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Post by johnapsega on Feb 12, 2012 0:04:18 GMT
So i have decided to build a longbow instead of making one. My first issue that I have to overcome is the choice of wood. From my reading I have learned that I need wither Hickory, or Yew with horizontal grain structure. I have two questions, How can I tell the belly from the back of the bow, and where can I get this wood?
Please tell me if I am wrong on any of my information.
Thanks guys John
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Post by Ceebs on Feb 12, 2012 0:12:57 GMT
The belly of the bow is the curved part closest to your hand (I'm thinking of curved D cross-sectioned bows here). With a Yew stave the belly will consist of the darker heartwood whilst the outer "back" will consist of the lighter sapwood. As for supply I'm afraid I can't help you there.
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Post by johnapsega on Feb 12, 2012 0:24:24 GMT
Alright thank you that clarifies a lot. What other woods can I use other than Yew for this? What kind of wood do I want to look for when choosing wood to make my stave out of? Like do I need to look for anything in particular?
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Feb 12, 2012 4:57:05 GMT
You could use a lot of woods for a longbow...hickory, ash, red oak, osage, even a lot of exotic woods work pretty well. Personally I'd go with ash or hickory if it's your first build.
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Post by johnapsega on Feb 12, 2012 6:29:11 GMT
Im 5'11" so like a 6 foot length would work right
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SanMarc
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Post by SanMarc on Feb 12, 2012 7:04:34 GMT
Ash would make a good bow, first or other wise.....
......SanMarc.
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Post by chuckinohio on Feb 12, 2012 7:11:07 GMT
Osage Orange if available in your area is considered to be a top choice for bow making.
Is it going to be straight wood, or are you going to back it with something?
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Post by johnapsega on Feb 12, 2012 7:39:22 GMT
Im going to try and build it as close to a historical English Longbow. So no to my knowledge I will not be backing it with something.
Im going to go and look at wood tomorrow what do I need to look for as far as grain or otherwise for the perfect wood to make a bow out of.
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Mar 2, 2012 18:31:45 GMT
The english did both self (single piece) and laminate (with a backing) bows. So it is entirely up to you. The major differences in English bows vs any othwr style are going to be the D crosssection and the selection of wood. Ash, hickory, maple, yew were all common choices. Yew, without question, makes the best. Ash requires special care to avoid rather severw handshock. Yew is also te hardest to get and the most expensive, but it is grown in wasington state. Supposedly, the best comes from the higher altitudes. For your first bow, a laminate might be best. They arefar more forgiving of mistakes than self bows.
Finally, forget how tall you are and focus solely on draw length and draw weight. Those will determine the length and taper you need. For example, I am five foot eight. I have a thirty inch raw, so my bow is seventy three inches tip to tip.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2012 21:18:28 GMT
Google an English longbow maker there are a few of them over here.
The Yew wood is coloured, with a pronounced bordered liner zone, it's red/white, one is the sap wood the other the heart wood. They use the red wood on the inside of the bow that undergoes compression IF memory serves me right.
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Greg
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Post by Greg on Mar 2, 2012 22:34:05 GMT
Well, if you are looking to start carving out a bow right away, then you will be forced to buy your wood already seasoned. Before you can carve a bow, it has to be completely dried, which takes about a year. So even if you were to find a tree, then you'd still have to chop it down, split it into 4th's length-wise, and then let it sit for a year after you treat the ends with something (on a bow makers forum, they could tell you) So, as of right now, if you'd like to get rocking on carving a bow, I strongly suggest red oak from your local home depot, or Lowes. You'll likely need to back it with something, but luckily, I know of a website that you should read: poorfolkbows.com/This guy has made very easy, step by step instructions on how you should pick out the wood to how to wind your own string. I carved my first bow the very same way he did. However, I didn't back it with anything, so after 10 dozen arrows or so, it finally splintered. I didn't mind to much, because I knew that it was a learning bow. The point was to see if I could do it before moving onto more expensive or harder to find wood. I have since procured a 6 foot length of hickory, which is currently in my garage, treated against insects, split and waiting for this summer. The heartwood has already started to separate from the outer wood, so it won't be long. Which, btw, unless Yew is treated differently then hickory, I'm pretty sure that the heartwood isn't used for the bow. I posted this question a few weeks ago and got a unanimous answer that it's the outer stuff. But, follow Sam's directions on the site I posted, and you'll be shooting to your hearts content in no time. Even better, the lengths of red oak are just a couple of bucks each, so if you mess, up, no biggie! Oh yeah, you'll likely want to buy at least two.
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Mar 2, 2012 22:52:15 GMT
Yew is different than other woods while making a bow. You DO use the sapwood as the back of the bow and the heartwood (the darker, sort of reddish-orangish brown wood) is used for the belly. The heartwood compresses well while the sapwood stretches well. One of the reasons yew is such a prized bow wood.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2012 23:13:56 GMT
Ah, see we were a technically advanced country once... before left wing governments made us give up on ourselves. :lol:
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Post by johnapsega on Mar 2, 2012 23:34:22 GMT
I think you have lost me???
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Post by shoboshi on Mar 3, 2012 0:28:13 GMT
I don't know what your budget is, but you may want to take a look at 3rivers archery. They have a supply of bow building materials that may work for you. Didn't see any yew offered, unfortunately, but they are a reputable business that I have dealt with numerous times with no issues.
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Post by Ceebs on Mar 3, 2012 4:40:53 GMT
I highly recommend Rudderbows especially if you are making traditional English bows. They seem to have everything you need to start your first bow project. As an interesting aside, not all English bows were D sectioned. I have read that there were also square sectioned bows as well as other types. This has something to do with cast or accuracy relative to the wood or somesuch. here is a true Mary Rose Warbow replica. Beautiful
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Post by johnapsega on Mar 3, 2012 21:53:40 GMT
Holy cow that is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks Ceebs.
And thanks both of you guys for the sites. Ill check them out right now.
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Post by johnapsega on Mar 3, 2012 23:25:19 GMT
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Post by shoboshi on Mar 3, 2012 23:48:05 GMT
Sweet site, Ceebs!
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Mar 4, 2012 0:11:29 GMT
It's shaped and floor tillered, just needs to be tillered to the draw/weight you want and strung.
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