Bow X1-3 - The last 'mean' wood warbow?

[Yeomanbowman]

This is something that Alistair Aston and I have been working on for a while and we are very excited about it.  We think it could be something that may change the way we think about the 'mean' wood warbow and we'd be very interested in your thoughts.

http://warbowwales.com/#/articles/4559117041

Please click on the article 'Bow X1-3 - The last 'mean' wood warbow?'

[Lucasade]

Very interesting paper, and fantastic that the Mary Rose is still throwing up surprises.

[Del the cat]

Excellent paper. I've just skim read it for now. I'll study it further.
I have no doubt that Elm makes a serviceable warbow and I'm currently working on a Hazel one.
It does seem odd that all the other MR bows are Yew, but maybe there was just one chest of meanewood bows.
Thanks for posting.
Del

[ajbruggink]

Thanks for posting. I want to build a replica of Bow X1-3 now.

[outcaste]

Thanks for posting. I want to build a replica of Bow X1-3 now.

Hi,

Good luck with the build and keep us updated, as I would really like to see how it comes out. Depending on the Elm, we found that the region of a little over 100# @ 30 could be expected with the shorter version, though the 141# @ 30 approximation needed around 1mm of the centre depth, otherwise it would have been an extremely challenging to draw at the bow length!

All the best,
Alistair

[PatM]

Why does the article mention Witch Hazel as if it was a separate type of wood?

[mikekeswick]

Witch hazel is a different tree to a 'standard' hazel.
Witch hazel is called - Hamamelis virginiana
Hazel is called - Corylus avellana

Two different trees. Good luck trying to find a witch hazel stave! On the other hand hazel grows so straight it's almost made for bows.

[PatM]

I know all that but Witch Hazel is an North American species.
 There is supposed to be some thought that Witch Hazel was named after the Wych Elm because of the young shoots being similar.

 From the 100% accurate source of Wikipedia  :
The name Witch in witch-hazel has its origins in Middle English wiche, from the Old English wice, meaning "pliant" or "bendable".[6] "Witch hazel" was used in England as a synonym for Wych Elm, Ulmus glabra;[7] American colonists simply extended the familiar name to the new shrub.[citation needed

[Lucasade]

I may have missed it but what length is the longer bow that you made please?

[outcaste]

I may have missed it but what length is the longer bow that you made please?

Hi,

Assuming that the base of a horn nock would be around 13mm; projecting from the current 16mm bow tips, one could expect and additional 50-70mm of length on each limb prior to horning.

Alistair

[Lucasade]

Thank you. I've just had permission to cut a beautiful bit of elm so it would be good to use half of it to make a bow to these dimensions.

[meanewood]

Great topic, I for one love it when something 'new' comes to light, especially when it challenges old ideas.

Looking at the photos of the two tips, it seems like one has definitely been cut since being recovered but I'm not so sure about the other one?
It seems to have the same colouring and maybe that shamfered face is where a horn reinforcement was glued in place?
I know that sounds a bit radical but it would explain the lack of string nocks and the horn glued in this way with a hide glue would have come loose very quickly when immersed in water, the flat surface would then discolour along with the rest of the limb!

[WillS]

Lack of string nocks doesn't actually mean much! I've recently learned about a way of stringing bows (even bows of around 90#) without any nocks at all thanks to a very skilled bowyer from Finland. 

I would imagine weights well over 100# would be possible using that technique as well.  The Balinderry Bow didn't have nocks and a replica made of it came out around 140#, and I believe the Hedeby bow had only lower nocks cut but not the upper limb, plus of course the Otzi bow (although opinion is still divided on whether it was finished or not.)

[meanewood]

Hi Will
Don't be so secretive, how is it done?
The only way I could think of is using a' rolling hitch' which can allow for a sideways pulling action on a cylindrical object. Even if it held, how could you tie it while holding it in a brace position and how could you untie it in order to un-brace it.

[WillS]

Sorry, wasn't trying to be secretive! It's simply a pair of wraps on each end, made of bowstring material or leather etc that are tied around the bow tip then soaked in glue.  The wraps are quite close to the ends of the bow, and the string loop just goes over the tip itself when bracing, to rest against the wraps.  It means that when unstringing the loops don't slip down the bow limb, but are lifted over the tip and off the bow completely.

I have zero experience doing it myself but will be experimenting with it.  The guy who did it used it on a 90# yew bow with no problems, and it would seem that it's a popular method in other cultures.

I suppose there may be a limit in its use, both in the force against the glued wrap at higher poundage and the method of stringing as you can't use a stringer with it.  The latter can be avoided however with various stringing methods such as bracing against something solid or even just the step through method which I've seen used on bows over 140#.