Richard Cyphers, a Skaneateles resident for the last 33 years, can't help but beam as he talks about the hand carving work his son Jeff does.

”I am very proud of my son for his work and accomplishments in hand carving,“ he said. ”Jeff was born with a gift that makes him an outstanding hand carver“

Jeff, 44, majored in forest management in college and after graduating he started working as a forester. On the side, Jeff was carving various pieces of antler craftwork, including belt buckles, turkey calls and antler lamps. One individual was so impressed with his carving ability he offered Cyphers a full-time job. He accepted, and for the last 12 years has been employed by the Willow Brook Prosthetics company. Jeff now uses his skills to help individuals replace lost limbs and other body parts.

”Several years ago, Jeff became real involved in archery,“ Richard said. ”He hunted with a compound bow but wanted to make archery more of a challenge so he decided to make his own recurve bow. He read several archery magazines and did a lot of research on bow-making.“

Someone gave him a stave - a piece of wood that looks like a split fence post - of osage orange tree and Jeff made a bow to hunt with. He had a piece of the wood left over and used it to make a bow for his wife. She doesn't hunt but enjoys archery. These bows were such a success he made them for his three sons and other family members. Jeff's bow-making continued because he got requests to make them from different individuals.

The bow-making process starts with selecting the right stave of wood. The stave is sealed with wax at each end so moisture is not lost too quickly, then aged with the bark on for at least two years. The bow is hand-carved by Cyphers and made to fit the individual archer according to draw length and personal specifications.

”Between 80 and 100 hours go into the carving of a bow,“ Richard Cyphers said. ”Each bow is as unique as the tree it came from.“

Upon examining the bows, it is clear right away that each bow is a masterpiece of functional artwork and carving. The first bow was named the ”The Arrow.“ It was made from osage orange and bamboo and finished on Aug. 8, 2003. The name and the date were engraved into the bow. It had a carved eagle's head as the arrow rest and a leather handle with turkey tail fathers carved at each end. The outside of the bow was covered with snake skin, and each end was tipped with antler inlays. Two pieces of otter fur were attached to the bow string to serve as silencers. Jeff engraved the following on the inside of the bow: ”I will fly like the eagle. I will soar through these clouds. Take me low, into the valley. Take me down, upon my prey.“

The second bow, named ”The Turkey Bow,“ Jeff made for his father. It was created from three pieces of wood; the face or belly was osage orange, the middle was bitternut hickory and the back was bamboo. The arrow rest was a carved turkey head with a small beard - a piece of a real turkey beard - and a suede leather handle. Turkey feathers were carved at each end of the handle. Real turkey feathers were laminated on the back of the bow and there were antler inlays at each end. It also had otter fur silencers. In addition to a verse from the Bible chosen by his father, Jeff carved a prayer he wrote himself on the bow.

Jeff has carved about 50 bows over the years and each one is a unique masterpiece of carvings and artwork.