opinion on knot hole..

[ScottRoush]

hmm.. will have to see if I can find a forging sequence for those.  I could easily just forge a conical bodkin and then grind in the 'edge-wing-thingies'.. but I have a feeling that is not how they were made.

[Yeomanbowman]

Sorry to join this late. 
I'm with Del about plugging the hole.  Ideally, the bow should have been left wider around the knot at 1/2  the dimension of the hole on either side, then it could have been left.  I use horn or bone rod for dutchmen (plugs) as it's period, in the material at least, glues well and is very strong in compression.  They are cheap enough on ebay.  I'd turn it into a truncated cone shape with the larger side on the belly as the hole seems to open out here.  You may be able to use your ground down spade bit that you use for making the internal cone in the horn nocks to make a clean hole without removing more wood than you need to.  I'd use a slow set epoxy to bond it in.

[ScottRoush]

Thanks everybody for your input. I will post pictures but right now it looks I have a shooter if it survives 'shooting it in'.   It's probably going to be in the 80# range.. which is fine. I'd rather build up to shooting heavier bows.

One thing I wonder if I should change though.. this stave has a naturally deflexed profile... just a gentle C appearing like an old bow that followed it's string.   Should put a bit of reflex in the tips before I get my horn nocks on???

[WillS]

I think it depends how much there is?  A bit of set is perfectly normal for a heavy bow, especially one that's been tillered slowly and carefully.  The top guys can start, finish and tiller a warbow in about a day or two, which means much less time sat on the tree and much less string follow as a result but us mere mortals tend to have a bit of set at the end.

If you're talking anything up to about 2" I wouldn't bother going to the hassle of bringing the tips back (although of course, add a bit hypothetically to account for the tillering and shooting that will add some set) but if it's already over 2" and hasn't been shot or even tillered yet it might be worth gently straightening.  I wouldn't flip the tips because you're instantly out of "English Warbow" territory (in fact, I don't even think it would be allowed in Warbow shoots if the tips are slightly flipped) but you can definitely bring the whole stave back straight or even with a hint of reflex if you apply heat carefully and in the right places.

Do it before you glue the plug in, of course, if you're going to.

[ScottRoush]

Hmmm... well I don't think I will be able to heat the whole stave as I've already plugged. I've also applied a very thin rawhide backing.

So the reflexed tips is a 'no-no' for English warbows eh?  Well... It figures you can't trust the telly. I was just watching an English longbow documentary and the English bowyer boiled the tips and flipped them back... on a warbow.

I will try to measure the deflex.. but I'm thinking 1"

[WillS]

Yeah, but that was Mike Loades' documentary, and anything he says needs to be taken with a HUGE pinch of salt...

Enthusiasm A+, accuracy.... Well.  Ahem.

Here's the specs for the standard English warbow

Mary Rose Class Self yew bows in the “spirit of the original” MR bows:

- No shorter than the shortest MR bow (74” – to be confirmed);
 - May be to any MR bow profile;
 - Heat treatment may be used to straighten a stave but not to induce unnatural reflex (an unbraced bow shall not show any artificially induced reflex);
 - Be full compass in tiller;
 - Within the 5/8, depth/width rule along the length of the bow;
 - Has some profile to the belly of the bow (i.e. not flat bellied); and has no handle grip/covering.


Don't worry about the deflex - it will shoot a bit sweeter, be easier to brace and at 80# you're not gonna be competing for distance anyway so that extra snap you'd get from a perfectly straight (or even reflexed) stave won't matter much.