Available on these platforms: Spotify | Anchor | Apple | PocketCasts
Mikke Reinikainen is a Finnish bowyer who has been carving primitive bows for more than two decades and has made over 600 bows, several hundred of which he still has. He is a longstanding board member in Finland’s largest primitive archery club.
“I’m the craftsman. I’m supposed to be behind the curtains making your stuff, not in front of the desk. ”
Please enjoy this episode of Project Quiver on Salish Wolf with Mikke Reinikainen.
Episode Links:
https://www.facebook.com/mikke.reinikainen
https://keskustelu.primitiivijousi.fi/
Quiver at Anchor Point Expeditions
Summary:
Todd interviews Finnish bowyer Mikke Reinikainen about his decades-long practice of making primitive self-bows, his craft background, and the woods he works with. Mikke explains how he finds and evaluates local timber, why he preserves a branch's natural character, and what his collection of more than 600 bows has taught him. Mikke talks with host Todd about his approach to making primitive bows, from accepting natural irregularities to deciding how much to refine a bow for a commission. He also reflects on archery, historical craft, a period of depression and renewed inspiration, offering a candid look at the values and experiences behind his work.
Show Notes:
Mikke says he has made more than 600 bows since he began in 2004, with roughly 129 finished bows in the house and nearly 200 more in the garage.
His route into bow making began at age 17, while studying metal artisan work and learning from another bow maker.
He works as a stoneworker and describes bow making as a hands-on, after-work craft rather than a sales profession.
Mikke has experimented with about 60 wood species, sourcing timber from tree removals, gardens, and places where wood would otherwise be chipped or burned, with permission.
He favors witch elm among his commonly used woods and discusses how yew's durability affects which ancient bows survive for archaeologists to find.
He explains that berry-producing bushes can often yield bow wood, including narrow branches that can still produce substantial draw weights.
For primitive bows, he often preserves the wood's natural curves and character instead of straightening them, while managing other deviations when needed.
Mikke describes how sapwood-to-heartwood proportions matter in bow design, using a Laburnum bow with only a thin sapwood layer as an example.
He briefly shares that he experienced a period of diminished pleasure in activities and returned to hands-on crafts and gaming as ways to re-engage. Mikke explains why a primitive bow’s natural curves and irregularities can be more authentic than a streamlined, machine-finished bow, especially for reenactment.
Finishing and tillering are guided by purpose: commissioned details cost extra, while a bow that shoots safely and holds together may be finished without visual perfection.
He describes making a functional bow in 12 minutes during a speed challenge, and says a bow can be carved in about half an hour without perfectionism.
His toolkit ranges from axe, drawknife, sickle, knife, and rasp to bandsaw, belt sander, and angle grinder; his current shed work is mostly hand-tool based.
A freshly made 90-pound yew bow helped a friend win a reenactment parrot-shooting competition.
Mikke discusses primitive archery and hunting in Finland, describing a small community and the barriers of trust, familiarity, and the effort of making one’s own equipment.
He shares how depression and waning interest reduced his bow making, and how small craft projects, people, and passing along wood and materials helped.
The Secret of the Ice discoveries in Norway inspire bow designs; recovered artifacts include ancient arrows and two bows, including a two-wood bow made with pine and birch.
Mikke argues that historical precision is achievable with hand tools when a craftsperson has the time and patience to learn.
Chapters:
00:00 Meeting Mikke and a quick tour of his Finnish workshop
05:58 A collection of more than 600 handmade bows
09:31 How bow making began at age 17
13:02 Stoneworking by day, bow making after work
17:58 Craft, recovery, and making time for creative work
20:59 Primitive bows, historic replicas, and flight shooting
25:08 Finding bow wood in gardens and cleared land
30:11 Why elm matters, and which ancient bows survive
34:56 What makes a wood species work as bow material
40:57 Preserving natural character and managing sapwood
44:53 Natural wood, string alignment, and authentic primitive bows
47:29 When detail matters, and when a working bow is finished
51:09 Tillering by performance, not appearance
53:09 Why Mikke makes bows, including a 12-minute build
57:07 The hand tools and power tools behind his bows
58:09 A fresh 90-pound bow wins a reenactment contest
01:00:01 Archery, competition, and primitive hunting in Finland
01:06:30 Teaching bow making and losing the urge to carve
01:10:09 Depression, small projects, and finding sparks of interest
01:15:04 Archaeological discoveries inspire new bow projects
01:18:15 What historical bows show about hand-tool precision
01:21:29 Sharing work, other bowyers, and the conversation’s close
