My grandmother was Lakota, born on the rosebud reservation. She taught us to make similar bows as kids. Traditionally they were powerful enough to hunt buffalo with
Modern hunters strive for a quick kill to minimize suffering, ideally 1 or 2 arrows. This also increases the chance of recovery. A bow like this would not be suitable for buffalo for modern ethical hunting.
Someone finally covered this topic. I lived in the bush of Alaska for many years. I had a firearm for protection and carrying the weight of ammo sucked, therefore like the mountain men of old I used a short selfbow. The bows average about 32 inches with 24" ammo, It was drawn to about 20 inches. I built a new bow on average of once a month, many failed in the cold. Most bows pulled about 40#s, my arrows were about 3/8" in diameter and only had 2 feathers tied opposite of each other. The sting was from thin chainsaw pull cord, near zero stretch. Thanks so much for the vid, reminded me of days gone by a lifetime ago.
you built a new bow every year? I guess the regular "training" in bow building made you quite fast, still I though building a bow is quite time consuming and you need to dry wood before? Which tools did you use to build, which tips for arrows? What did you hunt with it? Sorry for the many questions
@@tterexx426 Once a month not year. Always had the next one under construction. All were from green wood and slowly hardened over a fire and continuously rubbed down with fat until they would take no more. Tools, hatchet, small draw knife made for bow making, sharpened side of planer blade and 4 way wood file rasp. Tips were mostly bone and nails with the had for flat blunt tip or glass. Rabbits. fish, stupid chickens (grouse), ducks, geese and birds. Lived on mostly small game.
@@luckylarry5112 yeah meant to write "month" instead of year 🙈 That's so cool. I just shot my first grouse a few months ago (in Finland) and was soooooo happy - but with rifle instead of bow. Bow hunting grouse would be a dream - but my bow skills are yet far from that. And I will have to go to another country again because they are rare and protected here and can't be hunted. The lifestyle you tell of kinda sounds like a dream to me. But one dream after another next goal will be bow hunting (also not allowed where I live, but in Finland it is - so I will be going there again once my bow skills are enough to pass the bow test there). And then probably build my own bow. You say, cold destroys bows?
Carrying the weight of ammo sucked so you made a bow? You can't tell me an arrow is lighter than a bullet. Plus, a gun can shoot way faster, is easier to use, and bullets are less likely to miss, when they hit a branch or something. So EVEN IF arrows were lighter, they would have to be much lighter, for a bow to be a reasonable option for self defense.
OP cheats though, most of his kit is mass produced Chinese LARP costume. And our boy PT is an Aussie. He'll be lobbing beer bottles at him long before he comes into bow range.
The historical shortbow over here in Scandinavia had one metal end so it could be used as a small spear in case the bowstring broke or you had to engage in ccq. Along with the spear, handaxe and the small seax it was standard equipment for ordinary folks. Nice video! Traditionaly here when you shoot the bow you draw it straight up over your head and then lower the bow to fire directly. That's how I was taught anyway.
@@quartzteeth8429 Well as further information the longer bow also often had a metall end up in the north of Scandinavia to be able to be used as a staff while skiing. This is well documentet if you just google. As an example of this is page 76 of this long document: www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1226157/FULLTEXT01.pdf unfortunately in swedish but I'll quote one passage: "I nedre änden sitter en järnsko där en skidstavskringla varit fäst; bågen har alltså fungerat som skidstav vid jakten vintertid"/"at the lower end is an iron shoe to which a ski pole pretzel has been attached; the arc has thus functioned as ski pole when hunting in winter." Drammensfjord area in south-eastern Norway has still living tradition of these bows and I have in my own family and others heard the same stories. I don't know if there are any english documents about this but much of these special details about old things aren't common knowledge nowadays - even among scholars. They tend to make one find and generalize out of that. I just happened to like sitting with the old people and listen to them sharing their knowledge ever since I was a child. I believe them but ofc people always believe documents someone not familiar to them has written more. Such is the way of our age.
Aragorn actually brings down a deer with his bow as well while traveling with the hobbits to Rivendell. Not sure if that is in the regular version of the movie or if it's in the extended edition only. You dont see him take down the deer but you do see him carry it back to the campfire where the hobbits are waiting. Always good to see a new video from you and as always, I love your content!
For that exact reason with the deer is why Aragorn was given a bow in the first place as originally he wasn't going to have one. But then Viggo Mortensen came to Peter Jackson and said to give him and/or asked for Aragorn to have a bow as "How would he get any food when traveling?" Or something along those lines. And thus Aragorns short bow and quiver of arrows were added to his bedroll kit.
Here's what I think is the neatest thing about the bow: In terms of range, accuracy, and rate-of-fire, firearms didn't start outperforming the bow until the mid 19th century.
I’m not saying I’m not content with this but I’m sure all of us would love a tutorial/ how to vid for this bow. But do whatever you want you vids are amazing.
Well a little tidbit from somewhere I heard that the English Longbow isn't really from England, but borrowed from somewhere else. Admittedly they are the first to us it in war that they. Don't know how true it is but the person used facts to back it up just don't remember where I heard it from. Might make an interesting look at.
It has pretty much always been illegal to bow hunt on the island of great britain given how the forests belonged to the king and you could get in trouble for shooting his deer
Im on my way to the caledonian forest this week and my short yew bow is coming, its 40 inch 70lb at 20inch draw, rewatching this video has upped the excitement thanks 😊
Oh buddy, I've been unsuccessfully searching ways to make traditional longbow style archery miniature-ised. This has given me hope. This is how I started off, with a lot of simple designs from whatever was around me, but got sucked into the world of strictly long-bows (for poundage). I've got some Osage coming to me, I think I'll try and make a short yet powerfulbite with that. I've been waiting to put out any content until I'm successful consistently enough. Many thanks from the states!
I know where there is a few wonderfully straight yew limbs in my neck of the woods that I stumbled upon on my ramblings, the trouble is im afraid of getting them because I've since learnt that part of the Forrest is frequented by some of the not so savoury woodland users and I avoid the area now lol
For some reason l have had a bunch of bow making videos pop up in my feed today. Watched a couple of videos by a gentleman from Bulgaria. No voice over. No music. Just him working. One was a North American Horn Bow. All made from the horns of Big Horn Sheep or their equivilant, glues from natural products and all stone tools. The other was a Korean Horn Backed Bow. Mulberry and Rams Horn. About 1 hour long or so. The Korean took a year.
Looks great. Very obvious how hard it is to draw compared with a bow of more common size. Ideal for a bit of fun and for small game if we were allowed to. I wonder if bowfishing at sea is permitted..... ? Greatly relieved to see the advert was for "The Great Courses Plus" and not "Raid Shadow Legends"!
Self bows, lord of the rings, and running about the woods, it's like I've died and gone to heaven. 😉 Very nicely done my man I'll have to give that a whirl!
Good stuff. But you don’t need a 70 pounds short bow with the type of arrows you use. For a 50 pounds bow, we usually have arrows weighing between 35 to 40 grams ( I won’t use grain for simplicity’s sake). You could build a lighter bow, and since your arrows are so light, it won’t make a big difference. For reference, a lot of people hunt deers with 40 pound bows, even 35. High poundage bow with heavy projectiles were a thing because of armor. So for survival purpose a 40 pounds bow is more than adequate. It will also be A LOT more durable, and you could use a thumb draw instead of the Mediterranean way to shoot faster.
With his short bow the arrow is being pushed by the string for a much shorter time and distance before it leaves the string hence the need for the high poundage. Hope that makes sense.
Would love to have a bow like this for times when a takedown recurve would take too long to set up, but with my disability I would need a lighter draw weight. Great job making the bow and the arrows.
Thank you for explaining that "pinch grip". I have seen pictures of people shooting with that type of grip, and I could always tell that something seemed "off", but I didn't know what it was. Now I know!
As someone who shares a very similar climate and culture as you (Northern Ireland). These videos are very informative and interesting to me. It’s just too bad only 8% of this place is forested and nearly all of it are man-made single species plantations.
My grandfather taught me to shoot a handmade native american bow. It was short and he had me tilt it and short draw it. The arrows were 8mm with long turkey feathers. .32 long shell casings were pitch glued to the tip of some. My unckl took the bow and completed arrows, but my grandma gave me the ragged leather, beaded tube with shafts, feathers, pitch and some sinew thread. They taught me how to build them.I used them for many months.good memories!
It's very interesting to see how totally different cultures came up with similar solutions. The "pinch grip" is also known as the Mongolian Grip. Mongol and Tatar horse archers would also commonly use a special thumb ring to make it easier to draw the bow, kinda like how European archers used gloves or small leather pads to protect their draw fingers. Pinch grip is the more optimal grip for shorter bows where volume of fire is important- the horse archers would get a lot closer to the enemy than foot archers bc they could pepper the enemy with shots and run away on their horses so accuracy wasn't as big of a factor as volume of shots taken. Same went for hunting- on horseback getting close isn't an issue bc a horse (especially a Mongolian horse) will keep up with basically any game so it's more important to hit as many shots as possible in as short a time so the prey won't run away somewhere you can't follow.
It may be possible to get more arrow speed by using an arrow overdraw device like the Korean Tong-Ah. It would allow you to shoot half sized and therefore much lighter arrows. Shorter arrows are easier to make in the field and easier to carry. Just a thought.
Great system! Im in British Columbia Canada we have many a steep hill covered in thick brush so short and light is the way to go for trekking. I have loads of yew thats dried nicely and know the fist thing ill make! Thanks for your wonderful content !
Very beautiful and well made bow. I made short bows like that all the time when I was a kid, and I have to say learning how to snap-shoot a a young age helped out a lot with having a rapid and accurate shot cycle with the longbows I shoot nowadays. The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible is probably the best source out there for building bows of any kind, John Strunk is widely considered to be the “world’s greatest bowyer”. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to you next video. God Bless. 👍🏹
Birch pitch is the best glue, pine pitch is brittle due to temperature changes, and birch pitch is not . Birch tar is an antiseptic, too. The simplest birch pitch is evaporating tar and mixing in ashes, if desired - wood shavings too.
MOST of the Indigenous People of the Western Hemisphere use/used short, powerful bows. Those of us whose people are eastern woodlands couldn't have used a long bow simply because the terrain was too rough and too full of trees. Since the bow was both hunting and war weapon, you had to have one that you could use while running, up a tree, or fire from behind rocks and fallen trees without exposing your self in order to get full draw. My great-uncle, a traditional Cherokee bowyer, sized the bow to reach from ground to the waist or a couple of inches above of the person he was making it for. All of us kids were gifted bows with sheaths and quivers of arrows at around age 5 and he took the time to teach us proper care and use. Considering that even in his 70s he could run full tilt through the woods and pull off accurate shots at game was awesome.
Thing little bow is nuts.. I love it! I've been looking at making a smaller now, though not as small as yours, the bow being called a paddle bow. As far as the pain on your thumb for the Indian draw, consider a thumb ring! Great video!
Being a small portable system why not make the arrows 'baby' sized like the ones fired in the 'tongah' arrow guide for the Korean Pyeonjeon/Turkish Majra. Get greater velocities with the stubby arrows and you could have a shorter thigh friendly quiver. Stow the arrow guide with the bow.
Longer arrows have more forward weight so they are more accurate the First Nations who used these bows would us arrows up to 30 inches because they were more accurate super short arrows would need really big fletching to make em fly straight and they would slow the arrow down it could work but it would be a lot of work
@@avidanglerorobsession6127 some first nations used long arrows with short bows, but a lot of the arrows collected from plains tribes used short arrows around the 20"-24" mark
@@avidanglerorobsession6127 To add, longer arrows are more aerodynamically efficient, as they carry more mass for a given frontal cross section area. Not really a concern at short range hunting distances, but definitely an advantage in military archery.
dylan holderman yes arrows of 20 to 24 inches were used and I have had some very accurate arrows as short as 18 inches but arrows the the guy who commented was referring to seem that they would be around 10 inches witch is much shorter
Hey Fandabi, I believe the Masai arrow head is suppose to be able to detach itself from the shaft. Some arrows were built that way, so when you retrieve the arrow from game the arrow head and shaft detaches that way it’s easier to pull out and the shaft isn’t damaged. Just a tip!
@@joshlower1 these kind of arrows is/was not made to haunt other humans. I know no animal able to pull out an arrow by itself. I guess there is no such animal.
I just made a 1m20 survival bow out of a green wood, my first ever bow, it will probably not last long as it's pretty thin and I fucked up one limb by removing slightly too much material (it curves a bit too much at a precise spot at about a quarter of the limb). But damn I feel so happy as it didn't break on the spot, and one limb actually curves as it should! I made it for my sons and I guess it's just about the right poundage for a kid, I think it's around 15lbs.
I loved hearing about your research and thought process in the beginning! This is something that I could get into, it's so practical. I love your channel and videos. Maybe it's the Primal Celt genes in me. I'd definitely be interested in seeing more about the fishing arrow, and how you make your teaspoon arrowhead.
It would be great to see more of this short bow, it's really interesting. I definitely want to see you try bow fishing, and adding sinew to the bow. As someone who has only re-taken up archery during the lock down after away from it 16 years, It was very interesting to see your short bow system. I really appreciated it, thanks.
@@timbayliss7720 not going well for B&H.....we DO NOT COMPLY WITH TYRANNY! As a 13th generation American with ancestors from Isles of Mann & Skye, I stand for my rights to live free.
Nice, I normally have a very low boredom threshold, but you explaining the process to the 'big reveal' was useful, quick and non repetitive! Great video and a short powerful bow is probably more use in non-combat' situations as you want to bring it into action asap to snag that furry lunch making a run for it
According to Saxton Pope the Yahi used close in stalking before shooting. You can read his book on Project Guttenberg for free. Hunting with the Bow & Arrow. Hunting The Hard Way by Howard Hill gives a good understanding of the hunt. He did not use points on arrows for small game. The impact either killed or incapacitated them which leads me to think that a sling would work as well except in heavy undergrowth. Great idea on the bow and its use, thanks.
I would be interested to see you try one made out of Osage Orange. Yew is, of course, the most widely known wood for bows, particularly from Europe and medieval times. But I was surprised at the history of Osage Orange in North America. it actually has a significant place in history because of it's durability and working properties across a whole host of applications. And one of those applications is for Bows. It's been a while mind you, but I recall one reference indicating that Osage Orange can rival Yew for Bows and often used by American Indians. No different than Yew or any other wood you need the right piece from a suitable, straight trunk, etc. Anyway, a piece of trivia. I seem to recall Osage Orange may (?) only be found in North America, so maybe that would put you off. But if it catches your curiosity, I'd be interested in your take. Nice videos, thank you.
Its how I started shooting as I was self taught as a kid. Then someone told me it was wrong so I learned to shoot on the left. I know know many cultures shot right side! so felt a bit cheated! haha
Would be nice traveling like (with all of those old school clothes and bags) that for weeks in woods :D Fast shooting from the left side. You have done your research. Damn. Great video.
In my understanding drawweight doesn’t necessarily translate into arrow speed. It is not by chance that most short bows were composite bows where the backing is the reason for higher limp speed. I have read about a very small bow with sinew and snakeskin backing and about 45 pounds drawweight which coils up like a spring when drawn.
I think the best thing to do is practice in shooting arrows against the water current at night that's how I used to do it fish can't see at night so usually closer to the surface especially gar not in the water this. Knee deep to have Knee Deep maybe a foot or so deep you can get some pretty good sized catfish depends on you have a nice River nearby or a creek
Aww yess, a bow!!!😍 I want to learn archery and medicine one day when I saved enough money and gain knowledge by training and self study until then. You made the arrows so great, I doubt I'll be able to do them like you (the spinning feather looks complicated but I won't know until I try)😯💧 Thanks a lot for this very informative and helpful Video 😀🌻 When you mentioned some of your old videos I realized that I watch you since years now! That's awesome and I hope there will come many more years in future!✌🌷
Hey again! Its a great thing to learn! Very satisfying! The arrows arn't too hard, but a bit fiddly. Feathers often have a natural twist in them anyway. Thanks so much for supporting me over the years and always leaving a supportive comment! Have a great day!
Your Highness, practice and trial/error is valid way to go, having experienced instructor cuts time though. few pointers below. Making a bow require you to pay attention to the growth rings, try avoiding cutting them on side away from you, it weakens the bow A LOT for this reason splitting is better than saw. arrows are also best made from split wood straightened by heat and/or steam. Putting feathers is fiddly, try few times with just beeeswax (as "glue") and thread to get technique right. Good luck Örjan
Forgot to mention, many archery ranges/clubs have days you can go there and try archety for free with a volonteer instructor, just few arrows downrange but...
bow hunting... the thing humans have been doing for 70,000+ years is illegal in a country that famously produced the most fearsome archers in Europe and gave us such legends as Robin Hood and William Tell. I simply have no words for how asinine that is.
Where I live the wild deer are not hunted with firearms, and you can walk up to them within 5 yards. So Ishi would have no problem using a short bow with a 25 or 30 pound pull weight to harvest deer. So much for the great white hunter mates.
It is important to note that for every inch the bow is shortened you gain about 5lbs of force. Also, most American Indian bows averaged about 45lbs of force and were used to take large game and in some cases, such as the plains tribes, big game.
when looking for wood to make a bow I go to where they are logging and get limbs the tight compact grain on the top of the limb is free of knots and straight most limbs are 20 foot or more so finding a suitable limb is easy.
Try a 4 foot bow, much better than the smaller 3 foot, also placing the arrow on the inside was started by Hollywood, bowmen loose arrows from the outside of the bow, it's quicker to loose off arrows in rapid fire, it's OK to use the inside of the bow when in competitions, and you're aiming at a target, there is no rush, but when in a battle or hunting you need to be quick and be able to loose off a number of arrows quickly
Love this!! Have you thought about using a gut harp string as the string? Made of sheep gut, would reckon a 4th optive would work for the size? I'd love to try it out but not got the your mega skills to make a bow 🖤☺️
this is totally awesome :) and I've wanted to make a bow similar to this myself - something I'd add: it's recommended (and historically authentic) to use finger protection to shoot a bow of that poundage, if you don't and you shoot often you're at risk of suffering permanent nerve damage in the pads of your fingers
Have a care when using natural animal (sinew, etc) or plant (nettle stem fiber, cedar roots, etc) materials for bowstring-making. They all are useful to one degree or another, but suffer from a common vulnerability - rain and humidity.
My grandmother was Lakota, born on the rosebud reservation. She taught us to make similar bows as kids. Traditionally they were powerful enough to hunt buffalo with
Damn
Modern hunters strive for a quick kill to minimize suffering, ideally 1 or 2 arrows. This also increases the chance of recovery. A bow like this would not be suitable for buffalo for modern ethical hunting.
@@Lost_Hwasal I think the serious buffalo hunting bows where bigger or used at closer range
@@Lost_Hwasal Quite right but when it is your dinner and there are no grocery stores you don't care about that kind of things.
@@ReasonAboveEverything Of course, we live in the age of grocery stores though. So youre talking about something that doesnt exist anymore.
It would be nice to watch a "how to make" video on this! Will we see one in the future?
There are lots of videos on how to make them on utube on how to make bows
@@Theresalove34 No kidding Mr Bill Jarvis, but the comment is referring to this!
Yes please
I would love a how to so I can make one too.
I'd watch it I love primitive crafting videos
Someone finally covered this topic. I lived in the bush of Alaska for many years. I had a firearm for protection and carrying the weight of ammo sucked, therefore like the mountain men of old I used a short selfbow. The bows average about 32 inches with 24" ammo, It was drawn to about 20 inches. I built a new bow on average of once a month, many failed in the cold. Most bows pulled about 40#s, my arrows were about 3/8" in diameter and only had 2 feathers tied opposite of each other. The sting was from thin chainsaw pull cord, near zero stretch. Thanks so much for the vid, reminded me of days gone by a lifetime ago.
you built a new bow every year? I guess the regular "training" in bow building made you quite fast, still I though building a bow is quite time consuming and you need to dry wood before? Which tools did you use to build, which tips for arrows? What did you hunt with it? Sorry for the many questions
@@tterexx426
Once a month not year. Always had the next one under construction. All were from green wood and slowly hardened over a fire and continuously rubbed down with fat until they would take no more.
Tools, hatchet, small draw knife made for bow making, sharpened side of planer blade and 4 way wood file rasp.
Tips were mostly bone and nails with the had for flat blunt tip or glass.
Rabbits. fish, stupid chickens (grouse), ducks, geese and birds. Lived on mostly small game.
@@luckylarry5112 yeah meant to write "month" instead of year 🙈
That's so cool. I just shot my first grouse a few months ago (in Finland) and was soooooo happy - but with rifle instead of bow. Bow hunting grouse would be a dream - but my bow skills are yet far from that. And I will have to go to another country again because they are rare and protected here and can't be hunted.
The lifestyle you tell of kinda sounds like a dream to me. But one dream after another next goal will be bow hunting (also not allowed where I live, but in Finland it is - so I will be going there again once my bow skills are enough to pass the bow test there). And then probably build my own bow.
You say, cold destroys bows?
@@luckylarry5112 and thanks for the fast response by the way
Carrying the weight of ammo sucked so you made a bow? You can't tell me an arrow is lighter than a bullet.
Plus, a gun can shoot way faster, is easier to use, and bullets are less likely to miss, when they hit a branch or something. So EVEN IF arrows were lighter, they would have to be much lighter, for a bow to be a reasonable option for self defense.
Do you think you would be able to successfully raid primitive technology's hut complex?
Hahahahahah
Yes
“Do you want to explode?”
Just wait until he discovers primitive brick throwing techniques
OP cheats though, most of his kit is mass produced Chinese LARP costume. And our boy PT is an Aussie. He'll be lobbing beer bottles at him long before he comes into bow range.
The historical shortbow over here in Scandinavia had one metal end so it could be used as a small spear in case the bowstring broke or you had to engage in ccq. Along with the spear, handaxe and the small seax it was standard equipment for ordinary folks. Nice video! Traditionaly here when you shoot the bow you draw it straight up over your head and then lower the bow to fire directly.
That's how I was taught anyway.
Awesome! Something to add to the next bow then I think! Thanks for the info!
can i please get a source on this?
@@quartzteeth8429 Well as further information the longer bow also often had a metall end up in the north of Scandinavia to be able to be used as a staff while skiing. This is well documentet if you just google. As an example of this is page 76 of this long document: www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1226157/FULLTEXT01.pdf unfortunately in swedish but I'll quote one passage: "I
nedre änden sitter en järnsko där en skidstavskringla varit fäst; bågen har alltså fungerat som
skidstav vid jakten vintertid"/"at the lower end is an iron shoe to which a ski pole pretzel has been attached; the arc has thus functioned as
ski pole when hunting in winter." Drammensfjord area in south-eastern Norway has still living tradition of these bows and I have in my own family and others heard the same stories. I don't know if there are any english documents about this but much of these special details about old things aren't common knowledge nowadays - even among scholars. They tend to make one find and generalize out of that. I just happened to like sitting with the old people and listen to them sharing their knowledge ever since I was a child. I believe them but ofc people always believe documents someone not familiar to them has written more. Such is the way of our age.
@@afternoobtea914 Really cool idea; thank you for sharing it!
Aragorn actually brings down a deer with his bow as well while traveling with the hobbits to Rivendell. Not sure if that is in the regular version of the movie or if it's in the extended edition only. You dont see him take down the deer but you do see him carry it back to the campfire where the hobbits are waiting. Always good to see a new video from you and as always, I love your content!
Oh interesting! Thanks for the info and for watching!
For that exact reason with the deer is why Aragorn was given a bow in the first place as originally he wasn't going to have one. But then Viggo Mortensen came to Peter Jackson and said to give him and/or asked for Aragorn to have a bow as "How would he get any food when traveling?" Or something along those lines. And thus Aragorns short bow and quiver of arrows were added to his bedroll kit.
Found the scene on YT - ruclips.net/video/e4er8Edq2Go/видео.html&ab_channel=Gollum
here my dad bought me a bow, then ax, then knife all before I 11...then I took up fencing ruclips.net/video/WhVn4fKTVDQ/видео.html
ROFL-- great educational movie, I'm sure.
There aren't many sounds more satisfying than the sound of an arrow releasing and hitting on a target.
Aye that, Laddie, but the sound of hard flesh slapping against the soft is quite pleasing as well !!!
@Grim Peeper aye, you're not wrong. We each have our weaknesses for the sound of glory
@@DonMorganSeawolf 😄😄
Here's what I think is the neatest thing about the bow: In terms of range, accuracy, and rate-of-fire, firearms didn't start outperforming the bow until the mid 19th century.
Lol
I’m not saying I’m not content with this but I’m sure all of us would love a tutorial/ how to vid for this bow. But do whatever you want you vids are amazing.
Nice! I have had a bow idea as a project for ages and never got around to it.
Maybe a good lockdown project!
Its a very rewarding thing! Good luck with it!
“In theory” Every thing is illegal in the UK
It's a shame from a bow nation to ban hunting with bows.
@@Bergerons_Review ridiculous isn't it?
They have a system that if its not authorized it's illegal. Since there is no law authorizing you to make a bow than its illegal.
More in germany
If its an offensive weapon,.. yes
Great little bow. I still can’t fathom how in the home of the longbow, you can’t bow hunt
@The Head Reacher Bwaaahaaa. 😂😂😂 Ribbit.
Well a little tidbit from somewhere I heard that the English Longbow isn't really from England, but borrowed from somewhere else. Admittedly they are the first to us it in war that they. Don't know how true it is but the person used facts to back it up just don't remember where I heard it from. Might make an interesting look at.
@@johnree6106 here's a link that presents the history well:
www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Longbow/
@@BeetleBuns Thanks it was the Welsh that they where mentioning but I was surprised that a Longbow was found in other areas also.
It has pretty much always been illegal to bow hunt on the island of great britain given how the forests belonged to the king and you could get in trouble for shooting his deer
SInew and recurve were exactly my thoughts. With the sinew, you could potentially go thinner before breaking, getting more lbs with less effort.
Im on my way to the caledonian forest this week and my short yew bow is coming, its 40 inch 70lb at 20inch draw, rewatching this video has upped the excitement thanks 😊
Been watching you forever glad to see you’re coming up on 100k!
Thanks for the support over the years buddy!
Oh buddy, I've been unsuccessfully searching ways to make traditional longbow style archery miniature-ised. This has given me hope. This is how I started off, with a lot of simple designs from whatever was around me, but got sucked into the world of strictly long-bows (for poundage). I've got some Osage coming to me, I think I'll try and make a short yet powerfulbite with that. I've been waiting to put out any content until I'm successful consistently enough. Many thanks from the states!
I really enjoyed that video. Its interesting to see how people getting into archery develope their style after time.
I know where there is a few wonderfully straight yew limbs in my neck of the woods that I stumbled upon on my ramblings, the trouble is im afraid of getting them because I've since learnt that part of the Forrest is frequented by some of the not so savoury woodland users and I avoid the area now lol
I've been looking for a video like this for years. Absolutely fantastic video, thank you
For some reason l have had a bunch of bow making videos pop up in my feed today. Watched a couple of videos by a gentleman from Bulgaria. No voice over. No music. Just him working. One was a North American Horn Bow. All made from the horns of Big Horn Sheep or their equivilant, glues from natural products and all stone tools. The other was a Korean Horn Backed Bow. Mulberry and Rams Horn. About 1 hour long or so. The Korean took a year.
Looks great. Very obvious how hard it is to draw compared with a bow of more common size. Ideal for a bit of fun and for small game if we were allowed to. I wonder if bowfishing at sea is permitted..... ?
Greatly relieved to see the advert was for "The Great Courses Plus" and not "Raid Shadow Legends"!
Gotta love this man’s thoroughness. I really feel the passion in your videos, keep up the good work man, love ya approach to life.
Self bows, lord of the rings, and running about the woods, it's like I've died and gone to heaven. 😉
Very nicely done my man I'll have to give that a whirl!
Glad you enjoyed it buddy! I'll bring it along when we finally get round to meeting 😊
@@FandabiDozi if u shoot it like a cross bow it will be way more accurate
Woah!!! That little thing shoots a lot better than I thought it would.
Good stuff. But you don’t need a 70 pounds short bow with the type of arrows you use. For a 50 pounds bow, we usually have arrows weighing between 35 to 40 grams ( I won’t use grain for simplicity’s sake). You could build a lighter bow, and since your arrows are so light, it won’t make a big difference. For reference, a lot of people hunt deers with 40 pound bows, even 35. High poundage bow with heavy projectiles were a thing because of armor. So for survival purpose a 40 pounds bow is more than adequate. It will also be A LOT more durable, and you could use a thumb draw instead of the Mediterranean way to shoot faster.
With his short bow the arrow is being pushed by the string for a much shorter time and distance before it leaves the string hence the need for the high poundage. Hope that makes sense.
Would love to have a bow like this for times when a takedown recurve would take too long to set up, but with my disability I would need a lighter draw weight. Great job making the bow and the arrows.
Thank you for explaining that "pinch grip". I have seen pictures of people shooting with that type of grip, and I could always tell that something seemed "off", but I didn't know what it was. Now I know!
As someone who shares a very similar climate and culture as you (Northern Ireland). These videos are very informative and interesting to me. It’s just too bad only 8% of this place is forested and nearly all of it are man-made single species plantations.
Never knew how much pheasant feathers look like turkey feathers
My grandfather taught me to shoot a handmade native american bow. It was short and he had me tilt it and short draw it. The arrows were 8mm with long turkey feathers. .32 long shell casings were pitch glued to the tip of some. My unckl took the bow and completed arrows, but my grandma gave me the ragged leather, beaded tube with shafts, feathers, pitch and some sinew thread. They taught me how to build them.I used them for many months.good memories!
It's very interesting to see how totally different cultures came up with similar solutions. The "pinch grip" is also known as the Mongolian Grip. Mongol and Tatar horse archers would also commonly use a special thumb ring to make it easier to draw the bow, kinda like how European archers used gloves or small leather pads to protect their draw fingers.
Pinch grip is the more optimal grip for shorter bows where volume of fire is important- the horse archers would get a lot closer to the enemy than foot archers bc they could pepper the enemy with shots and run away on their horses so accuracy wasn't as big of a factor as volume of shots taken. Same went for hunting- on horseback getting close isn't an issue bc a horse (especially a Mongolian horse) will keep up with basically any game so it's more important to hit as many shots as possible in as short a time so the prey won't run away somewhere you can't follow.
Another video from you is always a surprise, but a welcome one.
It may be possible to get more arrow speed by using an arrow overdraw device like the Korean Tong-Ah. It would allow you to shoot half sized and therefore much lighter arrows. Shorter arrows are easier to make in the field and easier to carry. Just a thought.
I hope that's traditional paracord and electrical tape, mate.
😂
550 cord
Good idea 💡 though. I never thought of that.
Great system! Im in British Columbia Canada we have many a steep hill covered in thick brush so short and light is the way to go for trekking. I have loads of yew thats dried nicely and know the fist thing ill make! Thanks for your wonderful content !
To save room in the quiver with fletched arrows you could try a double instead of a triple fletched arrow.
Watching two years after and thinking that your input is brilliant. Slainte 🥃
Very beautiful and well made bow. I made short bows like that all the time when I was a kid, and I have to say learning how to snap-shoot a a young age helped out a lot with having a rapid and accurate shot cycle with the longbows I shoot nowadays. The Traditional Bowyer’s Bible is probably the best source out there for building bows of any kind, John Strunk is widely considered to be the “world’s greatest bowyer”. Thanks for sharing, looking forward to you next video. God Bless. 👍🏹
Birch pitch is the best glue, pine pitch is brittle due to temperature changes, and birch pitch is not . Birch tar is an antiseptic, too. The simplest birch pitch is evaporating tar and mixing in ashes, if desired - wood shavings too.
When your custom knife gonna be for sale the derk /ski n do
MOST of the Indigenous People of the Western Hemisphere use/used short, powerful bows. Those of us whose people are eastern woodlands couldn't have used a long bow simply because the terrain was too rough and too full of trees. Since the bow was both hunting and war weapon, you had to have one that you could use while running, up a tree, or fire from behind rocks and fallen trees without exposing your self in order to get full draw. My great-uncle, a traditional Cherokee bowyer, sized the bow to reach from ground to the waist or a couple of inches above of the person he was making it for. All of us kids were gifted bows with sheaths and quivers of arrows at around age 5 and he took the time to teach us proper care and use. Considering that even in his 70s he could run full tilt through the woods and pull off accurate shots at game was awesome.
Absolutely love everything, the shoes, bag, quiver, arrow and of course that little powerful bow! Great vid man!
Bows are the easy part, arrows on the other hand are a work of art.
2am... I knew i wanted to stay awake for something. Good night from across the pond.
Thing little bow is nuts.. I love it! I've been looking at making a smaller now, though not as small as yours, the bow being called a paddle bow.
As far as the pain on your thumb for the Indian draw, consider a thumb ring! Great video!
Being a small portable system why not make the arrows 'baby' sized like the ones fired in the 'tongah' arrow guide for the Korean Pyeonjeon/Turkish Majra. Get greater velocities with the stubby arrows and you could have a shorter thigh friendly quiver. Stow the arrow guide with the bow.
Longer arrows have more forward weight so they are more accurate the First Nations who used these bows would us arrows up to 30 inches because they were more accurate super short arrows would need really big fletching to make em fly straight and they would slow the arrow down it could work but it would be a lot of work
@@avidanglerorobsession6127 thanks for those little tidbits!! i have always wondered why those arrow guides weren't more prevalent!
@@avidanglerorobsession6127 some first nations used long arrows with short bows, but a lot of the arrows collected from plains tribes used short arrows around the 20"-24" mark
@@avidanglerorobsession6127 To add, longer arrows are more aerodynamically efficient, as they carry more mass for a given frontal cross section area. Not really a concern at short range hunting distances, but definitely an advantage in military archery.
dylan holderman yes arrows of 20 to 24 inches were used and I have had some very accurate arrows as short as 18 inches but arrows the the guy who commented was referring to seem that they would be around 10 inches witch is much shorter
Really good, you can see it from the clean flight of the arrows! Great for hunting. Congratulations!
Hey Fandabi, I believe the Masai arrow head is suppose to be able to detach itself from the shaft. Some arrows were built that way, so when you retrieve the arrow from game the arrow head and shaft detaches that way it’s easier to pull out and the shaft isn’t damaged. Just a tip!
No it's made that way so tht when you shoot your enemies the can't pull it out
@@joshlower1 these kind of arrows is/was not made to haunt other humans. I know no animal able to pull out an arrow by itself. I guess there is no such animal.
@@stormnr2 That's a bold statement considering humans have been warring against each other since inception.
I just made a 1m20 survival bow out of a green wood, my first ever bow, it will probably not last long as it's pretty thin and I fucked up one limb by removing slightly too much material (it curves a bit too much at a precise spot at about a quarter of the limb).
But damn I feel so happy as it didn't break on the spot, and one limb actually curves as it should! I made it for my sons and I guess it's just about the right poundage for a kid, I think it's around 15lbs.
I loved hearing about your research and thought process in the beginning! This is something that I could get into, it's so practical. I love your channel and videos. Maybe it's the Primal Celt genes in me. I'd definitely be interested in seeing more about the fishing arrow, and how you make your teaspoon arrowhead.
This Covid bow-vid could go viral. Good work my man.
I bet you’d enjoy making and shooting a Penobscot style double-bow
Wow, this is so fantastic! Would love a more in-depth how to on how and arrows, paracord skirts are a brilliant idea
It would be great to see more of this short bow, it's really interesting. I definitely want to see you try bow fishing, and adding sinew to the bow. As someone who has only re-taken up archery during the lock down after away from it 16 years, It was very interesting to see your short bow system. I really appreciated it, thanks.
Bowhunting (inc bow fishing) is unfortunately illegal in the UK, so he might not be able to. I'd love to see it too though
@@tomhannigan2234 What is legal in the UK? 🤓🍻
@@alsaunders7805 Only what the monarch and government say is legal. Exactly like it'll be in USA when Biden/Harris get in.
@@timbayliss7720 Yeah that's what I'm worried about. My only consolation is that my vote didn't do it.😪🍻
@@timbayliss7720 not going well for B&H.....we DO NOT COMPLY WITH TYRANNY! As a 13th generation American with ancestors from Isles of Mann & Skye, I stand for my rights to live free.
You can make really cheap and surprisingly durable arrowheads for PVC pipe. The Backyard Bowyer has a video about it.
Cool short bow is so much more practical as you described great vid 👍 ATB trev
Yes, to archery fishing videos! Interested, thanks!
Your video quality just sky rocketed.
Really enjoyed the video, thank you for your teachings
Nice, I normally have a very low boredom threshold, but you explaining the process to the 'big reveal' was useful, quick and non repetitive! Great video and a short powerful bow is probably more use in non-combat' situations as you want to bring it into action asap to snag that furry lunch making a run for it
Short yet powerful! If i was a feudal bandit, i wouldn't even see what would hit me!
Looks like a super useful, quick handling bow! I'd love to learn that technique you use for the short bow.
According to Saxton Pope the Yahi used close in stalking before shooting. You can read his book on Project Guttenberg for free. Hunting with the Bow & Arrow. Hunting The Hard Way by Howard Hill gives a good understanding of the hunt. He did not use points on arrows for small game. The impact either killed or incapacitated them which leads me to think that a sling would work as well except in heavy undergrowth. Great idea on the bow and its use, thanks.
I would be interested to see you try one made out of Osage Orange. Yew is, of course, the most widely known wood for bows, particularly from Europe and medieval times. But I was surprised at the history of Osage Orange in North America. it actually has a significant place in history because of it's durability and working properties across a whole host of applications.
And one of those applications is for Bows. It's been a while mind you, but I recall one reference indicating that Osage Orange can rival Yew for Bows and often used by American Indians. No different than Yew or any other wood you need the right piece from a suitable, straight trunk, etc.
Anyway, a piece of trivia. I seem to recall Osage Orange may (?) only be found in North America, so maybe that would put you off. But if it catches your curiosity, I'd be interested in your take.
Nice videos, thank you.
I shoot much better from the right side as it is naturally inline with my dominate eye.
Its how I started shooting as I was self taught as a kid. Then someone told me it was wrong so I learned to shoot on the left. I know know many cultures shot right side! so felt a bit cheated! haha
Thanks it always best to line up on your dominate eye. However it is easier is best. I really enjoyed your video.
Would be nice traveling like (with all of those old school clothes and bags) that for weeks in woods :D Fast shooting from the left side. You have done your research. Damn. Great video.
You might like to try 'The Traditional Archer's Handbook' by Hilary Greenland. It's also small but full of really useful stuff on making bows.
I'll look it up! Thank you!
How does this not have 10 million views?
Three words for you, duct tape fletchings
I've seen that done before. Good suggestion.
I've used that for blowgun darts and even after thousands of shots they're still going.
I love watching such videos for inspiration for my table top rpg xD. Great video.
The archery fishing set would be great to see you develop!
Not allowed in UK, target shooting only permissible with a bow and arrow.
@@timbayliss7720 really? Sheesh...
In my understanding drawweight doesn’t necessarily translate into arrow speed. It is not by chance that most short bows were composite bows where the backing is the reason for higher limp speed. I have read about a very small bow with sinew and snakeskin backing and about 45 pounds drawweight which coils up like a spring when drawn.
Have you ever lived for say a week or two in the wild,with nothing but a knife and your knowlede?
3 days is only the longest I've done. Would be interested to try for longer for sure
@@FandabiDozi thanks for replying!
I think the best thing to do is practice in shooting arrows against the water current at night that's how I used to do it fish can't see at night so usually closer to the surface especially gar not in the water this. Knee deep to have Knee Deep maybe a foot or so deep you can get some pretty good sized catfish depends on you have a nice River nearby or a creek
Aww yess, a bow!!!😍 I want to learn archery and medicine one day when I saved enough money and gain knowledge by training and self study until then.
You made the arrows so great, I doubt I'll be able to do them like you (the spinning feather looks complicated but I won't know until I try)😯💧
Thanks a lot for this very informative and helpful Video 😀🌻
When you mentioned some of your old videos I realized that I watch you since years now!
That's awesome and I hope there will come many more years in future!✌🌷
Hey again! Its a great thing to learn! Very satisfying! The arrows arn't too hard, but a bit fiddly. Feathers often have a natural twist in them anyway. Thanks so much for supporting me over the years and always leaving a supportive comment! Have a great day!
Your Highness, practice and trial/error is valid way to go, having experienced instructor cuts time though.
few pointers below.
Making a bow require you to pay attention to the growth rings, try avoiding cutting them on side away from you, it weakens the bow A LOT for this reason splitting is better than saw. arrows are also best made from split wood straightened by heat and/or steam. Putting feathers is fiddly, try few times with just beeeswax (as "glue") and thread to get technique right.
Good luck
Örjan
Forgot to mention, many archery ranges/clubs have days you can go there and try archety for free with a volonteer instructor, just few arrows downrange but...
Making a bow and archery can be completely free! :)
It would also help prevent arrow deflection if you didn't consistently put the odd feather in towards the bow rather than away.
I didn’t know that bow hunting was illegal in the UK. I’m just curious, how long has that been the law there?
according to google "Hunting with the bow and arrow was prohibited in the UK in 1965"
Great video, thank you for sharing your knowledge God Bless
bow hunting... the thing humans have been doing for 70,000+ years is illegal in a country that famously produced the most fearsome archers in Europe and gave us such legends as Robin Hood and William Tell. I simply have no words for how asinine that is.
Where I live the wild deer are not hunted with firearms, and you can walk up to them within 5 yards. So Ishi would have no problem using a short bow with a 25 or 30 pound pull weight to harvest deer. So much for the great white hunter mates.
almost to 100K subs..did you ever fathom such a feat? deservedly so..and deservedly so many more
Keep up the amazing work
It is important to note that for every inch the bow is shortened you gain about 5lbs of force. Also, most American Indian bows averaged about 45lbs of force and were used to take large game and in some cases, such as the plains tribes, big game.
when looking for wood to make a bow I go to where they are logging and get limbs the tight compact grain
on the top of the limb is free of knots and straight most limbs are 20 foot or more so finding a suitable limb is easy.
Good little hunting tool. Another great video, mate.
Try a 4 foot bow, much better than the smaller 3 foot, also placing the arrow on the inside was started by Hollywood, bowmen loose arrows from the outside of the bow, it's quicker to loose off arrows in rapid fire, it's OK to use the inside of the bow when in competitions, and you're aiming at a target, there is no rush, but when in a battle or hunting you need to be quick and be able to loose off a number of arrows quickly
That is so funny I’m on vacation in Kenya watching this vid and we saw Masia
I’m following for one main reason, the lotr part
If you mix powdered dear dung with your pine resin it will be less brittle.
Love your channel bro cheers for america!
Thanks buddy! :D
If you have elm, the bark was used to make some quivers
Love this!! Have you thought about using a gut harp string as the string? Made of sheep gut, would reckon a 4th optive would work for the size? I'd love to try it out but not got the your mega skills to make a bow 🖤☺️
I’m taken with this style of archery. Wish I could find one on amazon lol
Hello from south of the border, I've just subscribed. That's a nice bow you've made,
very well thought out. You have really good skills.
this is totally awesome :) and I've wanted to make a bow similar to this myself
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something I'd add: it's recommended (and historically authentic) to use finger protection to shoot a bow of that poundage, if you don't and you shoot often you're at risk of suffering permanent nerve damage in the pads of your fingers
70 pounds at 15 inches? Never once seen a bow with such a high draw weight and low draw length. Thats one powerful bit of yew.
You should put the arrow notch on the other side it would be more historical and quicker to shoot
Do you plan to make another but with sinew backing?
Great video. Thank you for making it.
Have a care when using natural animal (sinew, etc) or plant (nettle stem fiber, cedar roots, etc) materials for bowstring-making. They all are useful to one degree or another, but suffer from a common vulnerability - rain and humidity.