Arrow bow made from old bed slats

Material

• 2 old bed slats (made of wood)
• 2 pieces of solid squared timber
• Rope cord or kite string (DIY store, outdoor store,...)
• Wood glue

Tools:

• Saw
• File, planer or angle grinder with flap disc
• Double meter
• 2 screw clamps
• Pin

Cost: 0 to 10.- (CHF)

Working time: 1h to 4h (depending on processing)

Workflow

First, the length of the future arch is determined. It should not exceed the height of the builder.

We now halve this measurement and this value is drawn on each of the two bed slats. Based on the size of the bow maker's hand, we now also determine the size of the handle, which is also halved and drawn backwards from the previous final measurement on one bed slat each. Attention: the marked area of the handle will not be sanded in the next step!

Now sand the bed batten on the side that will later face the cord so that the thickness tapers towards the tip. This ensures that the slats bend evenly under load.

Sanding the bed slats takes a lot of stamina; you may be able to do some preparatory work with smaller children using a planer or a sander.

Next, saw off two pieces of hardwood the same length as the handle. Then place the slats on top of each other, glue a piece of hardwood to the top and bottom and secure the whole thing with screw clamps. As soon as the glue has dried, the handle can be filed into a shape that fits comfortably in the hand.

The construction is completed by sawing two notches at the top and bottom of the slats for the bowstring.

Finally, the reep or kite string is cut to length so that the standing height (distance from string to handle) is about 10 cm. A strap is tied to each end and attached to the bow.

Variants

• The handle can be covered with leather, which gives the bow a more sophisticated look

Sources

• Overview picture: Andi Flückiger
• Photos: Andi Flückiger