Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: sonny on May 05, 2013, 04:35:35 pm

Title: Menominee bow ??
Post by: sonny on May 05, 2013, 04:35:35 pm
(see dimensions below)
If A= bow length then that bow is a little longer than 46" and roughly
1-1/4" wide. I'd love to know what the H) dimension refers to-
any ideas ??   


copied from American Museum of Natural History website -
Dimensions: A)L:118.5 W:3.2 H:3.3 I)L:60 W:2.2 H:2 [in CM]

(http://anthro.amnh.org/images/preview/50/50_5298AIJ.jpg)
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: Hrothgar on May 05, 2013, 04:52:46 pm
Just guessin' maybe tip width,
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: Joec123able on May 05, 2013, 05:09:39 pm
Maybe handle ???? That would be a short handle tho lol
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: WillS on May 05, 2013, 07:37:50 pm
Surely if L is length and W is width then H must be "height."  I would imagine height is how a museum archivist who doesn't make bows would document thickness. 

I'd say bow A ) is 118.5cm long, and is 3.2 X 3.3cm at the thickest part (handle).  If you know how the limb tapers in profile and the size of the tips, you should be able to draw up a design?
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: Slackbunny on May 05, 2013, 07:39:01 pm
You would think it would be thickness, but that makes no sense. Its too large.

Just had an idea... maybe those are the dimensions of a case that they store it in. Like a glass display case or something.


Edit:
Oh wait, WillS probably has the right of it.
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: sonny on May 05, 2013, 08:33:24 pm
obviously we can't see how thick it is but I'd be surprised to find that it's that
thick (3.3cm= 1.299") at the handle.
anyone else agree with that ??
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: Cardboard_Duck on May 05, 2013, 10:07:54 pm
Here is my guess...

The H is the height, but maybe the bow has some reflex or string follow, and whoever measured it didn't get the "thickness" but measured from the highest to lowest point.

Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: WillS on May 06, 2013, 08:26:15 am
obviously we can't see how thick it is but I'd be surprised to find that it's that
thick (3.3cm= 1.299") at the handle.
anyone else agree with that ??

If you don't know the draw-weight, there's no way of saying if a bow's thickness is too thick.  3.2cm is not very thick for a high poundage bow. 

Judging by the picture, there's virtually no width taper from handle to limb tip.  It looks like a plank of wood all the way down.  This means that all the taper has to be done on the belly.  That requires a far thicker handle than mid to outer limb thickness, so in my mind 3.2cm sounds right.
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: sonny on May 07, 2013, 07:11:38 pm
I would challenge anyone to make a whitewood bow of those dimensions -
46" long, 1-1/4" wide, 1-1/4" thick at the handle section- with a reasonable belly taper
and for that person to simply get a string on that bow....

 
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: WillS on May 07, 2013, 07:44:10 pm
This may sound ridiculous - I have no knowledge at all of primitive American bows - but do you know if it was a working, practical bow?  Could it have just been decorative/ceremonial?  If it was, the design wouldn't have to be functional.  The profile doesn't look like a functional bow, but then as I said I've never seen any other similar bows so I don't know.
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: bubby on May 08, 2013, 06:26:56 am
i'm inclined to think one of those numbers is a typo
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: half eye on May 08, 2013, 12:09:09 pm
Hey Sonny,
      I'm pretty sure that the height is is derived like CD said.....dimensions if it was sittin in a invisible box. Because the bows that have the "turned back horns/tips" also have large "H" figures. Having said that I emailed the squints at the site and asked the question directly.....will advise when they answer back.
rich
Title: Re: Menominee bow ??
Post by: sonny on May 08, 2013, 03:36:43 pm
yeah I actually meant to agree with the Duck but failed to do so....til now