FOREST AND STREAM 
May 17, 1913 
NOTES ON ROW MAKING. 
Com nil d {rom page lijO. 
by the handle, belly up, and with a drawing 
knife or spoke shave the corners of the belly 
should be rounded off, so that a section of the 
how at any point if sawed through would look 
like a letter U, which was almost if not quite 
as deep as it was wide. 1 he proportion of 
depth to width varies among different bowyers, 
so you are free to make a deep or flat how as 
your fancy dictates. Of course, there are limits 
in either direction. In reducing the belly of 
the how. care must be taken that an even 
amount of wood is removed from either side 
or corner It will be observed that the grain 
of the wood runs out. on account of the taper, 
and it is most desirable that the pointed ends 
of the grain be kept in line with the center line 
of the bow, so that it will resemble the leaves 
of a buggy spring. The handle should gradu¬ 
ally taper into each limb. 
Care should be taken in reducing the belly 
of the bow to follow the lines of the bow as 
determined by the back. The back is‘ the base 
line from which we work, and if there is a kink 
or depression in it we must have a correspond¬ 
ing bulge or raised place in the belly. Knots 
are a constant source of trouble and ruin many 
good sticks; but if it is a small sound knot, we 
do not have to condemn the stick, but may 
save it by “raising the knot,” which is done by 
leaving the knot and the wood surrounding it 
higher than the limb on either side of the knot. 
This makes an unsightly bulge, but if properly 
done, it will not militate against the shooting 
qualities of the bow. 
If you are using a heavy, dense wood, you 
may make your bow “whipended” or a gradual 
taper from handle to nock; but if you are using 
the more bulky or softer woods, the bow will 
be too bulky at the ends, so that it will be best 
to taper it on the sides for three or four inches 
from the nock to lighten it and take away the 
stubby appearance. Before it is possible to 
complete the bow. it will be necessarj' to string 
It in order to determine its weight and equalize 
the amount of curve in the limbs. Notches 
should be filed in the sides of the bow at the 
ends, using a small rat-tail file, and making the 
notches deep enough to securely hold the string. 
Do not notch the back. Horn tips can be 
easily made and are a great improvement over 
notches. 
At the earliest possible moment you should 
string your bow and carefully examine it, to 
ascertain if it bends evenly throughout its en¬ 
tire length. Look along the back lengthwise 
and see if it bends even and flat, or if it is 
pulled out of shape by the string. If the latter 
is the case and the string does not cut the 
middle of the bow, it will be necessary to cure 
this defect by scraping that side of the belly 
which is opposite the portion of the back which 
is bulged out; in other words, scrape the low 
side of the belly. Do this very gradually and 
carefully, and closely watch the result of your 
efforts. If one limb bends more than the other, 
the stronger limb must be reduced to corre¬ 
spond. The handle must not bend in the least, 
and each limb must bend ip an even, graceful 
curve from handle to tip. If the bow is too 
heavy and it is necessary to reduce it, care must 
be taken to see that an equal amount is re¬ 
moved from either limb. After getting the bow 
to bend to suit you, it should be weighed. To 
do this, weigh out in a cloth bag as much earth 
or sand as will correspond to the weight you 
desire for the bow, and affix a hook to the bag. 
At a convenient point on the wall of your shop 
drive two large nails four inches apart. Mark 
a point 28 inches below these nails, hang the 
bow on these nails at the handle and hook the 
bag’of sand in the center of the string. When 
the bag of sand will pull the string down to the 
mark, you have a bow of the desired weight. 
For safety, the hook on the bag should be suf¬ 
ficiently long to allow the bag to rest on the 
floor when the bow is drawn 28 inches. Of 
course, in making this test you must not allow 
the bow to be under strain any length of time; 
hang on your weight, ease it down to the point 
where the bow will hold it, note the distance 
and immediately remove the weight. 
You will remember that the exact center of 
the bow is not the center of the handle; the 
upper end of the handle is inches above the 
center and the lower is three inches from the 
center. This causes the upper limb to be 
longer than the lower, and in consequence it 
bends the most, as it should do. In perfectly 
made bows this is quite noticeable when the 
bow' is braced. Measurement from string to 
belly halfway up the limb will show a difference 
of ^2 inch in either limb, so that in reducing 
‘‘Tenement Tommy’’ 
Asks for 
A Square Deal 
H e lives In New York’s stuffy tenement 
district, the most congested spot in 
America. 
In his sultry three-room home there is 
scarcely space to eat and sleep. His play¬ 
ground is the blistering pavement of the ill- 
smclling streets, hemmed in by scorching 
brick walls. 
No trees, no grass, not even a whiff of 
fresh air,—in the only world Tommy knows. 
Ash cans are his background, and the tattle 
and roar of traffic his environment. 
Tommy’s widowed mother is broken with 
worry ; his sisters and brothers are as pallid 
and frail as he. The winter struggle has 
sapped their vitality. They are starving for air. 
No medicine will help Tommy. What he, 
his mother and the other children need are: 
a chance to breathe something pure and 
fresh,—a taste of sunshine and outdoor 
freedom,—an outing in the country or at the seashore. 
But between Tommy and his needs stands poverty, 
the result of misfortune. He must suffer just as if it were 
all his fault. 
And that is why Tommy appeals for a square deal. 
Nor does he wish you to forget his mother, or his pals 
and their mothers,—all in the same plight, 
every summer sends thousands of “Tenement 
Tommies”, mothers and babies to the country and to Sea Breeze, its fresh 
air home at Coney Island. A dollar bill, a five dollar check, or any 
amount you care to contribute, will help us to answer Tommy’s appeal. 
Send contributions to Robert Shaw Minturn, Treasurer, Room 204, 
105 East 22nd Street, New York City. 
^ This Association 
NEW YORK ASSOCIATION FOR IMPROVING 
THE CONDITION OF THE POOR . 
SUGGESTIONS 
A lawn sociable by 
your class, Sunday 
School or Club. 
A card party at your 
summer hotel or 
camp. 
A subscription amonr 
your f.icnds. 
R. FULTON CUTTING, President 
