sketching the riser design

- Jig saw or ban saw (to cut out the riser)

- Wood Glue

- Lots of clamps

- Sand Paper and Belt Sander

- Wood Rasp

- Epoxy self mixing resin ($9.50)

- Varathane
• and paint brush
Following

- 1 set of cross country skis

- measuring tape

- fine toothed saw to cut skis

- drill and attaching hardware

- paint

- Round wood file

2 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

- Bow String

- Arrows

- Some sort of target material

The first step is to design how your riser (the middle wood section) of your bow will look as well as
function. I started by looking at bows online and trying to do simple sketches of what I thought
would look good. Basically there are only a few main things you will want to be sure of. They are:

Should be around 16" minimum to 24" maximum, My bow riser is 20"

The arrow should sit when finished in the exact middle of the riser

Your handle should be just below the arrow location.

Most store bought bows have an angle of 15-20 degrees but

because I am going to use cross country skis I will change my angle to 10 degrees so the skis will
•
sit more upright. The reason for this is because they are quite flexible and I want to get the most
Projects
power I can out of these arms.
◦ back
◦
I am proficient in " Google Sketchup" and actually did a rough 3D model of what the riser would look
All Projects
like before sanding.This is not necessary but helped a little.
◦
Circuits
▪ back
▪ All
▪ Apple
▪ Arduino
▪ Art
▪ Assistive Tech
▪ Audio

3 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

▪ Cameras
▪ Clocks
▪ Computers
▪ Electronics
▪ Gadgets
▪ Lasers
▪ LEDs
▪ Linux
▪ Microcontrollers
▪ Microsoft
Choosing wood▪ forMobile
a bow riser is not very hard and there is only 1 main rule that should be followed
▪ Raspberry Pi work regardless.
but in all honesty will probably
▪ Remote Control
Reuse
Main rule - Use▪hard wood. - Hard Wood will make for a stronger and more powerful finished
▪ Robots
product along with the fact that hardwood usually has beautiful grain associated with it.
▪ Sensors
I went to Lee Valley and grabbed 4 pieces of wood
▪ Software
▪ Soldering
▪ Speakers
▪ Tools
▪ USB
▪ Wearables
◦
▪ Websites
Workshop
▪ Wireless
▪ back
▪ All
I cut the Zebra ▪wood
3D Design
and Purple heart in half and laminated them together making sure to give the
glue 24 hours to▪ set.
3D Printing
▪ Cars
After un-clamping, the 4 pieces we not totally flat so I used a clamp and a hand plane to smooth
▪ CNC
them out before ▪ attaching the Padauk to the top and bottom of the other pieces.
Electric Vehicles
▪ Energy
after all glue had dried there might be small gaps around the edges I filled these with a clear drying
▪ Furniture
self mixing epoxy resin just to fill the gaps in the wood.
▪ Home Improvement
▪ Home
I now have a block Theater
of wood that measured 3" x 24" x 2-1/4"
▪ Hydroponics
▪ Knives
▪ Laser Cutting
▪ Lighting
▪ Metalworking
▪ Molds & Casting
▪ Motorcycles
▪ Organizing
▪ Pallets
▪ Repair

4 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

▪ Science
▪ Shelves
▪ Solar
▪ Tools
▪ Woodworking
▪ Workbenches

◦
Craft
▪ back
Draw out your riser design to scale and place it on your wood block. Then trace the design with a
▪ All
pencil and then go over it in marker because its much easier to see when cutting and saw dust is
▪ Art
everywhere. I used a ruler to draw where I would like to make my cuts in order to make cutting out
▪ Books & Journals
the piece easier. I don't own a ban saw so I have to use a jigsaw which is harder for cutting smooth
▪ Cardboard
lines.
▪ Cards
I made a series▪ofClaysmall cuts perpendicular to my riser line to make cutting much simpler. My
▪ Costumes
finished cut piece is very blocky& Cosplay
and has saw marks all over it but that's okay we are going to sand
▪ Digital Graphics
that bad boy down and make it look nice.
▪ Duct Tape
▪ Embroidery
▪ Fashion
▪ Felt
▪ Fiber Arts
▪ Gift Wrapping
▪ Jewelry
▪ Knitting & Crochet
▪ Leather
▪ Mason Jars
▪ No-Sew
▪ Paper
▪ Parties & Weddings
▪ Photography
Not really a fast▪ way to do this other then some gritty sand paper and a power tool. I only have a
Printmaking
belt sander so what I had to do was flip the sander upside down and sand my riser that way.
▪ Reuse
▪ Sewing
I just worked away at the riser until I began to get the shape I wanted.
▪ Soapmaking
▪ Wallets
after I got it close I used a wood rasp to sand where the belt sander could not.

◦
Cooking
- Be sure to always be moving your riser as to not take off to much material
▪ back
▪ All
- pay attention to other parts that may be getting sanded with out you meaning to when working on
▪ Bacon
weird angles.

5 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

- take your time▪and

BBQtake
& Grilling
breaks, no point rushing
▪ Beverages
- Wear a face mask and safety glasses to protect from ingesting wood dust.
▪ Bread
▪ Breakfast
- Wear ear protection, its going to take a while so don't damage your ears
▪ Cake
Candy
- keep sanding ▪until you reach your desired shape
▪ Canning & Preserving
▪ Cocktails & Mocktails
▪ Coffee
▪ Cookies
▪ Cupcakes
▪ Dessert
▪ Homebrew
▪ Main Course
▪ Pasta
▪ Pie
▪ Pizza
▪ Salad
▪ Sandwiches
▪ Snacks & Appetizers
I used a pair of▪old cross&country
Soups Stews skis for the arms. I got these a my local re-use center for $20.
▪ Vegetarian & Vegan
Measure your skis from the tip down anywhere from 20" 26" for good spring power. I cut these at
23.5" from the tip.

I laid out the bow to see how everything was going to look.
◦
Living
▪ back
▪ All
▪ Beauty
▪ Christmas
▪ Cleaning
▪ Decorating
▪ Education
▪ Gardening
▪ Halloween
▪ Health
▪ Hiding Places
▪ Holidays
attaching the arms is easy but needs to be done correct so follow these steps
▪ Homesteading
▪ Kids
go and buy your attaching hardware;
▪ Kitchen
▪ LEGO & K'NEX
▪ Life Hacks

6 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

▪ Music
▪ Office Supply Hacks
▪ Organizing
▪ Pest Control
▪ Pets
▪ Pranks, Tricks, & Humor
▪ Relationships
1 - measure where ▪ Toysthe &wood
Games
of your riser stops on your ski from the bottom. draw a line across the
top of the ski as ▪ guide.
Travel
▪ Video Games
2 - make points where you are going to drill that are directly in the middle of the ski. from the cut
edge of the ski I made marks at 1" and 2.5".
◦
3 - using masking
Outsidetape tape the ski to the wood as best as you can exactly where you want it to sit
when attached▪ back
▪ All
4 - clamp the wood and ski down and using a bit that can be used for wood and plastic drill through
▪ Backyard
the ski and wood. I used a 5/16 bit because that was the size of my bolts.
▪ Beach
▪ Bikes
Using a hole cutter bit drill from the back of the riser making the holes large enough for the head of
▪ Birding
the bolt to fit in. drill the holes deep enough so the bolt sticks up just past the riser maybe 1/4-1/2"
▪ Boats
▪ Camping
after all holes are drilled use a nail set to hammer in bolts so the fit snug then add your arms and
▪ Climbing
tighten down with a washer and wing nut.
▪ Fire
Using a round file, work in some notches where the string will fit. Angle the notches away from the
▪ Fishing
middle of the bow to act as a rest and not have the string fall off.
▪ Hunting
▪ Kites
▪ Knots
▪ Launchers
▪ Paracord
▪ Rockets
▪ Siege Engines
▪ Skateboarding
▪ Snow
▪ Sports
▪ Survival
▪ Water

At this point I have basically a functioning bow but it needs to be tested before paint.

Here is a quick testing video

◦
Teachers

7 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

▪ back
▪ All
▪ ELA
▪ Math
▪ Micro:bit
▪ Science
▪ Social Studies
▪ Engineering
▪ MakeyMakey
▪ Coding
▪ Electronics
▪ Robotics
▪ Arduino
▪ CNC
▪ Laser
This was shot at Cuttingabout 20'
close range
▪ 3D Printing
Notice I only pulled
▪ 3DitDesign
back about 50%-75% draw. I have another video of it at full draw. Because of
where I was shooting
▪ Art I wanted to be safe.
▪ Music
▪ Theatre
▪ Wood Shop
▪ Metal Shop
▪ Resources
▪ Grades K-2
▪ Grades 3-5
▪ Grades 6-8
▪ Grades 9-12
▪ University+

Now that we know that the bow is shooting correctly we can make it look a little fancier.

After making sure everything fits nicely do a final sand on your

riser then add some stain or varathane. I wanted the natural wood colours so I went right to
varathane.

let everything set for 24-36 hours

8 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Hang it up somewhere and use multiple of layers of paint. Try to use a paint that has some flexing
agents in it because the arms will have to flex quite a bit, automotive paint should work great.

keeping the bow all white looked good but I wanted to add a Canadian feel to it so I did some detail
work.

All Done!!

The•bow is complete and ready for real testing

Contests
• Teachers

9 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

These shots were taken at about 35yrds and the grouping is pretty good.

In the video it looks like the arrow is wobbly but in actuality is was flying straight I was using a cell
phone to film it. When I walk up you can see how the arrows have hit the target for a better idea of
how it was coming off the bow. All consistent

(sorry about not turning the camera)

I hope you have all enjoyed this instructable

I did this for fun enjoy.

10 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Fourth Prize in the

Wood Contest

View Contest

Participated in the
Formlabs Contest

View Contest

gladson1976 made
it! rene.faro made it! CraftAndu made it!

Did you make this project? Share it with us!

by Hey Jude

11 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

by akashv44

by Rob Salmon

by Craftyamigo

Comment I Made It

We have a policy. Please be positive and constructive.

fatehbehnam32 a year ago

Good. Did you measure the power and speed of it? I wanna to know them in comparison to
fiberglass limbs.
Tks for ur efforts.

12 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

garryh555 a year ago

In building your now riser, you have 3"x24"X2 1/4" , are these WxLxThickness ?????

pancake2112 3 years ago

Great job and a good looking riser. However, the arrow does not sit in the center of a bow. The
bow center line is the neck of the grip where it engages with the web of the hand. If the arrow
were in the center of a bow nock height would not vary with brace height and the bow would
not need tillering. Take any of your other commercial bows, string it, measure half the string
length and run a line perpendicular to that. The bow center will be on the grip neck.

Lorddrake 6 years ago

I noticed in the comments that your draw weight is optimal at 32lb. If you shorten the string it
will increase the draw weight at the cost of accuracy. Is it possible to get a greater draw weight
by using a different material for the limbs? If so .. do you know what sort of material would be
good to use for the limbs/ what material should be avoided?

▸ 1 reply

13 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Azze01 10 years ago

I really like the concept of creating sth. new from sth. old. Like your crafts skills, too. Only I
have to say that for my tastes the inking and fine liner finish somehow ruined the otherwise
professional attire of the bow. But it's your bow in the end.

What about the arrows - the way the bow works, the arrows' fins will hit the ledge and the grip
with each shot. Don't you think the fins will be ripped off soon?

▸ 2 replies

KetanP41 6 years ago

What can we use for the arms other than skis?

And can I use plywood?

▸ 1 reply

Corasaurus Rex (author) 6 years ago

@ketanp41

You could laminate thin pieces together I would assume and bend them in some form of jig.

14 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

ChrisM934 6 years ago

I'm just in the process of building my own bow. I notice one thing missing from the
instructions. How do you determine the correct bow string length? Am I right thinking the
length of the riser, arms and where I cut my string notches, if I don't watch out, may not be an
exact dimension for an off the shelf bow string?.

▸ 1 reply

ChrisM934 6 years ago

Hi, I'm hoping to make a similar bow soon. One thing I need to ask though: how do you
determine your bow string length to get the optimum performance from the bow. Thanks.

salmansheikh 7 years ago

please send me the riser pdf. [email protected]. Thanks.

15 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

baniacz 7 years ago

Hi! This is awesome! please send me the riser template in pdf.

[email protected]

Thank you!

jdishman 8 years ago

i see everyone is wanting a pdf of the riser. guys if you just get graph paper, you can copy the
one above or design your own. its pretty simple..

▸ 1 reply

simarsch 8 years ago

if you attach simple and cheap arrowrest the bow will be much prciser than before

▸ 1 reply

16 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

JacquesD5 8 years ago

Hello sir could you please be so kind as to send me the PDF copy of your riser template, very
much appreciated.

to:

[email protected]

louis kruger 8 years ago

Hi plse send me the riser template in pdf. Much appreciated. [email protected]

Ugiskk 8 years ago

Hi! This is awesome! Can you please send me the PDF with handle template?
[email protected]!

Thank you!

cdmzo4 8 years ago

17 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

hi, could u send the the pdf of the riser ?

My mail: [email protected]

Gurv 8 years ago

Hi there, awesome design and finished product. This is exactly something i want to do this
summer, could I please bum the design off you? Email is: [email protected]

Much appreciated - thanks for the walk through.

MrMxylptlyk 8 years ago

Hi, could you please send me the template? I am at [email protected]

thanks a lot. Karan

davids157 8 years ago

18 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Please send me the pdf to. My e-mail is [email protected]

thanks

BhaskorB 8 years ago

Sorry forgot to give my e-mail....

[email protected]

BhaskorB 8 years ago

Hi Rex..., I am from India.. And I love to make this bow myself... Please send me the pdf ..
Thank you

sergiup2 8 years ago

Hi Corasaurus Rex, I'm from Romania and I would like you to send me the pdf of the riser, I
struggled for a few days to do one and not working. Send to [email protected] thank you

▸ 1 reply

19 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

dre2442 8 years ago

can you get more draw weight out of it? or is 32 pushing max?

▸ 1 reply

Dpar0 8 years ago

What size string use for your bow ?

▸ 1 reply

TimothyV5 8 years ago

When glueing the wood riser pieces together do you have to use epoxy style glue. Or can
strong regular wood glue be strong enough. If anyone knows please help

▸ 1 reply

20 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

ConqueringEnigma 8 years ago

I'm attempting to make a bow for a friend and I'm pretty sure I'm basing it entirely on you
instructable. It's not only an amazing build, but probably the most comprehensive instructions
I've seen on a bow.

TheCrafter101 8 years ago

how much is the draw weight?

▸ 1 reply

PaulS220 8 years ago

Hi my name is Paul and I am in Oregon. Would you please send me a pdf of your riser. Thank
you. You are a great craftsman .

ander.bueno.1 9 years ago

21 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41
Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

Hi Corasaurus Rex, I'm from Brazil and I would like you to send me the pdf of the riser, I would
be very grateful ... my e-mail is [email protected] thanx

▸ 3 replies

Dub_C 9 years ago

That is a gorgeous bow I want to try this one soon!

Hobopetter 10 years ago

That's a pretty cool bow what's the draw weight of it?

▸ 2 replies

Impetus37 9 years ago

Hands down best takedown bow instructable, it came out great looking too. Are you left or
right handed?

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Takedown Recurve Bow - Home Made : 10 Steps (with Picture... https://www.instructables.com/Takedown-Recurve-Bow-H...

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23 of 23 6/24/24, 21:41