Twang, thunk, grin

Sylvrfalcn

Sylvrfalcn

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Jun 4, 2002
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The longbow, bowstring, arrows, quiver, quiver belt, and bracer(arm guard), are all stuff that I made, using my hands and some simple tools. Heck, I even handstitched the 15th cent. flat cap I'm wearing. Didn't make the tunic, trousers, or boots, but everything else is just plumb authentic. :D

Sarge, aka Robert of Yorkshire
 

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Dang, Sarge, good going. That's what I call fun.
But it's also nice to know civilization is in good hands if we have to start all over again, per disaster!


munk
 
M. Taylor said:
Way cool! What materials did you use?
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Longbow = red oak
Bowstring = B-50 Dacron, served with braided nylon
Arrows = Port Orford cedar shafts, self nocked, feather fletched, 125 grain steel points
Quiver = veg tanned cowhide, trimmed at top with rabbit fur (keeps arrows from rattling around and chicks dig it)
Belt and bracer = veg tanned cowhide with brass buckles
Hat = cotton canvas
Archer = beans, bacon, and beer ;)

Sarge
 
With some Sarge-made broadheads, well, bowhunting season is on soon.

Like to see a pic of one of those. :D Maybe made out of leftover file pieces?


Mike
 
Oh yea, I wanna see the forged arrowheads too. I assume you made those too.
 
Cutting a fine figure as always . I guess that is not a knife behind your quiver or you would have mentioned it .

I like Port Orford Cedar for its straight grain and stability . I find stump shooting and small game hunting to be a little tough on it . I tried ash shafts and found them too heavy even when tapered . I may try to make footed cedar shafts .

It looks like you have about a 27 inch draw . The only red oak bow I shot had a lot of hand shock . I thought you liked hickory .
 
Looking good!

Sarge, I know you aren't a professional knife maker, how about bowyer, cobbler, fletcher, or tailor? Enquiring minds want to know!

I tried to make a bow out of pignut hickory. Sweet jezus that was tough wood.
 
Kevin the grey said:
Cutting a fine figure as always . I guess that is not a knife behind your quiver or you would have mentioned it .

I like Port Orford Cedar for its straight grain and stability . I find stump shooting and small game hunting to be a little tough on it . I tried ash shafts and found them too heavy even when tapered . I may try to make footed cedar shafts .

It looks like you have about a 27 inch draw . The only red oak bow I shot had a lot of hand shock . I thought you liked hickory .
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Based on what? I'm six foot two, that bow is six feet long, and in the pic I'm in the act of drawing, but not yet at full draw. :D

As far as hand shock goes, that's more a function of poor design/tiller than it is the wood the bow's made of. I do like hickory, but I also like oak, they're both considered "white woods" (which would include ash and elm) and tiller/cast pretty much the same. You will get slightly more hand shock with a "D" bow having a fully working handle, or a longbow with a semi-working handle, but to me neither seem to "stack" as quickly as a bow tillered with a rigid, non-working handle.

Sarge
 
I was judging by the apparent length of the arrow , the angle of the sun and the length of shadow it cast upon the ground . I then deducted five percent for paralax error and gave myself two points for getting you to even consider this .:D :D :D

I often misjudge height and width when depth of chest is pronounced . It is not as evident in this picture . In your last one of you drawing a bow it is clear that you have either been pulling bow for a while or developed your chest swinging tankards of mead in drinking songs .

I always thought red oak to be more splintery than ash and even hickory . I will have to give it another look . I am in the process of hacking out an elm bow stave with a hatchet . I have nicer lumber staves at the house . I am too chicken to break a nice stave and am practicing on a more ordinairy one .
 
Definitely do give the red oak another look Kevin, I like to use it in teaching folks bowmaking because it's inexpensive and fairly easy to work with. It will, like most white woods, take on a bit of string follow after a while, but not enough to generate a very appreciable loss of cast. A friend of mine has a red oak longbow I made him that he's in his sixth year of shooting with. I keep offering to make him a newer/nicer one, but he just counters with, "why, this one shoots just fine". He let me shoot it, and durned if he ain't right. Red oak durable? If treated with the respect any wooden bow deserves, I reckon so.

Build a burly chest with bows and beer? I wish it were thus. Nossir, 26 years worth of pushups, ruck marches, and fun stuff like that. Damn, I miss it.:(

Sarge
 
Sylvrfalcn said:
Definitely do give the red oak another look Kevin, I like to use it in teaching folks bowmaking because it's inexpensive and fairly easy to work with. It will, like most white woods, take on a bit of string follow after a while, but not enough to generate a very appreciable loss of cast. A friend of mine has a red oak longbow I made him that he's in his sixth year of shooting with. I keep offering to make him a newer/nicer one, but he just counters with, "why, this one shoots just fine". He let me shoot it, and durned if he ain't right. Red oak durable? If treated with the respect any wooden bow deserves, I reckon so.

Build a burly chest with bows and beer? I wish it were thus. Nossir, 26 years worth of pushups, ruck marches, and fun stuff like that. Damn, I miss it.:(

Sarge
Click to expand...

http://www.finniwig.com/inst.htm

in particular, stick weaving

bladite
 
namaarie said:
Nice, Sarge! I dream of having your abilites.

Chris
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No kidding! Sarge, you play hell with my already over-developed inferiority complex! ;) I have no idea where to start. You should be very proud of yourself.

I would have also thought of red oak as being too splintery, at least the new second and third growth stuff.

A point of interest, I saw a few board feet of old growth red oak raised from the bottom of the Great Lakes ($12 a board foot!) and the growth rings were so tight you wouldn't believe it. This stuff was beautiful and like iron. You can easily see the rings in what's being sold now.

It's a shame because 50 and 60 years ago red oak was not considered to be worth much at all as a furniture grade wood, but the old stuff is just beautiful. I would love to have a chance to work with it. I have to say though after making a large bookcase out of what's being sold now it that it plays hell with your tools, dulling them quickly, so can only imagine how much harder it would be.

I'll bet most of the old stuff just went up in smoke, which is a real loss. Be nice to try making a bow out of that for comparison purposes.

Anyway, thanks for sharing. You have impressed me yet again.

Norm
 
Dunno about red oak, but for white oak the young trees are actually stronger than the old growth. Very different in that respect from softwood trees - with white oak, you want large grain rings, 'caue the strength is in the area between the lines.

For boatbuilding, they always say to use the butt logs of young white oak trees, 'cause they're denser than their older brothers and sisters.
 
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