Salt Spring Island · British Columbia

Bows built by hand, from stave to string

Traditional wooden bows shaped one at a time with drawknife, rasp and scraper, from staves split and seasoned by the bowyer himself. Every one is a fully functional weapon.

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A working bowyer's studio

Nothing here is rushed, and nothing is made twice.

Every bow begins as a stave split by hand and left to season for years, and ends as a working bow meant to be drawn and shot.

Christopher splits and seasons all of his own staves, often leaving them for years before a bow is ever roughed out of them. His preferred material is Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), increasingly scarce and, to his mind, one of the finest and most beautiful bow woods in the world. He also works with other local woods and selected imported woods, along with horn, rawhide, sinew and leather.

The Maker

Christopher Applewhaite

Christopher has had a lifelong fascination with bows and archery, and builds traditional wooden bows on Salt Spring Island using hand tools. He is a traditional bow hunter, and every bow that leaves the workshop is a fully functional weapon, built to be drawn, shot and hunted with rather than hung on a wall.

The name honours Oshosi, the orisha of the hunt and the forest: the archer who never misses. It is a reminder that a bow is older than almost everything we own, and that making one still asks for patience, attention and respect for the tree it came from.

The Rack

Bows currently available

Each bow is one of one, and each one is built to be shot. If something here speaks to you, get in touch and we will talk draw weight, draw length and where the bow is headed. No carts, no checkout, just a conversation.

Salish Yew

Pacific yew longbow · 48# @ 28"

Sapwood back, heartwood belly, from a stave seasoned four years. Horn nocks and a stitched leather grip.

$1,150 CADEnquire

Raven's Reach

Pacific yew flatbow · 42# @ 28"

A quick, quiet hunting weight flatbow with a hand-stitched leather grip and a warm honey finish.

$980 CADEnquire

Character yew stave bow with natural curves

Crooked Cedarline

Character yew stave · 44# @ 28"

A snaky, knotted stave that kept every one of its curves. One of a kind, truly.

$1,050 CADEnquire

Ironwood

Ocean spray longbow · 52# @ 29"

Dense, fast and unfussy, from one of the hardest woods on the island. Built for hunting and long field days.

$890 CADEnquire

Sinew-backed bigleaf maple bow with wrapped grip

Tide Line

Sinew-backed bigleaf maple · 38# @ 27"

Backed with sinew and rawhide for a forgiving, easy draw. A lovely first wooden bow.

$620 CADEnquire

Wren (Youth)

Vine maple youth bow · 18# @ 22"

Scaled for small archers and signed on the limb. A real bow, just a smaller one.

$320 CADEnquire

Sold bows stay on the site as part of the record. Commissions open twice a year.

See the whole rack

Get in touch

Curious about a bow? Write to Christopher.

Whether it is a bow on the rack, a commission, or a spot in a workshop, every order starts with a short conversation about how and where you will shoot, and what you will be shooting at.

Start a conversationEnquiries and commissions↗Build your own bowWeekend workshops↗