The traditional construction of a longbow consists of drying the yew wood for 1 to 2 years. Wood arrows basic aluminium arrows wood arrows deluxe carbon arrows wood arrows custom warbow. But yew trees are a gift from the gods, and grown only for bows. A late 15th century illustration of the battle of crecy. Longbow making learn how to make a longbow and much more.
How bow and arrow is made material, manufacture, making, used. Taking a yew stave having a dark red color and a layer of white sap wood about a quarter of an inch thick, covered with a thin marooncolored bark, let us make a bow. Bow building books, books and dvds 3rivers archery. The archers of king edwards guard did well enough, but they run easily second to giralduss welshmen. In fact, most any dense hardwood and some of the denser, stronger softwoods will do, but maple, birch, osage orange, hickory, oak and yew make some of the toughest, fastest. This is a documentary movie uncovering making of a traditional english longbow from log to a shooting weapon. The art and science of the fired hardened white wood bow dvd. An archers fairchase taking of north americas biggame 29. To make my own bow and arrow has been a dream ever since childhood. Follow these steps to build yourself a functioning bow that can last for years. My old tillering tree used three nails in place of each notch. Bow making tools and supplies are you interested in bow building and making bows. Developed in the 1930s and used for target shooting and hunting. Several archery companies offer bow making kits for recurves or longbows, depending on what.
Pacific yew flatlimbed take down bow and pacific yew flatbow home traditional archery equipment for sale longbow workshops. This book recreates all of the insights and information from the twoday bow making workshops of kunstgriff. A sample of clark dennills handmade traditional wooden bows, long bows, arrows and quivers. Free articles on primitive bow building bow building books benefit from the latest findings in. Merry lives in the mountains of wales where shes the latest in a long line of archers. How to make a homemade long bow with wood from the.
In my attempts to learn more skills that could be valuable in any post collapse society or shtf situation i decided to try my hand at making a homemade long bow. He is the owner of swiftwood bows which specializes in high quality bows made of yew, osage and other premium bow woods as well as passing on the craft and tradition to others. The length of the pipe will depend on your size but you can experiment. Making a longbow by linda schilling, michael wlotzka isbn. Building a longbow from scratch can be a somewhat complex process. No mater where you live in the country, youve got something close by that will make a bow. This book will take you from the first idea of building a bow, wood selection. Woodcraft magazine making a longbow downloadable plan. The english longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow about 6 ft 1. This is a useful book for the amateur longbow bowyer. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Yew is typically regarded as the best wood for making longbows.
My new bow building book, traditional bowyers handbook, will guide you through the entire process of building a wood selfbow. Here youll find a selection longbows for any needs, including our popular medieval siege bow. Worst run around i have had in the many many purchases i. Longbows medieval and english longbows for traditional archery. The english longbow is the reason that yew trees almost became extinct in europe in the 16th century. Robert hardy is famous throughout the world as an actor. If you are sure you see one good bow in a tree, cut it. Do it at an angle so they point down making a hook. His meticulously researched book begins by describing the earliest known examples of the longbow, revealing that it was in use worldwide at.
This easy to follow bow building book covers the entire bow building process. Longbows, arrows, quivers by master bowyer, clark dennill. The longbow evolved during the 12th century in response to the demands of siege and guerrilla operations in the welsh marches, a topographically close and economically marginal area that was in many ways similar to the regions in which the crossbow had evolved. Whether youre looking to do some hunting the traditional way with our traditional forest longbow or need that authentic look for your larp or reenactment costume with our medieval longbow or grayhawk longbow.
Making longbows, self wood primitive bows and other related archery based activity. Medieval bowyers used yew almost exclusively for making the famous english. The kits include a stave, bow string and complete instructions. White hart longbows is a hamilton ontario based business selling historically accurate archery equipment and accessories. Yew is the best widespread european timber that will make good self longbows, other woods such as elm can make longbows but require heat treating of the belly and a wider bellynarrower back, while still falling into the definition of a longbow and has been the main wood used in european bows since neolithic times. Maker of fine yew longbows and recurve bows for the archery community. The finer the grain and the greater the specific gravity, the more resilient and active the wood, and stronger the bow. Longbow the saga of roland inness book 1 kindle edition by grant, wayne. Longbow building workshops we specialize in traditional bow making and in introducing people to the art of making a wooden bow. Start by marking out the belly laminate for the longbow. Every bow builder, bowyer, can learn from these bow building books and dvds. Similar to yew, the bows elm yields are shortlived and have a lighter draw weight than other woods. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options.
This is why some native north american tribes believe this tree was put on earth for the making of bows and referred to it as the chief of the forest, being a small tree mostly almost vinelike under towering old growth forests. Yew is the only nonhardwood that is suitable for creating bows, and it is one of the best. Hand crafting an english longbow with simple hand tools. Working only with hand tools, you will learn what to look for in a bow and how its profile affects its shooting properties. Direct debit signups book a target forum member login. The longbow in this article is made from rock maple, an excellent bow wood, though many other woods will do, including hickory, osage orange, yew, oak, birch and ash. Most of the top authors in the field have since collaborated on a series of 4 bibles of bow making, and those say kiln dried wood works just fine.
Anglowelsh longbowmen figure prominently in the foreground on the right, where they are driving away italian mercenary crossbowmen. Continuing the bow making process i now switch from the draw knife to the spoke shave. Part of the key to longbow success is starting with a kit. Among the innovations that appeared after world war ii were the use of new.
Whether you try for perfect archery target shooting, or take your archery with a dash of small game hunting, you will find keen enjoyment in this ancient sport. The momentum of the arrow, which determines the force of the blow on the target. The bowmaking team of kunstgriff is famed throughout germany for their longbow making skills. As a teenager, he was taught how to make medieval longbows by a local. Beginners guide to building a hickory longbow archers. Various styles of medieval arrowhead are considered and their effectiveness appraised. Charles thunderbird 1953 classic recurve link classics in stock. Yew is good for beginners because it usually has fewer knots. May 27, 2019 building a longbow from scratch can be a somewhat complex process. Follow these steps to build yourself a functioning bow that. As well as making the bow and arrows you learn so many interesting facts and allot of history around archers. However, as individual bowyers have their own preferences, some choose to make longbows from white oak, red oak, hickory, red elm, american elm, osage orange or rock maple instead. In the uk a longbow is usually the term for the classic english longbow of medieval times with a d shaped profile.
Making traditional bows the allinone ebook buy the. How to make a homemade long bow with wood from the hardware store. We offer the largest collection of archery books with a traditional archery focus. I look forward to a revised and expanded edition that goes into more detail and describes the use of different woods. Over the years i have probably owned over 100 longbows and quite likely shot many times that number, in all those years i have owned just one self yew bow. Traditional laminated english longbows made from wood or bamboo. Buy making traditional bows simple longbow making instructions traditional archery book holmegaard bow war arrow flemish bowstring 1 by chris munkel, chris munkel isbn.
A stunningly exciting and dramatic story set in the wilds of the welsh mountains, where the brave and beautiful merry owen, the longbow girl, travels back in time to the autocratic kingdom of king. There is something enchanting about the idea of crafting something from scratch with ones own hands looking at a piece of dead wood and seeing something more and then breathing life into it again in the shape of a bow hundreds of thousands of people have made their own bow from wood, and they all started somewhere. A longbow is a type of bow that is tall roughly equal to the height of the user allowing the archer a fairly long draw. Their twoday workshops have set many an enthusiastic bowyer on their stickandstring journey.
Traditional bowyers handbook bow building book twisted stave. If you want to do it yourself and make a traditional bow, we also sell the archery equipment needed to make them. The english longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow a tall bow for. But there is a bow in every yew tree if we but know how to get it out. The product is fine your system for purchase by a person from from seas is flawed to say the least. Yew longbows derek hutchison native wood self bows. The book starts off with a chapter on finding bow wood.
Not so widely known is his deep interest in archery and its history. I have been wanting to make an english longbow for a long time. Its limbs are relatively narrow so that they are circular or dshaped in cross section. See more ideas about longbow, english longbow and survival. I tied eight pads tightly to the trunk of a tree, and tested this statement with a 14bore centralfire gun by lancaster, loaded with e.
For many this is the bow people think of or at least the wood to make a bow from, whenever i tell people i make bows for a living they always ask do you make them out of yew. If you are new to bow building this book from clay is worth every. Making traditional bows simple longbow making instructions. A beginners guide to archery basics the longbow shop. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Robert penn is the author of the man who made things out of trees particular books.
A guy on ebay asked me to make him one, and although i was not up to making him one, the thought of it has motivated me to go ahead and try one. My plan original plan was to make the long bow the primitive way and use one of the branches off of our ash tree. These popular mechanics plans are for a wooden long bow, or a flat bow, and include arrow making information. Aug 23, 2011 part of the key to longbow success is starting with a kit. Primitive bow making english longbow flatbow recurve. Join us for a workshop on how to make your own yew longbow in the beautiful west kootenays. A lot of options are available when it comes to bowmaking materials and techniques, but starting with. The kit from boise bows and arrows use yellow heart for the belly wood and riser, and bamboo yes, bamboo for the backing. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. One tree custom furniture pacific yew traditional wooden bows, arrows and quivers.
The english longbow was a powerful medieval type of longbow a tall bow for archery about 6 ft 1. The color photographs really enhance the details of the process. The craft of making bows can take many years to learn, but you can find kits that provide precut pieces of wood and any other materials you need to make your own bow. Inevitably, like a siren call, the lure of the english longbow is for me impossible to resist. Making a laminated longbow once the glue is fully dry to play it safe, at least a week in room temperature the stave is ready to make into a longbow or war bow.
The preferred material to make the longbow was yew, although ash, elm and other woods. Before one ever fells a tree, he should weigh the moral right to do so. I hope that this guide will inspire you to make your own longbow. Bows, native bows, longbow, crossbow, bowyer, yew, chinese repeating crossbow, making bows, del the cat. Longbow building workshops one tree wooden bow traditional. Bow making books cover all aspects on bow building. The best wood for making a longbow gone outdoors your. I shoot a longbow with a bamboo backing which i have discovered is quite tricky to say when discussing archery in the pub after a day of shooting. After filing the edges of the stave to remove bandsaw marks i file a chamfer onto the bamboo, just. Charles thunderbird recurve anniversary edition details link. Wood red oak backing 2 layers of sheetrock tape and outer layer of linen bonded with titebond ii wood glue finished with 3 coats of. Using the best woods and techniques of construction laminated bows can be made that are safe, durable and reliable, up to a draw weight of around 70lb.
Longbow making two days creative, craft and artisan. Longbow girl by linda davies is the first book in an exciting timetravel adventure trilogy. Instead of cutting notches, drill holes with a 38 drill bit and stick 38 dowel pegs in there. So take a high quality longbow and arrows home with you to cherish and admire for many years is fantastic. Several archery companies offer bow making kits for recurves or longbows, depending on what you want to build. Making a bow and arrow is a laborious process that often involves plenty of trial and error, but its hard not to appreciate the satisfaction of watching an arrow fly from a bow youve carved yourself.
I have made quite a few from kiln dried wood and they still work. You can learn how to make your english longbow with our bow making courses. Take a pvc pipe, about 34 inch in diameter if youre strong or 12 inch if youre weak. However, there are some exceptions, and longbow girl. I once read an english book about wales and it was outstandingly bad. Books and magazines agincourt 1415 a new history anne curry.
A photo collection of clarks craftsmaship as a traditional bowyer. The earliest known example of a longbow was found in 1991 in the otztal alps with a natural mummy known as otzi. Unfortunately it doesnt describe the making of horn nocks and doesnt describe the making of a yew longbow or a bow made from laminations. Making traditional bows the allinone ebook buy the e. The next stage of making the longbow is to remove another approx 4 lb of wood, which starts to reveal the rough shape and proportions of the longbow in the stave. When she stumbles upon an old book in the woods and discovers an underground river into the past, merry must use her archery skills to save her ancestral land. The penetration of an arrow will depend mainly upon four thingsnamely, the shape of the head. Making a self yew english longbow a top grade pacific yew stave my workshop is a fairly simple affair as apart from an electric drill to drill the tough buffalo horn the process of making self wood longbows uses no power tools. If you need further help or want to know more about longbow making, consider reading the book making traditional bows, which is available only through this website in both ebook and paperback formats click here below i will take you through the making of a simple laminate longbow with a. In europe and the rest of the world, a longbow can be an american flatbow also known as an american longbow. Over the course of 2 days you will learn how to craft a longbow from a laminated stave. This wood, like no other, seems to conjure up the image of the english longbow, its one of those little nuggets of knowledge people all round the. The recurve bow is the one that most new archers string backwards due to the. An acknowledged expert on the longbow, he is a trustee of the royal armouries at hm tower of london, and of the mary rose trust.
Soften the bow with heat but dont burn the plastic since it will make the bow weak. The ipe plank i acquired was 14 cm 5 12 wide, which made it possible for me to make 4 belly laminates of 193 cm 76 long by 3. Bow building books are packed with tons of information for the beginner bowyer on how to build a bow. When made of a single piece of wood, a bow can warp from moisture or. Theres much more to it than finding a long piece of wood and attaching a string to it. It covers the building of a simple ash longbow with self nocks. Some pieces of yew will make a stronger bow at given dimensions than others. Jan 21, 20 hand crafting an english longbow with simple hand tools. Why write another book on making wood bows you might ask. Wood red oak backing 2 layers of sheetrock tape and outer layer of linen bonded with titebond ii wood glue finished with 3.