My bow making experience.
A funny story back in the early 70’s when I was in high school, I took woodworking as one of the elective classes. I had been making projects with wood since about the age of 4. I remember my Dad showing me how to safely use a wood lathe about that time in my life. I was bored to tears making the required projects in the Wood Class. I made the first couple of beginner’s projects with no issues. After that my shop teacher noticed that I was wasn’t learning anything, so he came up to me and asked if I wanted to make a bow. I thought he was crazy after a lengthy discussion I agreed to try. As it turned out he had already ordered the supplies for the bow. Once the bow ready to shoot enough my buddies and I would go out to the football field to “test shoot”. School was out before I had the bow completely done so I completed it over the summer. The next year I took wooding again and took an industrial arts class as well, my woodworking teacher taught both classes which I discovered was great. He wanted me to make him a bow, as incentive he said I didn’t need to go to the industrial arts class if I worked on his bow. Well I considered that for and one second and agreed. Before High School was over, I had made several bows for teachers in exchange for going to their classes.
Smokey River Bows, LLC, opened for business on January 1, 2013. Before that I worked in corporate America for most of my adult life. I began my working career at a local aircraft company building experimental business jets. Then worked for a document imaging company and let go do to downsizing after 23 years. Since the economy was in the tank at the time, I wasn’t sure what to do.
At the encouragement of one of my former bosses, my wife and I decided to begin start up a unique company, A company that features handmade traditional archery bows at an affordable price. Bows that made entirely in the United States. Our bow line has grown from Traditional Recurves to Takedown Recurves. We also make Survival Bows, Traditional Longbows as well as Takedown Longbows. We also make English War Bows. Click on this link or click on the button below to see some of the stunning bows we have to offer.