Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Del the cat on November 05, 2015, 03:09:10 pm
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This is a direct quote from a commercial UK bowyer. It was sent as an answer to an E-mail sent from a guy starting his journey in bowmaking. He forwarded it to me for comment.
No names, but you can probably guess.
I find this sort of thing quite upsetting as it does bowmaking in the Uk and our tradition a huge disservice.
I've highlighted the worst bits.
I don't know if this man is just a poor bowyer, deliberately trying to misslead in order to push his products or is just daft.
"Don't take this the wrong way, I am sure that you are keen and enthusiastic,
I was once, now that we have made over 20,000 bows we have learned a lot
along the way. Yes I have tried to make bows from most woods. There is
nothing that grows in the UK that will make a good bow, never was.
Historically some of our native woods could be used to make a plausible flat
bow but rarely a D section longbow of any weight.
English Yew does not make successful bows, never did, the way wood grows in
our climate means that you get far too much early growth wood and very
little late growth wood, this makes the sapwood too thick. If you reduce it
then it will be brittle and fail. If you look at the Mary Rose bows you
will see a totally different material from the knotty nasty wood that you
see many re-enactors using.
I have seen literally hundreds of knotty yew bows, chunky lumps that do not
shoot well."
I suggested my friend contact one of the less bigoted bowyers in the uk who produces a better product in smaller quantities.
Del
(Mods, please feel free to remove this if you feel it is out of order)
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Not out of order at all, Del. You didn't use names and whoever he is I agree he is daft and misleading. I've seen some pretty cool bows made from British wood.
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WOW that is quite the condemnation of uk woods and bowyers, yikes
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Well I guess you should burn all the Bows you made from locally harvested wood..... real sad that there's information that misleading out there
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Apparently he has never done any historical research, yew, and Elm were the favored bow woods, and ash a third. The French used the same woods, and were doing fairly well, till they got whupped. To say that there is not any decent bow wood in England, is like saying there isn't anything fattening in a pastry shop. The state of Washington has a comparable climate to England, and it produces some pretty fine yew bows. I think this guy has an agenda somewhere along the line.
The Piker!
Wayne
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Well I guess you should burn all the Bows you made from locally harvested wood..... real sad that there's information that misleading out there
This is just as pathetic as your Hunters Safety Course story. Greg told me, I couldn't believe my ears.
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Oh, and it further proves self promotion sells bows. Not quality or knowledge.
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Sounds like that Squirrel kid found a job in marketing!
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a UK commercial bowyer. there in lays the problem. the fact that they made 20,000 bows, the other problem. mass production of wood bows? to make 20000 in a whole life time seems undoable. if it got done in any shorter time span id have to think theres a lot of saws {electric} plainers {electric} sanders { electric} ect with that said theres no one on one relationship on the piece of wood he is working on. if you just cut out a bow from a piece of wood i wonder if he had time to "look" at the grain run? its not theres not any decent bow wood in the UK. this guy isnt a bowyer, hes a manufacturer. ;) thats the problem.Tony
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May be there is not enough good wood in the UK for mass production?
For the hobby bowyer there will be enough wood in the UK ;)
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Sounds familiar ... By the way, I'm a lot less courteous than Del .... He's a good man to be so gentle. I'm not sure we're talking the same gentleman here, but it seems quite a similar line of commentary.
http://www.bow-international.com/features/traditional/native-bow-woods/
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I saw a pretty nice bow a Brit brought to the Classic. Looked like a right, nice shooter to me.
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I suppose all you can do is shake your head and smile.
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Sounds like that Squirrel kid found a job in marketing!
Now that's funny! You made my day JW.
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What peeves me the most (apart from how he's putting off aspiring bowyers from getting stuck in!) is that he's got the gall to say such disparaging things about British trees! >:(
(insulting our Yew it's frankly sacrilegious!)
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Maybe he's never seen the Monty Python guide to spotting trees?
"The Larch....the Larch"
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I saw a pretty nice bow a Brit brought to the Classic. Looked like a right, nice shooter to me.
Why yes, it was. And is. I shot it again just the other day. Just three arrows, a couple of lighter spined ones I found abandoned in a corner. The "Baked Potato Bow" still lives on!
...or did you mean that manky old yew longbow Del forgot to take home with him and Pappy is storing for him?
May be there is not enough good wood in the UK for mass production?
For the hobby bowyer there will be enough wood in the UK ;)
And that is why wine merchants shipping wine to England were required to pay tax in the form of Italian yew staves back in the goode olde dayes.
The larch.
The larch.
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And now for something completely differnt...
Yeah, Italian Yew... that whole thing amuses me.
As if the Italians are going to trudge up mountains to specially select the finest Yew... no, they'll simply cut the easiest stuff they can find...
But why is it high altitude Yew? Asks the believer in this propaganda for Italian wood...
D'uh, maybe it's because Italy is a small mountainous country and all the fertile low lying land is used for agriculture? ::)
Of course I don't know, I wasn't there, but at least I admit I don't know, unlike these peddlers of bovine excrement.
I like the story in Glen StCharles' book "Billets to Bows".
The old timer and a young guy are out harvesting Yew from a mountain logging road.
The old timer says.. "Only cut trees above the road".
The young guy asks, " Is that 'cos they are that bit higher altitude?"
"Nope... you ever tried dragging a log uphill? " comes the reply :laugh:
Del
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Was Otsi, (the Alpine cadaver), Italian , Roman, Viking,
Austrian or French???
No matter the Ilse have a tremendous
imprint there from all points south and north
east and west
Who really cares about a tree in it all.
It's just a hunk of wood that the indigenous
folks made the best of.
And oh well, they conquered a heck of a lot
the world nevertheless.
Del what is the mass of power there
in the Ilse today? Can it be explained in wood?
Zuma
Edit-- The reason I ask is because I have a great interest
in British history over all. Two nieces born and raised
in Bury St Edmonds and ancestors from Linken shire
back in 1400's
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Wow....I mean so true,send me all the bow wood and I will see to it it gets disposed of >:D