Learning how to make archery bows isn’t impossible. If you’ve never really worked with wood, be prepared to be patient and to make mistakes.

As far as supplies go, you’ll need a piece of straight wood and a knife. You have different options when choosing your wood; yew and bamboo are two popular options. The piece of wood you select should be about three feet long. Your knife should be sharp and sturdy. You’ll also need a piece of string that isn’t too stretchy, so that you are able to accurately shoot an arrow from it. Some commonly used types of string are fishing line, nylon and Kevlar.

Your first step is to carve the wood. Don’t fight any curvature that the wood naturally has, but try to shape it into a bow-like shape, which has an angle. The ends of the bow, where the string will be attached, should be narrower than the center of the bow.

Now you’ll attach the string. Before you secure the string to the bow, make sure that you wax it. Cut two notches into the ends of the bow to attach the string to. The string should be tight, with no slack.

Remember that arrows should be made to fit the bow, so you’ll have to make those too. The arrows should be able to fit inside the bow and should be made of wood with steel heads. Arrows that are too short won’t travel very far while arrows that are too long risk breaking when you shoot them. Some archers choose to add feathers, which can make the arrows shoot quickly and on-target.