Hello all.
I've been a long-time hunter and shooter (mostly of small game), but never really an archer or bowyer.
I've also had a long-time love of timber how it looks, how it smells, what it can do and hat can be done with it; I have modest woodworking skills.
I've also a bit of an interest in history, being (among other things) an English and History teacher.
Somewhere along the way I also picked up an interest in weaponry and military history, having sometimes been an infantryman.
You can probably see where this is going:
I recently thought I'd have a go at bow making, just for fun, so I did a lot of googling, then sifted through the mouldings and dressed boards at a local hardware store and picked up some straight-grained pieces of 11mmx29mm / 1/2"x1 1/4" and 19mmx42 / 3/4x1 1/2 red oak, knocked up a basic tillering board, and built some bows with a plane, some rasps and files, a draw knife. I used 11x29 and made a couple of 5', 20lb@28" longbows, and turned my worst piece of 19x42 into a 6' 55lb bow. So far they've survived and are an absolute hoot, and I've learned about tillering etc probably the best way possible - by having a go.
Now, in deference to my interest in history, infantry, hunting, woodwork etc, I have developed the ambition to build a 100lb English warbow out of a split stave! Yew and other premium bow woods are probably unobtanium here, but I've read that hawthorn would be suitable self-bow timber, if only long and straight enough pieces were available. There's a lot of decades-neglected hawthorn hedging - with some big, straight, clear trunks - around here... There's a bit of elm as well; maybe I'll also try some local timbers - sugar gum etc.
Looking forward to reading and learning a lot here.
Cheers.
