Making English Longbows from Common Woods
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
- The question has been asked a million times - "Will _____ wood make an English Longbow?"
I'll refer to them instead as D-bows, because the design was quite widespread throughout history and is relied on by several of the remaining hunter-gatherer tribes to this day.
Several different trees are used for traditional English longbows -- most famously Yew -- but also Ash and Elm which were referred to as the "meanewoods". The Native American longbowmen of the eastern seaboard preferred Mulberry, Hickory, and Black Locust.
Many of the archery books and bowyers' forums repeat the same mantra : these woods are not suitable for a D-shaped cross section. If you do make one from, say, hickory -- it'll follow the string terribly, have subpar performance, and most likely fail in compression.
You sure about that?
In this video, we examine D-bows made from common backyard hardwoods. After running my own tests on dozens of longbows made from second-string woods over the past 18 months or so, I've decided to respectfully disagree.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you have experience with meanewood longbows, I'd love to hear about it.
Instagram : organic.archer
Website: www.organicarchery.com
Spamming comments to cheat is just lame. Totally agree if you disqualify spammers. Would love to win one of your bows, but I will do it the honorable way.
As it should be! Good luck in the future drawings!
As you explained, Wych Elm was used for war bows. I read somewhere that Medieval Welsh archers used Wych Elm as Yew was in short supply. These bows were described as rough finished and very powerful at close range. It is recorded that at the siege of Abergavenny in 1175, Welsh arrows penetrated an oak castle door said to measure five fingers thick.
Awesome! Elm makes exceptional bows!
Podejrzewam że to bajki. Żaden łuk nie przebije dębowej deski grubości 2 cale.
Love the video man! In 2013, I took a bowbuilding class with a Norwegian master bowyer that taught Nydam longbows and flatbows. I built a Nydam longbow out of a ash board stave and soon after started harvesting bow woods locally here in Norway. It took a few years until I got back into it and have been on and off building bows and arrows now. I really wanted to have a go on the D style longbow but didn't quite know what woods to use. Thanks for doing this and refueling my desire to have a go at this kind of bow even though I don't have access to prime bow woods. Best regards from Norway
That's great! I've always wanted to do a Nydam longbow. I'm sure you'll find some quality meanewoods for D-bows hiding in the Norwegian backcountry!
Nice to see someone else just trying out different woods, I have broken quite a few sticks but also gained experience
It's normal to break them in the early years, for sure. Apply what you learned from each bow to the next one and carry on!
Thank you for doing these videos. You answer the salient questions I have about "D" shaped long bows, which I thought were only made in Britain.
It's one of the most ubiquitous designs throughout our history!
That was a great video, thank you. You speak very well, and your videos are nicely paced and edited. Appreciate, Gus
Thank you very much!
Man I’m so impressed… and shocked to be honest. This goes against everything we’ve learned, but you’ve shown it’s possible. Not only have you accomplished this task, but furthermore made some of the most efficient bows I’ve seen
There are certainly more efficient designs for some of these woods, but there's no doubt they can still make D-shaped longbows!
Great to see someone making the craft less dogmatic and promoting experimental thinking and individual discovery. I think a lot of beginners get bogged down by a formula they think they need to follow without considering the unique piece of wood in their hands. Its a natural substance that requires active attention and not just blind intention. The more I build the more I realize what are rules and what are guidelines, and its one of those things that can really only come from experience and breaking bows
Absolutely! When first starting, I remember being discouraged by the formulaic approach to "getting a good bow" from each stave. There were other designs that would've fit some pieces better, but as you said, it only comes with time and experience!
That's was a cool video, not taking information at face value but discovering it for yourself.
Always!
I have been researching bow making and I have ash that I have had for years. I figured that would be a great starter so I did a search and this was the first vid that caught my interest. I am watching this one twice. I love the your attitude toward “let’s see” in what a piece of wood can give me. That’s my take on this vid and it is very encouraging. Since I watched this vid, I decided I would learn a lot. And no doubt, I have. Thanks for your no compromise attitude on giving all wood a chance to be something that makes a deference. I look forward to your next vids. I have watched all your vids. Thanks!
I really appreciate you watching all the videos. Thank you for the support! The best bow wood is whichever one you have access to, so give it a try!
@@organicarchery yes, I am going to stick to your process because, as you say in your vids, you have to do it and see what your results are! Gain the understanding of you can acquire. Thanks.
First time I seen any one talk about different types of woods as you did. My first time for your video great job like to see more
Very nice to see different types of wood in direct comparison! would love to get one of these
I’ve always been a sucker for the English Longbow!!!
Me too!
Hey, love your comments at the end of your video - respect. I’m from England and am what is called a Commoner in one of the last Towns in England that has a Hocktide Court which manages all the Commoners assets in the town - fishing, hunting, pub, cattle, lands etc…These Common rights were given to the town by ‘John of Gaunt’ in around 1370. We also have, I believe one of the oldest Archery clubs in the U.K. which I think can, trace its routes back to this period. Consequently I’d love to win one of your ‘almost‘ English Longbows and bring it home, to let it loose on some of our lovely French straw targets 😂. Love your work.
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing your history knowledge. I call these English-ish bows, and they might be a disgrace to the members of a true English archery club, haha!
Thank You Correy.... Keep the shows coming always honest, informative .... TM
Very cool content. Enjoying the different aspects styles of the bows. Keep up the content
Very good information! Appreciate it brother
Job well done Correy...keep up the good work.
Enjoyed your video loads, excellent
I always admire how precise you are shooting with any bow you pick up ; )
Bow length and draw weight may vary, but the fundamentals of marksmanship remain the same!
Excellent video...thank you! Considering the tools of the time, a sapling and some limited tool usage leads to a roundish style bow. I can't imagine large trees being used to make a bow by most using stone or bronze tools. Most indigenous tribes didn't have access to bandsaws, planners, files and scrapers :)
Been following your instragram for years. Glad to see you expanding into more longform content. I love the no frills and educational approach. Keep em comin!!
Thank you for the continued support as I learn this new platform!!
Such an amazing explanation and history of bow builds. I grew up shooting recurve. I worked for Hoyt just out of high school on their limb line making both compound ad recurve limbs. Just last year I started shooting a compound.
Great video. I’ve only shot traditional recurve but watching your videos and others have made me realize that there’s still more challenges and more to learn on the primitive side of archery with bows and arrows made of natural materials. 😁
It’s a worthwhile endeavor!
Great work! just finished my first hickory self-bow and I am hooked.
I Really appreciate your approach, information and skill. I would like to see how you actually wrapped and finished the nocks. Thank You for taking the time to teach others the craft.
Love the commentary you’ve started adding to videos, you’ve inspired me to try making my own bow and I’ve got a few hickory and juniper staves drying now!
Awesome! It’s a steep learning curve but worth the effort. Hickory is very forgiving and will give you a higher chance of success! Juniper is a fickle mistress, though!
Excellent video, great information! I've been shooting English Longbows for a couple of years now.
Great video, there's something very satisfying about seeing the natural grain of the wood and the little "imperfections" becoming part of the finished piece. Would love to win one of these.
Informative. Good stuff.
Fantastic, thanks for the very informative videos!
I love watching you work. I’m not a bow maker so some of your explanations go over my head but you have definitely peeked my interest in bow making.
I appreciate you watching despite not being in your wheelhouse at the moment!
@@organicarchery As a teenager I was very interested in archery. It only got pushed to the back burner when I joined the Navy in 71. After that I was too busy with my family and career. Now that I’m retired I love investigating the craftsmanship of the almost lost arts of making the necessities of the bygone life. I will continue to look forward to your videos.
Thanks for another awesome video Correy! Those bows are simple and beautiful.
Agreed! The bow shape as old as time!
So cool, just stumbled across your channel. Just started looking into bow making, so interesting. Amazing that you give away these bows. I really like that you are trying things for yourself here, so many people are too afraid to try new things or believe ehat everyone else is saying because that is what they heard from someone who heard it from someone. Top work, cant wait to check out your other content. Great work man!
Welcome aboard, and thank you for the support!
Thanks for your prompt and informative response. I will proceed as you suggested and let you know what I discover. Many thanks LeighJones
As usual, an excellent video. Please keep it up !!!
Many thanks! More to come!
Great video. I like your statement about things written back in the day not necessarily being the last word. You have a very honest approach to your videos.
Thank you, Thad! I've been watching your videos for years and have picked up some valuable skills from you and Keith's work. I appreciate what you guys are doing for bowyers!
I really enjoyed your video I'm just starting out building my own bows and you've given some good insights. Thanks
Glad you found the information helpful!
Just found your channel and love it! I have made and used a hickory long bow with no problem as well as a few osage ones - reflex/deflex - for hunting deer and turkeys.
Great to know! I took two whitetail deer with a 74” hackberry longbow last fall. The deer didn’t seem to notice the rounded profile! 🏹
Always wanted to build a bow. you’re helping me start that journey with your videos
Glad to hear they've been helpful for newcomers!
Always a pleasure to watch your work. Thank you.
Many thanks!
Cool longbows, congrats to the winner!
I knew you’d eventually do it but still so cool to see! Thanks Correy!
looking forward to learning more; RUclips will have to suffice in the mean time, til I join a class
I’ll look forward to having you out for a class when the time is right! Until then, the videos will keep rolling!
I'm tempted to give bow building a try, thanks for the inspiration.
It's got a steep learning curve, but it's worth the effort!
I’ve tried making a few bows none have preformed well I like your videos and learning more about it thanks for the info!
It takes time. Apply what you've learned from each bow to the next one, and before you know it you'll have one that rips!
Your videos make my day! Thankyou
Glad you like them!
Absolutely amazing I enjoy your builds immensely
Glad to hear it!
All it took was just one video and now I’m hooked ur channel. Just one video and u helped me with a few small problems i was having. And thank you again for showing the measurements of how a true English long bow is supposed to be . I really enjoy ur work keep it up . And that ash bow u made was so sick .. you rock dude !!!
I'm glad to hear the videos have been helpful! Thanks for watching. I really appreciate the support!
Brilliant work matr. 😊
Thanks, Joe! I was imagining the true English bowyers scoffing at my "English-ish" attempts. Growing quite fond of the design!
Thank you for that video!
You may have inspired me to go back to building self bows.
I've been doing laminated self-backed and bamboo-backed bows with glued in backset for quite a while. I've never done anything other than flat bows-- because of the early bowyers books that you mentioned.
I may have to give a d-bow a try!
Give it a try! If you're on instagram and would like to see some really nice wood laminate d-bows for inspiration, check out Heritage Bows.
I'm new to bow building your videos are easy to follow and very informative keep up the good work
Glad to hear they're helpful for newcomers!
Good looking longbow! I am just getting started. Only have one Osage selfbow at the moment, but have just cut a few Hickoy staves, to get started.
Hickory is a great choice for learning the craft. It'll tolerate some mistakes and still survive!
Beautiful bows.
excellent video! I'm looking forward to a part two with black locust and oak, some fruit or something. I have made Hedeby Bows with black locust that originally have a cross section in D, but I make them in the opposite way, flat on the belly, curved on the back and it works quite well, greetings from Chile!
It's hard for me to get ahold of black locust, but I'd love to do one of oak and I have two pear staves that are almost dry enough! Perhaps I'll have to trade someone for a black locust stave.
Hello there, I am glad I came upon your upload, and already subscribed and watching from San Diego, California. Am very fascinated with archery especially on the topic of English Long Bows. I am happy to know that long bows can be made from other hard wood other than Yews.
Thanks for the support! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Sir, you build fantastic bows! i can feel the power and speed in the video!👍
Very much appreciated!
Awesome video! These bows are Amazing. 🤙🏻
Much appreciated!
Nice work man, it's great to see someone encouraging people. I'm going to try a native wood from my area, central Victoria, Australia. It's called black wattle, very springy but I have no idea how it will perform. I'm new to this even though I've been hunting with bows for nearly 40 years. Thank you for the encouragement!
I’ve read that Victoria has some good options for bow wood, but can’t remember them off the top of my head. Hopefully you find one that works well!
Interesting look into all the different woods. I would be interested to see how something really common like an oak would do. These are such a lovely design. I need to try one next.
I've never made a D-bow from oak, even though it's native and common here. I don't cut oak very often, but will have to try one if the opportunity arises!
I will try to find some hickory or something. I'm in the SE US so we have a lot of hardwood. Just a matter of finding the right thing.
I'm really happy to see Mulberry in there; I grew up with tons of it in the Midwest and always wondered if it would hold up as a bow. That is one I would definitely want to use!
I've only made two mulberry bows -- one Neolithic flatbow and one D-bow -- but I'm impressed and looking forward to working with it more!
Thank you for the update
You make it so easy......thank´s
Very informative video thanks .
My pleasure!
I’m new to your channel and am enjoying your content. Thanks for sharing and for not having a bunch of annoying music playing. I have some Hackberry drying and am looking forward to trying it. So far I have just made a few board bows from red oak. I would love to win one of your bows!
I don't like the music in videos, either! :)
Great video! Very well explained experimenting for yourself on things. Text aren’t always gospels lol nice touch on the bloopers at the end! Loved it lol 😂🤣
Glad you enjoyed them. Between trains and Gilbert, it wasn't the best day for video, ha!
@@organicarchery lol the struggle is real sometimes 😂🤣
Aanii, greetings, I have a 72" hickory / bamboo backed , longbow, that's 50#, draw weight, it's the first bow I got when I got back in to archery a long time ago, I'm 66 yrs. old now, n, after 2 surgeries , have a heck of a time drawing it back, so, I opted to drop down 10#'s ,to a 40#, hybrid longbow, that's 58", long, very fast shooting bow, my 72" longbow has string follow since I bought it, but when I could shoot it, it was a awesome bow , I guess I'm going to have to part with it ,let someone else enjoy the beauty of a great longbow, thanks for showing us your beautiful bows, shakyjake out.
I've always felt that a bow with a little string follow shoots more predictably and quietly than one without. Makes for an excellent hunting bow! Glad to hear you're still shooting after dropping down in poundage. 40# will still do the trick!
Congratulations on the video and sorry for the delay. Your videos are a great inspiration for new archers. I really like English longbows but many manufacturers are like religious people with yew, not giving up other woods and even underestimating the potential of other woods, their opinion on other woods opens the way for archers who want to make their own bow.
There will always be Yew and Osage purists, but they're missing out on the "second-string" bow woods that are a real pleasure to build with!
@@organicarchery Exactly.
Priceless information, instruction.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video my man.
Fortunately one of my local woods is English Yew and the other is white Ash.
I'm guna have to give Hazel a try but I've got loads of Yew
All three of those species will make a good bow. Yew being a premium wood, ash being a "second-string", and hazel better suited to slightly lower draw weights.
@@organicarchery ah nice one, that's good intel.
I'm getting pretty good with the Yew now with 3 successfull D curve/ reflex type profiles with cutouts and layup handles.
I get the feeling that other woods may be second string but will also have their own unique issues
All very real and love the information.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi I am 24, I just started making bow and your videos helped me a lot
Glad you found them helpful!
@@organicarchery I have a question, do you have any specific technique when you shoot your bows? and do you have nock on your string and if so where do you put the nocking point? Thank you
Love the videos !
Thank you!
I have built several out of hickory and never really had problems with it. One of my favorite woods for shorter bows is Holly. If you have never used it, you might want to try it out sometime. It is sometimes a little hard to a good holly stave but I am pretty sure you will like it.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one who's not noticed any compression issues! The only holly we have around here is ornamental. It's sold as a yard tree.
Hackberry is an exceptional bow wood in my experience! I've made everything from Comanche bows to Paul Comstock style flat bows. It is tough and yes very quick. As to hickory, I have experienced the same with compression issues even on well tillered longbows... Great video sir.
If osage is king and yew is queen, hackberry's gotta be like a royal nephew or something.
@@organicarchery I like the way you think.
Gracias por compartir lo que haces. Saludos desde Argentina!
Thanks for your support!
Nice video. I think you are absolutely right. I also made a medieval style longbow out of ash. It draws 70 lbs at 28 inch. Yes, it has a little bit of string follow. But overall it shoots good. Ash and elm where often used in medieval times. A bow was a tool. If it became to week, you had to get/ make a new one.
Agreed. I have some friends who spend time with the Hadza in Africa each year, and they still consider bows to be very disposable. They're made carefully but quickly from green wood, with little regard for the grain or knots, and are rarely unstrung. Sometimes they last for years, sometimes not. If they break or become "tired", they just make a new one.
Great job... Also I Enjoyed the history lesson.... Ah...The Elusive Hackberry
Soon! Working through a 2022 harvest from some enormous trees that were being bulldozed. It's had some really wild, stringy elm-like grain that tears out. I'm on the lookout for a nice one from the stash.
Those bows are fire, wish I could find woods like that in my country
Unless you live in a proper desert, there's certainly one or two good bow woods in your area!
Nice bow!
Great video, try black locust, it makes great D bows, I leave two layers of sapwood on them and they look great.
I made a copy of a Wampanoag bow from Black Locust. I got the crysals (sp?) across the belly that you are warned about in Black Locust--but it has held up well for years despite that.
I've never had the chance to work with black locust, but maybe someday!
that hickory bow you made was beautiful. i also love that you tackled this “myth”. Love the bows you make, you’ve inspired me to shoot more.
p.s. ever thought of trying out an asiatic style bow?
Glad to hear it! Asiatic bows are complex composites that take many years to master. It might as well be considered a separate craft altogether! Maybe one day!
Hackberry is some fine smoking wood, gives meat a really great flavor. Love your videos. Take care.
I'll have to try smoking some meat with the shavings!
@@organicarchery And green hickory nuts work awesome too, just put them on a bed of hot coals.
Awesome 💯😎👍 bro
Ok now I want to try this too
Another great and inspiring video! Thank you very much! How do you match the arrows to your bows (video suggestion 🙂)?
Great suggestion. I've got several arrow videos on the back burner, but they take time! Hope to have those out sooner than later.
make my first bow from hickory when I was 15. Worked pretty well. I don't think I let it season long enough.
It's important to get hickory extra dry before bending it!
Hi, I just joined your channel, so sorry if you've gone over this before. When you're draw knifing the hackberry, it behaves as though it's quite green - but I've never worked hackberry, so maybe that's just how it is. What moisture content do you like your blanks at for roughing out a bow?
I'm not a bowyer, btw, not even an amateur one yet, just a hand tool hobbyist with bow making on his bucket list.
Also, you should know I subscribed before I found out about the bow give away, just on the strength of your exploratory spirit and the information shared. I love videos like this that test our beliefs.
The wood is 2+ years air dried. Hackberry has interlocking grain and behaves much like elm under the draw knife. It's a slightly softer hardwood, around 0.60 to 0.70 specific gravity, so it carves relatively easily even when well seasoned.
You can rough the bow blank when the wood is green. It will lose more moisture in bow blank form in 2 days than a stave will in many months. Lash it to a 2x4 so it doesn't warp wildly. I don't bend or tiller the bow until it's 10% MC or less, which in my region can require a drying box, especially during the humid summer months when equilibrium MC can be 12-14%.
@@organicarchery That answer was gold. That 2x4 hint is going to save me tons of trouble. Thanks for taking the time to reply!
I couldnt agree more about trying things out. The amount of bowyers I've spoken to who will categorically state x is bad and y is good are almost matched by the amount of them who will directly contradict that and say x is good but y is bad. Always good to see experimentation and confirmation testing. I think a lot it comes down to, as you said poor tiller. I would just add that the sheer performance difference between one tree and another of the same kind of wood probably led to a lot of false assumptions too.
Agreed all around!
Really beautiful bows! I've only tried to do flatbows myself, from maple. But as an amature. A lot of fun tho! 😀
I've seen some rounded D-bows made from maple!
quality info, again. 😄👍
Many thanks!
I am impressed with the way you make these bows. Never thought of certain woods being able to make bows. Could hickory be used to make a shorter bow or a riding bow??? I live up in Alaska. I know we have a lot of birch, cottonwood and spruce up where i live. I am getting back into traditional archery. Very useful survival tool. Keep up the great videos.
Yes! Hickory can make a nice shortbow. I’ve done a number of them under 54” long.
Beau travail de facteur d'arc mais aussi de vidéaste. Merci
Many thanks!
HELLO CORREY,love the videos BUT I DO HAVE A QUESTION...i am really curious if you could do a video on how you go about spinning or matching an arrow to the bows you make..i see you shoot off your hand and no cut shelf...do have a bunch of arrows with differant spine weight and just match up what shoots best...just really curious on your system for arrows...or maybe you could put in the video how wide you make your handles on your bows for easier arrow matching spine...thanks for the hard work on the videos...johnny
I've got a detailed arrow making video on the back burner. Lotta work to film it so not sure when it'll be done, but stay tuned!
The ELB is the quintessential bow to me, would love to win one of yours :)
thank you
have you thought about doing more of a medieval/tudor period longbow as opposed to the victorian style long bow? like the mary rose style longbows which have a much more different width to thickness ratio and round compass tiller when conpared to the victorian style longbow with its deeply stacked d section and stiffer handle section ? im not complaining i thought your video was great, im just very interested in that style of longbow and i havent really been able to find much abouth them online regarding tutorials or how tos
Yes, I plan to do a Tudor bow, but the list of build requests is getting quite long so not sure when that'll be! It probably won't be made of yew, since quality yew warbow staves are $400+ nowadays, but I have easy access to ash and elm. Perhaps I can trade one of the warbow bowyers a really clean piece of osage orange for a yew stave.
Incredible video. I believe that the Jurchen/Manchu people of NE Asia also used D-Shaped Longbows of Mulberry in addition to the wood/horn/sinew composites with non-bending tips more common to the region. Awesome to see it seemed to perform well.
Also, 2:51 you are being really casual about being gifted a real Hadza bow! That's incredible! Have you shot it at all?
I haven't shot it. It draws somewhere around 100# and I don't want to break it!
@@organicarchery 100lbs!? Sheesh. You don't want to break it or you don't want it to break you? :)
Jokes aside, I found this channel because I searched "mulberry bow" and I am really glad that I found it. Keep up the great work!
@@Couponuser16 both 😅. Thanks for letting me know how you found the channel. Helps me to better curate my page!
You are a good sniper!😃😃😃😉😉💪💪👋❤️
this is the best channel, im from argentina and i would love to have one bow
I made a 72 inch flat bow out of a hickory 1x2 I got at Menards. I shaved a little too much off while making it and it ended up at 45 lbs at 28 inches. It shoots good but a little weak for hunting. It was fun to build though.
Take what you've learned from the bow and apply it to the next! You'll get "the one" that's ready for hunting before you know it.
@@organicarchery Yea buddy