I found some wood, possible stave for war bow? i dont need it to be super heavy.

[bow-toxo]

Well... then in fact, you can't say with certainty that medieval or Tudor bowyers heat treated the bows.

  That's correct. There are few things that we can say with certainty. Just look at the US ellections. But we can intelligently consider what evidence we have. Or ignore it if that suits us.

[PortlandJoe]

heat treating has been around since man made tools, why would it stop with the English bowyers  and arrow smiths of the middle ages?

[Del the cat]

Heat Treating?
It wouldn't stop, but it takes time and if you are a medieval bowyer making them for war you wouldn't have time.
I saw a recent document for 4 dozen Yew bows made and delivered in a month and that was for the US government in 1942 that's more than 1 per day.
(source: Billets to Bows by Glen St Charles)
If that is the turnaround in 1940 imagine the workload in the run up to time of Agincourt... I'd suggest there was little time for heat treating.
(That's not to say a bowyer might not do it for some special bow)
Del

[adb]

We're only guessing, because there's no evidence of heat treating bows that I know of. However, I agree with Del. I seriously doubt  that it's something medieval bowyers did. The Mary Rose bows show no sign of heat treating, and they were at the apex of technology in terms of bows made for war.

[Squirrelslayer]

60 pounds is not what we call a warbow [modern term], it is a longbow, a less powerful version of a warbow.78" weith 75" between nocks is long enough that a 32" draw is not an overdraw. I am not familiar with that kind of wood. In mediaeval and Tudor times, longbows were heat treated but not backed. They were "selfbows' of one piece of wood, sometimes with horn nocks.

traditional ELB's were usually two bits of yew spliced together at the handle and then used animal glue to hold them together, this was done because most yew staves had to many knots, also incase one broke you could heat steam the joint and replace the broken limb. i have a freind who makes traditional ELB's who does this and there are a few books on the subject but everything else you said is pretty much spot on.

[Del the cat]

60 pounds is not what we call a warbow [modern term], it is a longbow, a less powerful version of a warbow.78" weith 75" between nocks is long enough that a 32" draw is not an overdraw. I am not familiar with that kind of wood. In mediaeval and Tudor times, longbows were heat treated but not backed. They were "selfbows' of one piece of wood, sometimes with horn nocks.

traditional ELB's were usually two bits of yew spliced together at the handle and then used animal glue to hold them together, this was done because most yew staves had to many knots, also incase one broke you could heat steam the joint and replace the broken limb. i have a freind who makes traditional ELB's who does this and there are a few books on the subject but everything else you said is pretty much spot on.

Warbows were generally one bit of wood.
Supplies of suitable timber were imported as an import tax on goods like wine from Italy and Spain. Whilst some bows were spliced it was not the norm.
Victorian longbows which were laminated were far more likely to have ben spliced.
Del

[KShip85]

If he draws clear to his shoulder I'd guess he's drawing more than 32".  I'm 6'4" with arms average to my height and I draw over 29" to the corner of my mouth.  Clear to the shoulder I'd probably be over 34".  I'd imagine he has longer arms and a longer draw than me.

Kip

[ionicmuffin]

yeah hes probably 34 to shoulder, i plan on making him a glueup with some hickory and ERC

[doggonemess]

I've had no success with maple. It's my nemesis in bow-making. Other people say good things about it, but just to let you know, for me, it tends to break very suddenly when it starts getting close to finished. Maybe I'm just not working it enough, I don't know.

[adb]

Maple on its own doesn't make a very good narrow ELB type profile, but it makes a terrific backing material with the correct grain.

[mikekeswick]

Heat and it's effects on wood have been known for many thousands of years. In this 'modern' age we tend to think of ourselves as superior to those that have gone before us. The quote from Ascham could well be talking about heat treating in a similar way to how we do it now.
There is a saying - there is nothing new under the sun...........