Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Dane on January 10, 2010, 04:15:16 pm
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I wasn't going to post this yet, as the finish work still has to be done, but Half Eye inspired me to get this up.
This is a bow inspired by the Sarnate neolithic bow found in Eastern Europe in the 1950s. I saw this design on Paeloplanet sometime back, and was facinated by it. The most interesting design feature is the cutout on the handle for, presumably, one or more fingers as you grip the bow.
This is the shortest bow I have made to date, and came in at 60.50" tip to tip, 59.50 nock to nock. It is made from hopehornbeam harvested in Western Massachusetts. It is 2" wide at the handle, and stays 2" until it tapers to 1" width the last 12 inches of each limb. The handle is non bending, and is 3" long, and the fades are short, 1.5" each.
It was fun and not too hard to make. I decided to stop messing with the tiller finally, and think that it could be better. I heat treated the belly lightly with a heat gun, and it came in at about 48# at 27" draw. I did lift one splinter, and thought for a while it was doomed, but the rawhide patch seems to be holding enough that the bow seems fine after 70 or 80 shots. The set is about .75" at one tip, and about .25" at the other. I decided the patched limb was the upper one because of the cutout in the handle. It actually makes it an easy bow to hold, and there is, very surprisingly, virtually no hand shock. I thought for sure with those heavy limbs it would be jarring, but the bow is docile and fun to shoot.
Coloring - I used red ochre mixed with egg white for the carrier. I just brushed it on, then buffed it with a paper towl. I put a single coat of True Oil on the back of the bow, and plan to do some very light sanding and then finish the entire bow with True Oil.
I will make some more bows of this design, see if I can get a better tiller and maybe a bit heavier bow. Maybe hhb again, maybe a different type of wood.
The bow is NOT for BOM. It isn't finished, and I dont think worthy of that contest. Maybe another of the same design, but this is as much an experiment as anything.
Dane
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A few more shots. Thanks for looking.
Dane
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Nice replication. I wouldn't guess that was that short from the drawn profile.
Dave
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Thanks, Dave. It was handy tossing it in the back seat of the car at that lenght. :)
Dane
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The tiller on that bow looks good to me. If I tried to make them any more perfect than that I would ruin every bow I worked on LOL> Steve
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Steve, thanks. I do manage to ruin my share :) I keep saying I learned something, I learned something. When I heard that "tick!" last night when I was doing final tillering check, I thought I had just gone through another lesson.
Dane
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It certainly looks like BOM material to me. Very nice weapon - Please reconsider >:(!
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For you OldBow, okay. I just wont take it personal when a certain amazing bow I dont have to mention wins. :)
Dane
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Dane I would have to agree with Oldbow, Don't cut yourself short. That is a very nice bow and is rare as replica as well. The back is really neat with the groves and your stain job looks great. Congratulations.
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Just being able to shoot this bow and have it all come together is the real reward. Thanks, Keenan.
Attached is the archeologist's drawing of the bow, which was fragmetary but nearly complete.
Dane
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BTW, two of these bows were found, both with the little "finger rest" or whatever they may be called, so it wasn't an accident that the bows were actually designed this way. The second bow was slightly shorter, and didn't have the lozenged shaped limb profile, but was more a normal limb design, which is what I went with. The next one, I will play around with that idea, but keep it close to the original specs, as I did with this one. The guy on paleoplanet reported that the orginals were made of ash. I have zero ash staves, though.
Dane
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Hells bells Dane....that bow is great...ya kind of find out them really old guys wasn't half as dumb as they looked ::) That my friend is a very fine piece of work....it looks to me like it out to shoot real quiet and I'll bet that finger grove makes it really stable as well.....very nice sir!!!!
half eye ;)
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Very nice bow, Dane. I love the textured back; typical of HHB and hickory. Interesting design too! 8)
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Dane, Your bow exemplifies what "Primitive Archer" is all about. Very nice work!
Rich
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There seems to be a plethora of unique bows lately, I love it :) Thanks for sharing this
dane I've never seen one like it before, and nothing wrong with the tiller either.
Looks like Davenport also approves so it must be a keeper ;)
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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
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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.
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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
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Great bow ,I wonder if the cut out was actually a primitive arrow shelf.
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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.
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Nice job,looks like a shooter to me. :)
Pappy
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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
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nice bow Dane! tiller looks good to me. :) :) -josh
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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 !!
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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
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Looks great. Excellent tiller. I'm glasd the patch is working. Jawge
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Jawge, thank you so much. If you like the tiller, it has to be good.
Dane
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very cool and interesting bow. I like seeing different designs. Thanks for posting.