White Pine Meare Heath Board Bow

[PlanB]

While waiting for my hemlock branch bow project to dry more, I decided to build a Meare Heath style bow out of a nice white pine board I had on hand. This is my second shot at an MH style bow with some obvious differences from the original construction. Though all the width and length dimensions will all be the same as reported for the original.

At approx. 75" long and 2-3/4" wide in hardwood/whitewood (vs the original yew) this makes a highly overbuilt bow for my draw specs of 40# and 27". My experience of the last version I tried was that when shooting, the bow felt heavy in the hand and just generally sluggish. It had a laminated setback handle to mimic the original's severe carved grain violation in that area. I reinforced the new handle with flax as an experiment, but the handle failed, was repaired with more reinforcing and about 100 arrows were shot before it failed again.

With the performance experience I wasn't enthused about building another MH bow, even if I went with a straight or bent nonviolated grain handle. There's a lot of mass in the outer portion of the limbs because the width is carried high, and the bow is just generally heavy in hardwood. It might feel faster and more suitable at a 90 pound draw as was estimated for the original, but I can't manage that, and frankly for my usual usage of backyard target shooting, 40 pounds is what I really want.

I do love the MH itself, the appearance and the connection with an ancient bow, so I was thinking, if I were to build another one, would it make sense to do one for a 40 pound draw in a lighter wood like pine? Or conversely, if you were to choose to build a white pine bow, wouldn't you make it extra long long and wide? Since those two thoughts seemed to coincide, and since there was a pine board on hand, why not give it a try? This time the handle won't be set back, in  hopes that it won't repeat the handle breakage of the first bow (where the real MH broke as well) but I will mimic the distinctive keel of the original extending into the fades.

First step was marking out a template using the MH measurements on some scrap 3/8" foam insulation board, snapping a line down the board (following the grain diagonally on this particular board), and then tracing 4 times around the foam pattern to get the outline of the bow.

[bownarra]

Long, overbuilt,lowish weight bows should be tillered more elliptically than 'normal'. Stiff innerlimbs, bend gradually increasing as you progress out to the tips. TBB has some great chapters on longer bows design.
White pine isn't going to help the cause!
Bows like the meare heath were likely ceremonial. This design can be altered a little to make a great shooting, very durable bow.

[PlanB]

Yep. I've got all the TBB's, and quite a bit else on the MH over the years. The so-called Meare Heath bows in TBB were generally a foot shorter and narrower than the MH, so not really comparable. There's a good article in PA Vol.16 Issue 2 By Hilary Greenland on the MH and she's done some serious replicas, and there are numerous  other references on the net re. reproductions.There was a good first hand discussion on the old PP forum. Also There's a nice pine longbow of 72" here a from a decade ago https://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,24961.0.html . Since the MH has considerably wider limbs and is actually longher still, it looks reasonable in pine to me at my draw and weight targets.

[PlanB]

Cut out and planed profile, with riser blank:

[PlanB]

Tapering the handle riser:

[PlanB]

The Meare Heath has a distinctive keeled handle transition that tapers very gradually into the belly.

[bassman211]

White pine for bow wood is an accident waiting for a place to happen. Much better off with a Hickory, white, or red Oak, Maple board , or Bamboo floor board for bow making. For your own safety shit can the pine board.

[RyanY]

White pine for bow wood is an accident waiting for a place to happen. Much better off with a Hickory, white, or red Oak, Maple board , or Bamboo floor board for bow making. For your own safety shit can the pine board.

Now you’re making me want to make a pine bow! 

[bassman211]

That is your choice, and good luck. Your a more seasoned bowyer than the lad that is going to attempt making one. How long, how wide ,how thick ,and will it last ? Just mentioned that to him for safety sake.

[Eric Krewson]

Go for it, a lot of us wouldn't make a pine bow but would love to see you succeed. I think there is one on youtube that made it as a shooter and is 6" wide and long.

Rest assured; everyone who tells you you can't do it has never tired it more than likely. I haven't.

Here is another I found, This guy, now known as the Backyard Bowyer is the guru of PVC bow making and has also tried a bunch of non traditional materials for bows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGab2fXlJzk

[aznboi3644]

Looking good.  Wow I can’t believe you referenced my old pine bow.  I recently made a 51lb @ 26” pine longbow that had only 1.375” of string follow after shooting.  Sadly my idiot friend drew it back 4” off the nocking point and chrysaled the bottom limb.  It was surprisingly fast with 600 grain arrows. 

Good luck on that Meare Heath. 

[bassman211]

No, I never tried it ,and never will. Not listed as a bow wood. Would never recommend it for a bow either. To each his own.

[RyanY]

“We choose to go to the moon build pine bows in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” - JFK probably

[bassman211]

You mean you choose not I . Just another choice in live. We have all made good choices,and bad choices in life. My opinion stands. Make one ,and tell us all about the deep dark secrets that you have discovered in making a bow from pine wood. I would interested in what you find, but would still not a bow with a pine board.

[aznboi3644]

There is no deep dark secret to a pine bow.  A successful one just takes perfect tiller and execution.