New bow - hophornbeam Sarnate flatbow

[Dane]

Half Eye, thanks. It does seem stable. It was so cold out, I was fumbling a bit, but it was quiet. Again, with those wide tips, I thought it would be a dog, and it is my favorite bow to date.

Pat, thanks! I thought that back would be challenging, but it only lifted the one splinter. I soaked the rawhide enough so it conformed better to the surface, then used gel super glue.

Rich, thanks for the kind words.

Dana, indeed, Davenport liked it. She may have been disapointed that it didn't taste good. I wonder if she smelled the egg whites? I never pose her, she just likes being in the pictures when I take them. Wish I liked having my picture taken, but I am not as beatiiful as her.

Dane

[ricktrojanowski]

Dane
Great bow.  Interesting design.  This is a new one to me, I like seeing different styles and designs.  The tiller looks great, sometimes it's better to quit while you are ahead.   Fine work.

[gmc]

The texture of the wood on the back of the bow gives it a real primitive look. Very nice work indeed recreating a primitive bow from the past. That cut away feature in the handle is very interesting. Again, nice work.

Greg

[staveshaver]

 Great bow ,I wonder if the cut out was actually a primitive arrow shelf.

[Dane]

Staveshaver, I don't think so, thought that myself, but it is hard to say what they were thinking almost five thousand years ago. A time machine would come in very handy. The short handle and fades force your hand to stay a certain way. It is almost a pinched grip. Someone with a larger or smaller hand would be able to grip it slightly differently, too. I will try shooting it that way and see though.

Thanks Greg, and thanks Rick. I agree. You come to a certain point, and then if you push it past your own skills, things go south. .

Dane

PS one of the biggest hurdles for me personally was getting bows to bend closer to the handle. I think I finally got past that challenge. The next bow, though, will prove that statement.

[Pappy]

Nice job,looks like a shooter to me.

   Pappy

[Dane]

Thanks, Pappy. Your words carry a ton of weight.

Makes me wonder how this design would work in osage. None grows this far up north, though. One day, maybe I can source a stave and see how it works.

Dane

[Josh]

nice bow Dane!  tiller looks good to me.      -josh

[barebo]

What I find amazing is that waaaaayyy back then, someone fed themselves with what they harvested with a bow like that, and I'd dare say that your bow would do it just as well or better !!! What a great recreation of ancient history, and modern craftsmanship !!

[Dane]

Josh, barebo, thanks so much.

I am just about finished with the finish (True Oil, not paleo but a nice finish), and will post a few more pics once that is done. This was the first bow I've completed in over a year, so I am really proud of this one. The design is unique, and I find the ancient bows are very satisfying. You can almost get a sense of what our archer ancesors were feeling and experiencing.

Dane

[George Tsoukalas]

Looks great. Excellent tiller. I'm glasd the patch is working.  Jawge

[Dane]

Jawge, thank you so much. If you like the tiller, it has to be good.

Dane

[Jesse]

very cool and interesting bow. I like seeing different designs. Thanks for posting.