Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => English Warbow => Topic started by: Del the cat on November 21, 2013, 09:58:12 am
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This is made from High altitude Chinese Yew... Well no, It's English really, but...
I had to climb 10 foot onto a roof to saw it and it was growing at the back of a Chinese Resteraunt ::).
Stats 80" ntn. a tad over 130# at 32" weight 2 lb 9.5 oz
I don't do the mass principle thing myself, but if anyone wants to draw conclusions from the weight I'd be interested to hear them.
White Waterbuffalo horn nocks, double gooved to allow a stringer.
There were a few really weird dips in the bow (see one of the pics) and I had to reduce the sapwood in some areas, mainly the outer 1/3 of the limbs to keep a decent amount of heartwood. I still tried to follow a ring where possible or leave the violations running along the bow.
Full build along and pics on my blog, also vid of it actually flexing on the tiller.
The force draw curve is very linear and pretty consistently 5# per inch (see blog)
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/warbow-130-at-32.html (http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/warbow-130-at-32.html)
It's still not been actually shot yet... Heffalump is the intended recipient/test pilot and he needs to man up >:D
The stave had a little deflex originally and has taken a little set. Mind I was worried about coming in under weight so it's actually been as heavy as 145# at 31" during the build.
Enjoy ;D
Del
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Very very nice, Senor Cat! Doesn't look like super tight yew... just goes ta show yah... yah don't need 100 rpi to make a heavy warbow. Your tiller is perfect, and the horn nocks are drop dead sexy. I look forward to a full draw pic... but like you, I would be unable to get it back myself. If Heffalump decides he doesn't want it, you could throw it on a boat and send it across the pond to the colonies!
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Looking at the tiller again... I'm guessing the left limb is the bottom? Cuz it's quite a bit stiffer than the right.
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Looking at the tiller again... I'm guessing the left limb is the bottom? Cuz it's quite a bit stiffer than the right.
Yup, I always do lower limb to the left.
that one has that weird dip in it it too. It took a lot of work to get that dip working, it was way stiff , I had to ease down the sap wood on the high side and go quite thin on the heart wood on t'other, it was a real 'slow and steady job'.
here's a pic at the grip showing the rpi and my bowyers mark.
Del
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Another beauty Del! Can't wait to see full draw on this one!
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real beauty Del.
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That's right.. rub it in :( >:D
Stunning as always Del - true craftsmanship. To get a stave like that to give you 130# is no mean feat.
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Very nice, beauty of a bow, as always. Looks like you might of been able to get a couple staves out of that tree.
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Very nice, beauty of a bow, as always. Looks like you might of been able to get a couple staves out of that tree.
Yeah, there are more staves there, but it's in a conservation area so they won't let me cut them >:(. I was allowed to cut just that one because it had chainsaw damage at it's base.
Of course when I was up on that roof with my saw, a little voice was urging me to cut another too >:D... but I was a good kitty.
Del
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Very nice, beauty of a bow, as always. Looks like you might of been able to get a couple staves out of that tree.
Yeah, there are more staves there, but it's in a conservation area so they won't let me cut them >:(. I was allowed to cut just that one because it had chainsaw damage at it's base.
Of course when I was up on that roof with my saw, a little voice was urging me to cut another too >:D... but I was a good kitty.
Del
Well thats a shame. If I was in your shoes, it would of been hard to only cut one! It seems you got a good piece though at least, it made a hell of a bow.
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Nice looking bow Sir. You should name it "Chinese take away". ;)
Pity that the conservation zone won't let you trim another stave out of that tree, probably do the tree more good than harm given how close it is to a building and all...
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Do you put a mark on the bow for the archer to know where to nock the arrow, or just leave it bare?
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holy...
wow. just Beautiful.
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Do you put a mark on the bow for the archer to know where to nock the arrow, or just leave it bare?
The mark is to show where the arrow pass is.
I'd rather put a small discrete arrow plate as those fat Ash arrow shafts with bound on fletchings can rasp away at the wood.
Prob' not an issue in warfare when a bow may not last more than one campain or maybe even one battlw. But with difficult to find Yew it makes sense in a mdern context.
I think the EWBS doesn't "allow" arrow plates in their definition of a warbow....
Another reason I'm not over keen on societies... I can make what the heck I like! But this is for an EWBS member...
Interesting that AFAIK the Mary Rose bows showed no sign of wear at the arrow pass...
Any comments, theories, observations gratefully received.
Del
(All just my opinion of course...)
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As far as I'm aware, the current accepted theory regarding the lack of wear is that the bows were new, recently issued as government weapons, supplied in the crates and had yet to have been shot. That theory works in tandem with the number of bows (over half!) with reflex in them. Steve Stratton I think believes that the reflex is just a result of the re-drying process, as the sapwood has a different drying speed to the heartwood and pulled the bows towards the back, but I'm not sure how widely accepted that is. Either way, almost none of the bows showed any sign of string follow or set, and that plus the complete lack of any wear does suggest a brand new bow.
Interestingly enough, if the arrows are made well enough they don't do an awful lot of damage at the pass of the bow. A lot of people for some reason bind their fletchings with thick linen (I think Richard Head's videos are to blame for this!) which of course once varnished/glued etc is a might lump which can gouge out the soft yew, but no records of linen whippings have been found, it was always silk. If the fletchings themselves are cut properly, and the ends facing the arrowhead are burned with a hot tool and pressed hard into the arrow shaft, then whipped with thin, strong silk you get an almost perfect transition between shaft and fletching, and shouldn't gouge too much out of the bow at all.
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@Will
Good point on the silk!
I think a correctly spined well made arrow would be fine... but of course there is no evidence that arrows were spined for specific bows. Dunno if they even had got to grips with the concept of spine, as most longbows above say 50# will shoot just about anything, especially with a long draw.
Del
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Its a shame that when you were up on the roof cutting the yew, you didn't accidentally 'discover' some other damage to the other trees...... ;)
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Its a shame that when you were up on the roof cutting the yew, you didn't accidentally 'discover' some other damage to the other trees...... ;)
I had to submit photos and stuff in triplicate (I jest ye not!) My son suggested I photoshop some 'damage' onto any suitable limbs >:D
Del
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Its a shame that when you were up on the roof cutting the yew, you didn't accidentally 'discover' some other damage to the other trees...... ;)
I had to submit photos and stuff in triplicate (I jest ye not!) My son suggested I photoshop some 'damage' onto any suitable limbs >:D
Del
You gotta do what ya gotta do. A couple years ago, every time it would storm real bad, before it hit I would go out and get ready cutting some bow wood. My first reason is that the wind of the storm when it came would help me bring the tree down, and help it from getting stuck up in the branches, etc. My other reason was that some of the places I was cutting bow wood were kind of,.. "iffy"... ( :) ),... and I figured people would think the tree was falling from the storm as trees sometimes do during heavy storms, instead of some lunatic out in the woods pilfering trees in the middle of a storm, :o. My third reason was that cutting bow wood in a storm is just fun.
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Cutting bow wood in a storm...........what a safe idea ::)
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Safe!
Safe doesn't come into it. When my 130 lb baby exploded on me after stinging it, I realised this can be a dangerous obsession.
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lol, what an addiction we all have!
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Looks like the real thing to me...
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Screw safe....what about fun! If I had to be 'safe' all the time life would be mighty boring ;) Bring on the storms!
I made an ipe/hickory bow for a chap once who insisted on using heavy nylon soaked in superglue to wrap his fletches on....when I saw the bow a few months later the bindings had cut into the bow by 1/16th.......and that was ipe.....
Anyroad nice bow Del.
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Beautifully done, warms my heart! Do you catalog all the yew trees in your area that may be available? That is quite a find. I would have been hard pressed not to take another one too, but in the end I would take what is available and be happy with it.
Robby
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Pretty darn awesome. I would need another set of arms to pull that thing.
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Great bow Del
The real enjoyment comes from the whole process. Find the tree, get it anyway you can, then turn it into a thing of such beauty with the risk of failure hanging over every move.
I don't know how you can possibly part with it!
About that 'reflex that develops' as the stave dries. Would it not be brought back to the original trunk shape soon into tillering. I've noticed this seems to be the case with the woods I have used?
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There is a local Yew Forest near me ( about 3 miles) and iv'e been given permision to help myself :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:, the area is fenced off and is on a steepish slope. spotted some nice straight bits not sure about heart / sap. only one way to find out :P
@ Del if it's any good ill try get some to you. ;) and it turned out great! loved the buildalong