• Jawa
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  • From: Maine
  • Registered: 2018-11-06
  • Posts: 5

Topic: DIY tiny bow

I want a Tiny Bow like alibow sells but the shipping is too high for me. I’d like to see if I can make one myself.  For those who don’t know, their bow is about 18 inches long when strung, and has a draw weight of about 25# at 10” which is the maximum draw length.  It’s a scaled down Manchu bow.

I was thinking of having maple siyahs and limbs made of fiberglass lamination, but I have no idea how thick to make the limbs.  I had been thinking of taking bo tuff strips and cutting them in thirds and layering those.  So 24” long for the fiberglass part.  Do the back/belly strips need to be sanded on only one side though?  Would .09”-.15” thick fiberglass be sufficient material, or would that be way too much?

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  • Registered: 2017-05-05
  • Posts: 167
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Re: DIY tiny bow

I reckon that fiberglass bows, as Alibow's tiny one, are plain fiberglass limbs wrapped with leather. Nothing laminated.
I don't have much experience as bowyer on my own, but there are (other) archery fora which cover such topics extensively, even horn/sinew composites. And last but not least, you might find hints on YT.

I started a somehow similar project month ago, for a special club event that never materialized. It is a more Manchu-sized bow, with plain split bamboo as limbs. Perhaps going to finish it someday...

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3 Reply by Jawa (edited by Jawa 2018-11-15 04:25:51)

  • Jawa
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  • From: Maine
  • Registered: 2018-11-06
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Re: DIY tiny bow

Alright so after a long search I think I found a useful source for solid fiberglass bars as well as carbon fabrics, S glass fabric, Kevlar etc.

Specifically I was considering this:

https://www.tapplastics.com/product/pla … ar_bar/160

It comes in 1/8” (1” wide) and 1/4” (1 1/4” wide) bars, 6 feet long.

But it gave me some ideas for reinforcing the siyahs with a Kevlar twill maybe?  Or backing with carbon and wrapping with S-2 glass?  I was thinking some sort of 90 degree reinforcement would be good if my limb is only an inch thick, although at 24” maybe that’s an alright ratio.

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  • Registered: 2017-05-05
  • Posts: 167
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Re: DIY tiny bow

This forum seems less of a DIY bowyer meeting area, for what reasons soever.
But it would be great if you keep us (me) updated about the proceeding of your projects.

As mentioned, there are several resources on the net, like bowyer fora and YT videos.
IMHO a bow with siyahs is already an advanced project - I don't have any personal experience with that.

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  • Jawa
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  • From: Maine
  • Registered: 2018-11-06
  • Posts: 5

Re: DIY tiny bow

Fair enough.  I’ll definitely keep you updated on the project.  Waiting on materials now.  I’m using S-2 fiberglass fabric and epoxy on 1/8th inch thick fiberglass bar. Bow will be 1” at the widest part of the limb, unless I decide to make it narrower for some reason.  I bought six feet of it so I can experiment a bit. Although I’m not too excited about sanding all this fiberglass. I’m going to need a way to control the dust.

I haven’t got the wood for the siyahs yet.  Maybe I’m underestimating the complexity, but it seems relatively easy to carve?  I found a few decent forum posts that might point me in the right direction. I’m going to reinforce the siyahs with fiberglass cloth because they seem like they could be a weak point.

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  • Registered: 2017-05-05
  • Posts: 167
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Re: DIY tiny bow

Jawa wrote:

Although I’m not too excited about sanding all this fiberglass. I’m going to need a way to control the dust.

Wetting the sandpaper ?
The stuff sold here (at least that with fabric backing) can be used dry and wet, this is explicitly noted on the backside.

Jawa wrote:

I haven’t got the wood for the siyahs yet.  Maybe I’m underestimating the complexity, but it seems relatively easy to carve?

Wood is an anisotropic material. When trying to carve it from a single piece, the fibers need to go along with the shape, or it will break immediately.
Or you can use the plywood approach - 3 or 4 thin layers, with the fibers crosswise. I actually have a bow with siyahs made this way. Perhaps you can replace one layer with glassfiber.

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  • From: SoCal
  • Registered: 2015-08-12
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Re: DIY tiny bow

The only 'walkthrough' for making these kinds of bows that I'm aware of is this: https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to … p-by-step/

Pedro C's Website

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