Making a Medieval Style English Longbow
Intro: Making a Medieval Style English Longbow
Here are some instructions I wrote recently on how to make yourself a medieval type English longbow
I think it will suit this site as it does away with traditional tools in favour of an angle grinder :-)
you can view the instructions here
http://www.alanesq.com/bsb.htm
BTW - see www.englishwarbow.com for more info on this type of bow
I think it will suit this site as it does away with traditional tools in favour of an angle grinder :-)
you can view the instructions here
http://www.alanesq.com/bsb.htm
BTW - see www.englishwarbow.com for more info on this type of bow
STEP 1: Pic2
pic2
STEP 2: Pic3
pic3
18 Comments
admin 15 years ago
TheAlienJim 2 months ago
Anyone have a copy of the PDF? This was one of the greatest resources for bow making and I seem to have lost it.
Imcrazydude 11 years ago
aweis 12 years ago
arrow shot 14 years ago
alanesq 14 years ago
the arrow in the pic has a draw length of 32" but I was still struggling a bit when the pic was taken and there is still another good 1" to go
karlpinturr 12 years ago
Still, well worth taking a look at all of them.
Anhan12 13 years ago
I just finished making my bow using your instructions and it works brilliantly! Surprisingly, it only took me about 2 hours to shape the actual bow out of a 6 foot long, 2 inch wide, 1 inch deep maple stave, and it kept its shape very nicely after bending and allowing it to set.
The only tools i had to use were a ban saw, a belt sander, and a rats tail file for the knocks. i also made two arrows using dowels modeled after English longbow arrows found on the Mary Rose, but i will not be firing these due to the instability of the dowels.
Also, i wrapped a long piece of leather rope from an old jump rope around the six inch handle area, which gives the bow a feeling of authenticity.
I also included a picture of my unique way of stretching the bow by putting it on top of a door and hooking the string on the lock. I just tied knots in the string to adjust the tension.
Thank you so much for these wonderful instructions!
ineverfinishanyth 13 years ago
Aaronius 13 years ago
Kryptonite 14 years ago
That Inventor Dude 14 years ago
also if you where using a normal longbow made from modern materials (99% the same except collapsible) I would say your techniques a messed up but that's probably the arrows which look really short
tydeus 14 years ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHhGjRdE9Zc
Also, thank you for a link to bowstring instructions. I figured I would buy the strings but I might refer back to this later.
lmuli3 14 years ago
alanesq 14 years ago
http://www.alanesq.com/The-Back-Street-Bowyer.pdf
qtm 15 years ago
PLUCK YEW 15 years ago
ibayibay1 15 years ago