Anyone have experience with Hollow Back Bows?

[RedSpectre]

Hello friends.

Has anyone had any success or have examples of successfully made bows where the BACK is hollowed out instead of the belly.

The only example I've seen was one by Jan De Boogerman and what seemed to be Scottish bows.  Maybe some experts might be able to chime in and give me some more examples I'm missing and why these would even work.

Im working on a bit of a thought experiment and I figured all of the information I can get would help move this along to production phase.

Thank you in advance.

[bjrogg]

It seams like I remember seeing one on he once. Basically they chased a ring on the side of stave that we would normally use as our belly. This gave it a hollowed back. I don’t think the one I’m thinking of was radically hollowed as much as concaved.

Bjrogg

[RedSpectre]

Hey, Bjorrg.  Thanks for responding. 

What would be the difference between hollow and concave?  I'm assuming it's a low crescent but...  I know that's a noob question but bare with me.

[bjrogg]

Really only difference would be that the one I seem to remember was probably from a larger diameter tree so the hollow wasn’t as deep as if you chased a ring in a smaller diameter stave or closer to the core of the tree.

I have never tried it and I can’t remember who posted it. Not very common for sure.

Bjrogg

[Pappy]

I have built a few, just keep the belly rounded so you don't end up with rails down the sides of the limbs, being careful the keep the same thickness across the limbs. I have done it on Osage using a french curve scrapper to follow the same grain down the center, slow work but about the only way I know to do it. A picture of what you are working with might help with some ideas. 
 Pappy

[RedSpectre]

Hey, Pappy.

Pics will be coming soon.  Only thing is, I've begun to hollow out the stave as if I'm making a hollow belly bow.  The crown is already high so the back (which would now be the belly) is relatively untouched.

Would I concentrate on working the rounded belly (currently the back) down at this point or do it like I would a hollow belly then just bend it the other way?

[RedSpectre]

https://imgur.com/a/LOc3led

These are the ones I'm working with

[Pappy]

Sorry for the slow response but been kind of out of it the last few day, after looking at the pictures and what you are saying I am mixed up, not sure if your back is concave or it is the belly and you are wanting to build a backwards bow, turning it over making the belly the back
 Pappy

[Aksel]

Hello. When I hear Scottish bow and hollowed back I suspect you are referring to the neolithic peat bog bow from "Rotten Bottom" in Scotland. Because the yew bow with deep rounded bellies and flat-ish back became so dominant in the anglosphere, the Rotten Bottom bow was also mistakenly interpreted as such. But it was infact made from a smaller diameter tree with rounded back and hollow out belly. Like all older bows before middle ages and the concave belly was infact a fairly common feature among neolithic yew bows in Europe.

 See my old post : http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,71621.msg1004096.html#msg1004096

[RedSpectre]

Sorry for the slow response but been kind of out of it the last few day, after looking at the pictures and what you are saying I am mixed up, not sure if your back is concave or it is the belly and you are wanting to build a backwards bow, turning it over making the belly the back
 Pappy

It's okay. 

Life happens.


The latter.  I was on my way to doing a hollow belly bow, then I realized the design I'm doing may work better if I flipped it and made it a hollow back instead.  However I want to make sure this is a feasible thing before I risk breaking the thing and even how to do it.

Even if I don't end up doing it on this one due to coming to my senses, the information on how they work, how to tiller them (especially from a high crown stave) and examples/anecdotes would be invaluable.

[RedSpectre]

Hello. When I hear Scottish bow and hollowed back I suspect you are referring to the neolithic peat bog bow from "Rotten Bottom" in Scotland. Because the yew bow with deep rounded bellies and flat-ish back became so dominant in the anglosphere, the Rotten Bottom bow was also mistakenly interpreted as such. But it was infact made from a smaller diameter tree with rounded back and hollow out belly. Like all older bows before middle ages and the concave belly was infact a fairly common feature among neolithic yew bows in Europe.

 See my old post : http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,71621.msg1004096.html#msg1004096

Interesting... It's funny how thing die out only to be rediscovered.  I love the bow btw.