Wooden Bows: What I Wish I'd Known When I Started

Jim Hamm does a great job in this short, sweet and to the point guidebook to fashioning your own traditional bow. He packs all the insights and learnings that are relevant to a novice bowyer from three books into one that is aimed at helping us make a good bow from square one, and wast as little lumber as possible.The book isn't a replacement for a good bow-building workshop or course, but even if you didn't attend one (and even if you did!) this book will put you on the right path and highlight for you the most important things to remember.Jim does this all with a very practical and easy to understand language, as well as lots of very helpful photos and sketches. He lists the tools you'll need (and the list is surprisingly short!), defines important terms, and provides detailed procedural instructions (and standard specifications) for several different models of bow, using various easily obtainable (and a few more exotic or premium) woods.It's still a go-to reference book for me, even after having attended a 3-day workshop and successfully crafted several bows on my own.

Jim Hamm is perhaps the bowyer most responsible for the modern resurgence of self bow making. His Bows and Arrows of the Narive Americans was the first how-to manual for archers interested in recreating the bows of the first North Americans. His four-volume Traditional Bowyers Bible is indeed the Bible of traditional bow making, a collection of essays and how-to articles of some of the most knowledgeable and experienced bowyers in the country.This brief book (just 61 pages of large type that could have easily been squeezed into 40) is a very concise distillation of what Hamm has learned about wood selection, bow making, and shooting since he began making and a hunting with self bows. There’s some good advice for experienced bowyers, and enough information for a first timer, although the first timer would do well to read some of the available on line sources and forums to fill in the details.

I have been shooting traditional archery for over 55 years and have been an avid reader of traditional archery literature. This is concise and we'll written, if not a little basic. However, I would recommend this to beginners and avid archers alike.

Learned so much. Worth every penny. Especially appreciated learning the effects of wood density on ideal design. This information will guide all future builds. Thank you!

Before going in to the woods looking for wood to make a bow. Read this book first.

The author is an experienced archer, author, and craftsman. This book distills the essential steps to making your own bow. The instructions are clear, simple, short, and easy to understand. I have several classic books that ramble on about bow-making. This text gets to the point with no distracting stories or off-topic discussion. This is the essential guide. I recommend without reservation.

Jim Hamm is a fine writer and major contributor to the Bowyer's Bible series. This small gem is a concisely written introduction to bow-making, full of great advice. It is definitely more suited to the beginner and would make a great companion to the Bowyer's Bible series; one with experience may find it less informative.I was delighted at the quality of the color photographs in my Kindle edition (which I am reading via the Kindle app on my phone). It appears that the photos in the print version are in black and white, and I cannot attest to the printed quality.All in all a concise, easy to read book with great advice. 4 stars only because there's not much in it for those with more experience.

Jim Hamm is a great bow maker, a clear writer, and has years of experience. If you make bows, you will want this book. if you are new to bow making, you will want this book. It's never more complicated than the basics. Jim knows the basics well and shares them well.

This book is a succinct and clear summary of the topic. No filler. As such, it is quite short and can be read in only one cup of tea. Good information, though, and insightful.

Pobre de contenidoFácil de leer, ideal para coger nociones básicas pero No lo volvería a comprar

I liked simplicity of content and relatability to my hobby. Book good for someone with some experience in bow making but needing direction . Good reading

Read everything else he's written... then read this. If you're just starting out, like I am, it's invaluable.

Good book if you’re in to making bow s like me I injoyed ,a little sort over all I did like it good for a beginner.