Bamboo Bow and Arrow

 by soliloquy
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Hand crafted bow and arrow made of bamboo that looks perfectly natural. Can be fine tuned to be used as a real hunting bow hitting targets up to 50ft away (depending on the arrow used).
And it looks awesomely cool!
 
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Step 1: Tools and Materials

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What will be required to make this bow:
Tools:
1. Hand saw
2. Hex saw
3. Penknife
4. Scissors
5. Hammer and Chisel
6. Machete/ Knife
7. Pencil
8. Sandpaper
9. Stool

Materials:
1. Dried Bamboo (Thick and Thin) - You can make do with whatever type you have
2. Jute
3. Inner tube of a motorbike tire / Nylon string
GDADZGSONS says: Feb 7, 2013. 7:04 AM
What is the draw weight?
fallout-fanboy #1 says: Oct 22, 2012. 2:20 AM
MWHAHAAHHAHAH I HAVE A WHOLE FOREST OF BAMBOO IN MY BACKYARD
nike05 says: Jun 25, 2012. 1:42 PM
Very nice ... bro :)
koay says: Jun 23, 2012. 4:49 AM
How to make the arrow
curvy77 says: Oct 31, 2011. 7:02 PM
huh, nice one man! i never tried that before. when i used bamboo i attempted a spear but could never get it quite right. got any tips?
Nixion in reply to curvy77May 1, 2012. 8:35 AM
Did u try straghtening it?
curvy77 in reply to NixionMay 1, 2012. 6:39 PM
|( No i tried sticking it inside an outlet to see if i could use it to charge my car. Piece was straight, but bamboo is partialy hollow so didnt know how to go about forming a point without tieing one on.
Nixion in reply to curvy77May 27, 2012. 11:14 PM
try a four pronged spear
y know the ones with four seperate points
search it on google you should get plenty of results
i did make one few months ago it was great for fishing
[sorry for the late reply]
curvy77 in reply to NixionMay 29, 2012. 2:55 PM
i think thats called a trident but pretty sure im wrong. never thought about multiple points. thnx for the idea.
Nixion in reply to curvy77Jun 3, 2012. 2:17 AM
Your welcome
i have some experience with using bamboo
Ting Shen says: Oct 26, 2011. 4:42 AM
Cool , ur bow looks tradisional and it look like chinese hand made bow ! Thx for sharing because i make a bamboo bow from ur information.
sarnasalam says: May 9, 2011. 8:55 PM
Hw u doing mAn < wht thing's need to mke a prefect bow n arrow.....thks mn !
jpereira11 in reply to sarnasalamAug 16, 2011. 12:52 PM
nice mustache
sarnasalam says: May 9, 2011. 8:39 PM
it's wonder......well doing ,nc mn ~
handyman22 says: Oct 4, 2009. 5:28 AM
hey i was just wondering, which type of rope/string should i use for a very strong and effective bow, preferable so it can be accurate and go as far as it can. I would like to try use fishing line, but would nylon string be the best choice??
dustindodd in reply to handyman22May 2, 2011. 9:25 AM
550 paracord. fishing line will cut your fingers.
soliloquy (author) in reply to handyman22Oct 23, 2009. 4:32 AM
 Its best if you can get something like the real bow string. Fishing lines might be some trouble to tie
williskid says: Jul 30, 2010. 3:24 AM
what type of bamboo did you use, i live in the tropics and so there is only 2 types of bamboo, a stupid kind and a even stupider kind. XD
Mikedood says: Jul 28, 2010. 9:20 PM
Havent made one yet, but from what i've heard, 550 paracord works pretty well for a bowstring
sockless says: Jun 22, 2010. 1:36 AM
Do you have any idea how many pounds or Kgs of force are required to pull this bow fully back?
TheBlackSharpie says: Jan 26, 2010. 3:48 PM
Would braiding 20lb test monofilament work as an alternative to real string?
cavaliere says: Jan 20, 2010. 7:59 PM
what pound test does this have (approximately)?
kraggle says: Apr 23, 2009. 7:29 PM
What is the test on this bow, just wondering because usually hunting deer requires at least a fifty or sixty pound test...
bubba j in reply to kraggleJul 5, 2009. 5:53 PM
no thirty fiv eto forty leagal
kraggle in reply to bubba jJul 5, 2009. 6:27 PM
Please, could you at least take the time to write what you are thinking instead of bashing the keyboard to vomit out what you call words, theres even a spell check on here so just click it... but yes, the legal test for a bow is thirty-five to forty pounds.
bubba j in reply to kraggleJul 13, 2009. 10:11 AM
ya sorry mr. bossy
soliloquy (author) in reply to kraggleApr 24, 2009. 3:07 AM
erm i never tested it that way,
The main problem is getting a good arrow, so far none of my arrows fly straight for more than 10ft =P
But if you used a nylon string instead of the flexible rubber i used, and got an aerodynamic spinning arrow, im sure it can take down a rabbit! LoLs
I'm sure it would for a deer too, just i wouldn't do that unless i was really desperate for food =D
PyromaniacDaniel in reply to soliloquyJan 1, 2010. 8:24 PM
if you want a more accurate arrow you need to give it some sort of drag in the back such as fletchings or simply a bunch of yarn bits tied to the back and glued in place. Use some hair and paint it black and you have a ork arrow. the better the fletching the more accurate the arrow. straightness of the arrow matters very little in comparison to fletching.
kraggle in reply to soliloquyApr 24, 2009. 9:46 AM
You do know what a test for a bow is, right? Anyway, a real good bamboo bow should go at least forty yards. If you are trying to make a good arrow and cannot get a straight shaft I would have to suggest using a dowel, lol...well thanks for the instructable.
lmuli3 says: Jun 10, 2009. 4:52 AM
plz make an instructable for the catapult
jerseyman says: Mar 24, 2009. 9:22 AM
Nice looking bow, A couple of questions,1 what diameter bamboo for the handle section and length.what size bamboo for the limbs , are they flatten. THANKS JERSEY MAN
soliloquy (author) in reply to jerseymanApr 10, 2009. 7:11 PM
The bamboo i am using is a different breed, they grow at most up to 2inches in diameter. the one i used for the handle is about 1inch in dameter and the limbs are actually splitted from a 2inch diameter bamboo (1 full bamboo can make 4-8 limbs) i dont think there is a way to "flatten" bamboo hehe more over full rounded bamboos are hard to bend unless they are less than 0.5 inches thick
BillyK12 says: Feb 11, 2009. 12:27 PM
how long does it last?
soliloquy (author) in reply to BillyK12Feb 12, 2009. 6:24 PM
it depends on the materials you use.
i find that the rubber looses elasticity and it also degrades over time,
so if you replace that with some other material, it would last longer =)
ItsTheHobbs says: Feb 9, 2009. 1:56 PM
Nice bow, it looks really nice!
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