The Art of Making Selfbows
Author: Stim Wilcox
Softbound
Reviewed by Ed Ingold
ere is a very comprehensive book for beginners and accomplished bowyers alike. Stim Wilcox goes beyond where other how-to books leave off. Accompanied by over 200 full color photos and illustrations, he explains every aspect of bow building step by step, from selecting stave wood to producing a perfect finish. This book will complement any bowyer’s library. Besides the basic how-to sections, there are sections on heatbending, splicing billets, shaping handles, and treating problems such as knots, cracks, and other things that can and do go wrong. In addition to the basics involved in building a selfbow from scratch, this book takes you to advanced levels of bowery that separate the pros from the do-ityourselfers. If you would like to take your
bow building expertise to a higher level, this book shows you how to eliminate stack, reduce hand shock, stabilize arrow flight, and many other tricks of the trade that only the most experienced pros know and understand. Then it takes you one step further and shows you how to apply that knowledge and understanding to a piece of wood to produce your own beautifully crafted, professional quality self bow. This book takes the guesswork out of building self bows.
ere is a very comprehensive book for beginners and accomplished bowyers alike. Stim Wilcox goes beyond where other how-to books leave off. Accompanied by over 200 full color photos and illustrations, he explains every aspect of bow building step by step, from selecting stave wood to producing a perfect finish. This book will complement any bowyer’s library. Besides the basic how-to sections, there are sections on heatbending, splicing billets, shaping handles, and treating problems such as knots, cracks, and other things that can and do go wrong. In addition to the basics involved in building a selfbow from scratch, this book takes you to advanced levels of bowery that separate the pros from the do-ityourselfers. If you would like to take your