u/Zeh_Weeb

https://preview.redd.it/wv7sx4y0k01h1.png?width=2880&format=png&auto=webp&s=a4504aba319e969570832127582b994614f71942

i got the handle roughly shaped with a rasp and im gonna glue it before i fully shape it, how tightly do i need to set the vices when using wood glue? as well as how thin should i get the handle? I recall hearing the rate at which it tapers on the front profile should mirror the rate it tapers from the side to keep the handle an even diameter all the way through but are there any rough measurements i can follow when cutting it out?

making my first bow, I've cut everything to size and im about to glue the handle onto the board but i'm not sure what type of wood glue works or if some glues might ruin the wood?? i heard titebond is good but my home depot didn't have any.

if i use this 2 dollar epoxy glue from dollarama will it

1. hold
2. ruin anything?

i imagine ill need to tiller it in a way where most of the bowing is away from the handle but will using cheap glue ruin the bow?

I just started making my first board bow never done archery outside of school so I dont have any bowstrings, i heard you can use polycord to tiller the bow but what about for when im done the bow are there any budget materials i could use?

I went to home depot to find a plank to make a bow but i could only find basswood and birch are those easy staves to work with for a first bow? I was looking for hickery but it seems like they don't sell it at my home depot.

from what i understand a backing is a secondary material that is glued to the back of the bow in order to either add to the draw weight or the durability?

in terms of adding more draw weight why would you add a backing instead of simply leaving the stave thicker? does having a backing more resistant than the actual stave prevent snapping at higher draw weights? and finally at what draw weights do backings become a necessity if at all?

a while back I saw a video of a guy making a bow out of a sapling so I decided to go out grab a stick and thin it till it was able to bend, long story short it just snapped my working theory is either rot or spruce being brittle;

Can staves be made out of branches? I don’t own any land so I can’t really cut down a sapling

a few days ago I saw a video of someone making a bow out of a sapling so I decided I'd give it a try, found stick of good thickness and length for a longbow and began processing it. long story short it the wood was unable to bend and just snapped.
my working theory is that;

1. because it was just a stick on the ground it had some type of rot? ( there were worm patterns under the bark)

2. spruce is brittle??

my question is how do I pick out a good log or stick to make a bow? my first attempt I just grabbed a stick at a park.