How Do You Make A Bow And Arrow?

I'm really into wilderness survival, and I like to make tools and things with improvised materials. I've been trying to make a bow and arrow out of things I find in my yard, and the clothes on my back. I've figured out how to make arrows, but I can't find a good stick for the bow. What wood would work best? How would you prepare it?

randkl answered:
Lots of diff woods work well. There is no "best" in a survival situation. What you have then is "good enough"....because you aren't in any position to be choosy.

Pick any standing sapling or tree branch that's approx 3-4" in diameter, as straight as possible, with as little taper from one end to the other as possible. On saplings, that usually means you need to cut them about a foot above the root swell and then again just below the first branch. Aim for about four to six feet of usable length.

Next step is to quarter it into usable staves. If it's straight, simply wedge your knife blade down into the middle of the thinner end and hammer/tap it through to the opposite end with a chunk of wood. Four usable wedges that way. If it's bent/curved, you want to draw your X on the thinner end so the top wedge is curved away from you, the lower is toward you, and the two sides are trash. You'll see what I mean.
Always work thinner end to thicker.

Skin the bark off your stave, but try not to cut the wood fiber itself on the face. You want the face smooth. The backside, scrape and clean it so there's no really loose splinters to be seen. Splinters mean the wood will split when you flex it.

Once your staves are cut and splinters cleaned, simply mark your center and then start thinning the limbs out towards the tips with your knife. You want to maintain the triangle/wedge shape at the center but flatten it gradually as you move toward the limb tips. Done perfectly, you'll *flatten* that triangle up 2/3's the length of the limb and then start *narrowing* the triangle the last 1/3.

Your center for your grip... Measure and mark the exact center of the stave, and then place your palm onto that mark so your middle finger is wrapped right on it/around it... Now mark a second mark where the upper edge of your hand now falls. That will be your arrow rest position.

Carve your nocks, add a string, and have fun. It's rough, but it'll get you by the few days until you're rescued.

I won't bore you with tillering. You aren't going for any range records and you won't be hunting buffalo. If your tiller is off a bit... if one limb bends slightly more than the other....simply reposition your nock spot on the string.