What's Primitive and/or 'Traditional'?

[M-P]

Hi,  I never heard the term "primitive archery" until I started going to 3D shoots.  I was just having fun trying to make my own equipment.   For competition purposes it makes sense to break the field into different classes and once you do that you have to name the classes.  From that standpoint "primitive" makes sense.  After all it's just a label!   
Outside of competition I think it makes a lot less sense to worry about labels or classes.  I'm guessing that most of are a lot more concerned with building and using equipment that we feel happy with, than we are with labeling it.    Ron

[onemississipp]

Here is the answer!!!

"Modern primitive archery"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_archery#Modern_primitive_archery

[M-P]

"Modern primitive archery"  I like it!   Oooga  ooga ooga.     Ron

[Kegan]

In my mind, primitive archery is done with all primitive methods, for all primitive reasons. Stone and bone tools, made with antler billets and stone, natural string, and arrows, to kill game for staying alive !

I prefer practicing "homemade" archery- just like Hillbilly said. I use steel hand tools and a vice to make bows, and a drill and power saw to make my arrows. I like trade points, and a paracord string. I just like making the best (and easiest) hunting gear possible .

[Adam Keiper]

I think Ted Fry coined the term, "Classical Archery", for archery equipment made in the metal age from natural materials.  The English longbows, Pope & Young era, etc.  That title certainly fits what I make.

[Justin Snyder]

Maybe most of us are closer to "homemade" archery. 

Yours may be home made, mine are more like "piss poor made".  They will kill, hopefully not the archer though.  Justin

[George Tsoukalas]

This is just my opinion. Organizers should allow much latitude in setting up events. So prim class and bow w/o glass is ok. Any wooden arrow is ok. Plastic nocks ok.  BTW "primitive" to me is pre Industrial. Thus metal trade points are ok because the were used by the Native Americans.
"Is it OK to use a heat gun, belt sander, bandsaw, etc, in procuring 'primitive' bows?" Yes, but the final tillering should be done by hand. Hand tools do impact the belly design. Try to use a hand tool on a belly. It is almost impossible to keep it completely flat. Hand tools work better on a slightly curved or curved surface.
"What about epoxies, resins and the like?"
Yes, as long as they do not contribute to the functionality of the bow. So using a modern glue for the handle covering is ok. Using a modern glue to back a bow is not.
Jawge

[George Tsoukalas]

"What if I use synthetic fibers to make strings to shoot arrows made from aluminum or carbon and plastic with my 'traditional' bow?"
No, not in my view. I confess to loving B 50 too.
Only wood for arrows. Must be selfnocked.
Just m opinion.
Jawge

[Pappy]

I guess I am where Adam is,that describes me well,as far as shoot we go with
what jawge's has laid out.It's pretty simple and most cases it the shooter anyway.
We get a few complants from some real hard core guys but not many.I also
agree with carbon and aluminum out of a selfbow,just can't hardly stand it.
   Pappy

[Loki]

For me Traditional Archery start's with Horace.A.Ford and his horribly effective anchor point (Grrrrr!).
http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/history/horace-ford.html

From His Book 'Archery, its Theory and Practice'.

Use your brains as well as your muscles - study as well as practice. Brute force alone will never make an archer. . . I would now additionally impress on upon him the absolute necessity of perseverance  and a command of temper. Without these essentials he will never become eminent as an archer - neither the idle nor the irritable need hope for success here."

But i'm mainlly interested in Historical Bows,especially English WarBows which are a hole different animal to a 'Traditional' Butt Bow or ELB as they get called,yet there not Paleo bows either.?.

[Kegan]

Oh, one last note-

I build my stuff for fun, but also for hunting. I don't really think the deer/turkey/evil tree rats care about what we call  it;D!

[carpenter374]

if i had a bandsaw, i'd use one. i make my bows at home with a drawknife, farrier's rasp, nicholson 4 in 1 rasp, and a cabinet scraper are my 4 main tools. I hand-sand with paper. i don't personally like the "traditional" label on all wood bows 'cause that tends to group them with the glass lam jobs. Where so you draw the line though? i don't think you can. my rasps were made in a modern factory, my drawknife is 100 years old but i use sandpaper made in a factory. I personally switched to wood bows because a love the challenge, and because i've seen a 500 dollar compound get dropped from a treestand. heh. you all know the outcome of that.

[Dane]

"Modern primitive archery"  I like it!   Oooga  ooga ooga.     Ron

Hmmmmm...modern primative to me is a term for those ultra-pierced folks you see, with millions of tribal tattoes and enough rings in their lips that you can hoist them up into the air. They are often clerks in convenience stores or record stores, lol. Sometimes, they use jello to dye their hair bright green or blue or red.

I hope this makes sense, but primitive is a state of mind, for me in any case. When I work with a hand plane or a rasp or a draw knife, I tend to feel a bit of kindship with those who would not have known electrical tools, even if I am using an electiric light on my workbench, and the house is heated by natural gas, etc. It is being willing to slow way down and learn to become one with a hand tool, and working with the materials instead of making them conform to a predetermined state. It is also striving to make an object of functional beautfy, which our society isn't perhaps much into, such as cell phones, throw away appliances, plastics, and all that stuff.

Dane

[PAHunter]

Primitive generally implies the first of it's kind.  So the tools and techniques used to make the first bows are primitive. 
Traditional generally implies customs handed down the generations.  To me this would not mean modern fiberglass or compound bows which have been around a realtively short time in the 10,000+ year history of archery. 
Don't know if anyone agrees with me or not but that's my guess.

Now we all have to decide where on the continum we choose to be between making our bows with sharp stones and buying a new Hoytt Carbon Element (which I own and is sweet BTW;).  To me it's all about challenge and the amount of work that goes into it.  The more work something is the more gratifying it is.  I try to do some things as primitively as possible because it's rewarding but I don't always have the time for that and that's fine to.  No need to look down on those without the time or paitence to be very primitive.  But it is admirable to see some put in the time and work to "do it the hard way".  ;-)  Just my 2c

[H Rhodes]

Primitive or Traditional....  i have labeled my gear both ways....  mostly, I am CHEAP!  I get a smug feeling when I compare how much I have invested in my gear and what a modern consumer pays for his.  Seriously, I think the labels don't matter much as long as it pleases you.  Whatever tools you use, there is great satisfaction in building your own bows and arrows.   Of course, I use my gear for hunting and haven't attended any formal shoots where lines have to be drawn.    I have built bows with hand tools only and with power tools.  I must admit that the one I am most proud of  is an ugly little hickory bow built with a hatchet and a pocket knife and strung with a squirrel rawhide string.   In this fast paced, high tech, "oh well, we'll just go buy another one" world that we live in, I think lots of us are drawn to a simpler and more meaningful existence.  Primitive or Traditional Archery is good way to tap into that and get a little peace of mind.