Long bow?

[Jim_H]

Not guitar related, but I watched an episode of "How it's Made" the other day where they were making composite compound bows...

it got me thinking about wooden longbows.

I don't really have any interest in owning one, but it seems like it might be a fun challenge to build one.

Anyone ever done this? Have any references to books or websites?

[msanch24]

I have no experience with it but i too think that it would be a lot of fun to try

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Jim, I have given this thought also. I have a friend who has no interest in making guitars, but has done some archery and I've tried to get him interested in making one. He wants to apprentice with me in my knife shop! So I guess we will do that first, but while we make knives, I'm going to talk to him about a bow. He has built a 20ft wooden kayak so I know he could do it.

Have you looked up anything on the net about building a bow?

Kevin

[Jim_H]

Kevin,

I haven't done any research.

My interest was piqued by something I saw on TV. I just caught the last few minutes of it, but it was a documentary style show where they were building bows.

These were wood/composite hybrids, which I'd rather not mess with, but I think it would be pretty fun to try to make an all wooden Long Bow.

It's on my bucket list, in the non-lutherie section.

[Darryl Young]

Bodarc (Osage Orange) makes the best bows. Even the Indians used it for bows. Bodarc means "bow wood" in some language (have to look up which language but almost any search states the language this phrase comes from).

I've shot long bows (actually, recurve style bows) when I was in High School (compound bows were just coming out). You can laminate a bow or make it solid. Should be easier than building a guitar and a fun project.

Unlike guitars, you take the tension off a wood bow when not in use and restring before shooting.