It was about time I tackled the project of a period-type English Longbow, and with much inspiration and guidance from alanesq's website (http://www.alanesq.com/bsb.htm), I was able to complete a simplified version of the English longbow.
The final product is about 6' 4" with a low draw weight of about 25 lbs at 24 inches, perfect for simple target shooting. As you can see, I wasn't going for a battle ready, armor-piercing warbow or anything. It looks nice, took about 5 hours to make, and was under 10$. This is the perfect bow for a nice weekend project.
**DISCLAIMER** This bow is, in fact, a weapon! I take no responsibility for how and in what fashion these instructions are used. A bow is dangerous; don't shoot arrows at anything you don't mind hurting or destroying.
For a video of the bow in action, check the link on the last step!
The final product is about 6' 4" with a low draw weight of about 25 lbs at 24 inches, perfect for simple target shooting. As you can see, I wasn't going for a battle ready, armor-piercing warbow or anything. It looks nice, took about 5 hours to make, and was under 10$. This is the perfect bow for a nice weekend project.
**DISCLAIMER** This bow is, in fact, a weapon! I take no responsibility for how and in what fashion these instructions are used. A bow is dangerous; don't shoot arrows at anything you don't mind hurting or destroying.
For a video of the bow in action, check the link on the last step!
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Signing UpStep 1: Materials
This is a VERY cheap project...if you already have the necessary tools, that is. Most, if not all, of the tools and materials can be found at a Home Depot or other similar store.
Tools:
Angle Grinder (with sanding attachment)
Sand Paper
Hand File(s)
Clamps (optional)
Wood glue
Materials:
6-7 Feet of 2"x1" Red Oak
6-7 Feet of 2"x1/4" Pine***
Twine (for the string)
***I made the assumption, not very educatedly, that a pine "belly" on the bow would handle the compression much better than the red oak, seeing as pine is much less dense than red oak. Well in my haste, I got cedar instead of pine, which resulted in a very useless "belly" that did not handle compression very well. In my last couple of steps I included a picture of the...consequences...of a cedar "belly".
Tools:
Angle Grinder (with sanding attachment)
Sand Paper
Hand File(s)
Clamps (optional)
Wood glue
Materials:
6-7 Feet of 2"x1" Red Oak
6-7 Feet of 2"x1/4" Pine***
Twine (for the string)
***I made the assumption, not very educatedly, that a pine "belly" on the bow would handle the compression much better than the red oak, seeing as pine is much less dense than red oak. Well in my haste, I got cedar instead of pine, which resulted in a very useless "belly" that did not handle compression very well. In my last couple of steps I included a picture of the...consequences...of a cedar "belly".
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1 Sep 3, 2012. 6:01 AMChrisMBows (author) says:
For the back of the bow you need a type of wood that is strong in tension and for the belly of the bow a type of wood that is strong in compression.
Examples of these types of wood are mentioned in step one.
Oak will also work for the back of a bow.
Avoid pine wood, it is not very reliable for a bow.
Chris
Thanks Chris, and you're right.
I recently looked into the theory of pine as a bow wood. using a computer program meant to be used to design houses for areas with high winds and heavy rains. Using the tension simulator, I determined that pine is noted to be one of the softest woods for use in construction, and under extreme tension, it has a tendency to warp and lose its shape. Because it is a conifer and is a soft wood, it is not meant for heavy duty construction and is really, (I concluded) only used because there are so many pines in the world and they are very cheap. Plentiful wood = plentiful building. The lumber expert down at the local materials distribution site told me that hard-woods such as oak and ash would be the best choice if I was looking for a wood that would be both durable, and have that vicious *SNAP* that you look for in a bow. Upon my own attempts to find out how to shape my yew stave into a worthy longbow, I have also discovered that most woods should be backed with something just to take the tension of compression off of the back. This is done because even the most eligable of woods for a bow has to deal with frequent periods when the tension is double or sometimes triple what it would be when strung, but not drawn. Use a bow enough, and it will start to develop "Character" in the limbs such as but not limited to: discoloration, stress lines, lifted splinters, flaking, creaking when drawn, and lessened rebound when loosing an arrow. I have known this before, but it became extremely clear and important to me one night when I watched my girlfriend's bow explode in her face when she drew back too quickly. It was a miracle that she recieved no injury besides a few splinters in her fore-arm. In terms of backing, I have more experience backing a bow with sinew made from the tendons of a large animal. This is extremely effective when using an already powerful bow, as when I backed my 65 pound hunting bow, I found that I had to bulk up some more to draw it. I believe it made it top out around 78 pounds. 5 layers of backing, laminated oak, 6'2" at 28 inches of draw. Please note that if you live in a moist, humid, or chilly environment or in a place that rains frequently, you will not want to use sinew as your backing. This is because moisture, even as little as is in the air, destroys the hide glue that is used to secure the sinew, and this can cause the sinew to begin to flake off or in extreme cases, peel away from the back of the bow. If this has happened, I do not reccomend drawing the bow. This is because there will be significantly more tension in the area where the sinew has peeled away than on any other point in the bow. Too much in one area and suddenly you're holding a stick of TNT when it explodes.
Always remember that a bow is still a weapon very capable of causing injury or death even when it does not have an arrow in it. Dry firing, over drawing, or extreme cold weather can cause your bow to be a dangerous item even when leaning on the wall. If you want your bow to maintain its spring and keep the string in good condition, I highly reccomend unstringing and storing it in a cool, dry place between each use. do not simply leave the string on the bow but take it off and hang it in an upright position with no wieght or tension on it. When storing your bow, I do not reccomend leaning it upright against a wall as over long periods of time this can cause minor warping and can eventually make the limbs uneven. Instead, the bow should be stored horizontally by hanging it on the wall or by placing it in a hard-case. Maintain your bow and check both the condition of it and its string often, and especially before each use. Wax your string any time there is even a slight chance of moisture where you will be using it. Make sure you do not draw the bow and point it at anyone, even if it is not loaded. Keep in mind that failing to maintain your bow could lead to personal injury, or the injury of others.
Sincerely yours,
Zelback1
The belly is the part of the bow that rests against your palm. A good longbow is traditionally carved from a single piece of yew. The bow is carved in such a way that the heartwood forms the belly of the bow, and the HARDER wood thus resists the compression and adds a vicious snap to the bow while the sapwood forms the arms and the back of the bow, providing the main launching force. Once again, YOU DO NOT WANT A SOFT WOOD FOR THE BELLY OF THE BOW. But other than that, well done.
Just broke one made out of swamp oak "followed all the rules heart wood on the belly sap on the face extra bent and dried missed a knot now I have a long and short bow.
10$=7£ verry good build.
thank you!
It's all on Google and you know what wood to use to get an English longbow.
3/4 inches wide
1/2 inch thick