Re: AX'S CORNER
 

http://www.wfp.org/quiz

Chiara is sailing the Kroon again, she loves it!
Can Wink, Blink and Nod come too?

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Absolutely, You Bet !!--I still see that bench, we could share-;)--some Chess---,some Cheese, a bite of bread, --Wink---Ax.

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Ax: Update on oak longbow, got it shaped pretty well, but ran into a snag, what looked like fairly straight grain actually had a few wild grain spots or spots where the grain ran out.

So to make a long story short got it strung with some poly or dacron twine shot a few times wasn't half bad then it broke at the weak spot where the grain ran out.

I did learn quite a bit though in the process and already have a plan for the next try. I am going to try using locust which I have a few nice saplings 3" to 4" in diameter out in the woods. Am going to rive out a section with the froe that has the springier more flexible sapwood on the outside and heartwood on the inside. This is how the english yew ones were made. Also read that the Welsh and English sometimes used Elm and Ash also with good results. If locust doesn't work I might try the Elm or Ash.

Riving instead of sawing the blank should help considerably as riven pieces are much stronger and more flexible than a sawn piece of equal diameter and riving ensures all fibers follow the grain and run the full length of the piece. I once read that in the days of all wooden ladders fire departments that needed very tall wooden ladders actually specified that all rungs be riven and not sawn.

I will keep you posted may get out in the woods and cut a small locust for bow blanks this weekend.


Jeff:)

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I think a sip of wine would go better with that scenario, so we can leave the milkmaid at home? ;)

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Very tricky on the grain thing, has to be all straight.
Measure nock groove distance on belly of bow, for Dacron subtract 4 inches --string length.
Get a chance look up The Mary Rose, phenomenal what they salvaged from it--the longbows arrows , strings etc all there among thousands of other relics.

Cherokee Bows, are among the simplest Hickory is usually used, Longbows are my favorite.--:)

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Slivovitz ,O.K.--?:)

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Mmmmmm, jenever? ;)

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Ax: I actually found some info on the Mary Rose in my longbow research, fascinating. I noticed the most common arrow wood was poplar. Something I have plenty of around here.

I sometimes forget that at the time these were made 1250's up until mid to late 1400's they would have surely used riven wood blanks as sawmills weren't common. Also given the fact that most were fashioned by the user, they would have selected a sapling or smallish tree probably under 5" diameter for the stock.

Luckily my dabbling in histroical restoration work gave me some hands on experience with the froe, hewing hatchett, drawknife and shaving horse. I know and have used all of the basic techniques just a little rusty.

I might also try one of the plains Indian bows, the short calvary bows meant to be shot from horseback. The ones Ghengis Khan and the Mongol horsemen used are also fascinating one of the earlier recurve designs.

I have always enjoyed researching this type of stuff, early weapons and woodworking/construction techniques. And metalworking.


Jeff:)

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Sounds good to me--:)

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Mongols were superb, horn recurve--Egyptians used fish glue in theirs, but it took two years to cure--I enjoy the same--If you run across how the blacksmith made the English broadhead, let me know been lookinfo how they forged and formed.