Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Designation of occupation

Bow maker (m/f)

Duration of traineeship

3 years
The venues for training delivery are the training company and the vocational school

Field of activity

Bow makers craft, in traditional manner and independently, all types of bows for stringed musical instruments. Another important part of their work is the professional repair of bows.

Occupational skills

Bow makers

• can recognize and distinguish between different types of bow and bow manufacture;
• manually craft and machine wood and other natural materials, plastics and metals, mainly by sawing, drilling, milling, filing, scraping and grinding;
• select appropriate woods, bone, horn, mother-of-pearl and horse-hair taking due account of the required properties and store these materials appropriately;
• craft all the individual parts of a bow, such as the bow stick, the heel and the screw, and assemble these into a complete bow;.
• finish the surfaces of various bow woods using appropriate procedures, mainly staining, oiling, lacquering and polishing;
• prepare the bow to a ready-to-use state and carry out a final check;
• carry out repairs to bows in a professional manner.

Last modified on: December 12, 2006