Why a double grove on horn knocks

[nathan elliot]

My apologies if it has been asked before, but why are there two groves on the knocks of some of the warbows I have seen?

Nathan

[Yeomanbowman]

Nathan,
The second groove is for a stringer or bastard string as it was traditionally called in England.  Warbows are quite hard to string push/pull style, especially if you dont have long arms and a stringer is a safer option.  There are step-though methods but if not done just right can damage the bow.

[nathan elliot]

Thanks Yeomanbowman, I am trying for a 100# ash longbow and have been wondering about horn knocks. It had also crossed my mind that stringing it could be fun. I have two great looking Yew stave's in my cellar waiting to become bows I wanna give the whole thing a few dry runs in ash to get my head around all the details first.

This is a 55# ash I have been working on trying for the compass tiller.


Just a wee bit to go on the outer section of the left limb.

Thanks again for the info.

Nathan.

[Yeomanbowman]

Nathan,
If you are going to make a warbow then you will need a pulley on your tiller.  English ash is usually better than American white ash which often has a lot of balsa like early growth.  Both should cope with 100lbs fine if well enough.  The current one looks promising.
Have a look at Alanesq website for excellent info on just such a bow.

[nickf]

I recommend the african way of stringing:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZxalsYjjMQ8/R97Voov0dyI/AAAAAAAACWo/t5bVhUal5xE/s400/Boeatsa,%2Bstringing%2Bhis%2Bbow.jpg

that's how I strng bows. But If you have a long lower horn nock, it's very likely to break off. So it's recommended to use a stringer instead. Myself, I would just make the lower horn nock pretty short. But I haven't made hornnocks, even though I will soon.

Nck

[alanesq]

That's the only technique I have found which I can string a heavy bow (without a stringer)
interesting to see it in use there

it works well but with my 125lb bow, with my 140lb bow it takes so much force to do it that I am reluctant to risk using it too often but have used it a few times when I forgot my stringer

[nathan elliot]

This may sound stupid but does anyone have a link to the correct way to use a stringer? If I go to all the trouble to fit nice horn knocks the last thing I wanna do is snap em.

Nathan

[alanesq]

if you search for bickerstaff longbows and go to the information section he has a video of how to use them

(we are not allowed to post links to commercial sites  )

[Diligence]

Nathan,

I am far from an expert, but it looks as though you might be doing something very dangerous.  Please tell me that your little eye bolt you are using as a 'pulley' is indeed a threaded bolt c/w a nut on the other end, not just screw eye.  If it's a screw eye, I'd duck now....

With best intentions,
D

[Rod]

This may sound stupid but does anyone have a link to the correct way to use a stringer? If I go to all the trouble to fit nice horn knocks the last thing I wanna do is snap em.

Nathan

If you have enough wood inside the horn at the point where pressure is applied you are much less likely to snap off the nock.
You should not rely on horn alone as some folks do to their regret....

Rod.

[bow-toxo]

I recommend the african way of stringing:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZxalsYjjMQ8/R97Voov0dyI/AAAAAAAACWo/t5bVhUal5xE/s400/Boeatsa,%2Bstringing%2Bhis%2Bbow.jpg

that's how I strng bows. But If you have a long lower horn nock, it's very likely to break off. So it's recommended to use a stringer instead. Myself, I would just make the lower horn nock pretty short. But I haven't made hornnocks, even though I will soon.

Nck

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Thanks for the post !  Now the line in a Scandinavian mediaeval poem, "he bent the bow before his knee" makes sense. On horn nocks, Lartdarcherie advises "the shorter the better, as long as the bow can be strung".