7' 8" Bamboo Yumi Bow and Arrows - pics

[bowstick]

Here is some photos of my first Yumi Bow.  The bow is 7' 8", made from bamboo backing, vertical strips of bamboo for the core, and hickory for the belly.  The bow pulls 58# @ 32".  And of course, some matching Yumi arrows.  The silver tipped arrow head is a whistling arrowhead, really fun to shoot.  Hope you all in ejoy




And a few pics of the arrows that go with this bow:

[Ryano]

nice job. whats the writing on the front say?

[jamie]

nice!

[Justin Snyder]

Great looking bow, the color definitely has an Asian theme. These type of bows will always look strange to me. I wouldn't even begin to know how to tiller one.  Justin

[mamba]

Very cool.
I'LL never figure how they came about with that design.

[Jesse]

Nice work. I love the artwork. You dont see mant guys making that type of bow. I remember hearing that there is not a lot of tillering done on a yumi. Its more getting everything right before gluing. Am I right?
                                                                Jesse

[PK]

That Bow rocks Man, very chalenging that must have been, its beutiful.

[duffontap]

That is very nice Justin.  When I watched 'The Last Samurai' it made me want to start one of those up.  How did you decide on the draw length--I've heard they were drawn up to 36"? 

Again, very nice bow--you've got to feel good about how that turned out.

          J. D.

[markinengland]

Bowstick,
Nice bow.
Any chance of an unstrung side profile shot?
I'd guess this was glued up in some kind of form? I can't help but think there must be a lot of playing with hand and nock positions to find the sweet spot? Maybe it is this freedome about where the hand and arrow are placed that reduces tillering issues?
I have an original old Yumi arrow a friend brought back from Japan. Aside from the point yours is quite close to what I have got. Did you get the whistling point in the US? Care to say where?
Mark in England

[mullet]

  Nice job. Ryan I see one of the symbols is " Wa", for peace and harmony.

[koan]

Awesome!!! BUILDALONG paleeze!!!!!.....Brian

[Gordon]

Now there is something you don't see everyday. Very nicely done.

Here is another vote for a build-a-long!

[Far East Archer]

Congratulations on your yumi. How does it shoot?

I've heard they were drawn up to 36"? 

This is true, for archer around 165 cm or 5' 6" you would draw 36" and for more taller people around 180-195 cm you would use 100-105 cm shaft which is 40-42" long. Since this bow is around 233 cm (Yonsun-nobi) it needs to pull farther to gain full use of its length. For bow this long its good for archer around 6 foot tall or so and should pull 40" To achieve this on next yumi, which I suppose you will make another since they are cool  , I would make your lines more graceful. Make it so the reflex does not remain stiff, but at the very end pull out making all the lines in the bow bend gracefully with no abrupt transitions. (I know, easier said than done, thats why I Congratulate you on your attempt, assuming its your first? )

BTW may you explain how the whistling tip you have works? does it have inner chamber in which air goes into from the front hole or is it totally different?

Again, good bow and a build-a-long would be cool too. 

-Alex

[duffontap]

Thanks for the info Far East Archer.  That should have an impressive FD being drawn that far. 

        J. D.

[bowstick]

In reply to your questions:


Posted by: Ryano says "   nice job. whats the writing on the front say?"
Something about peace and harmony, the image was sent to me by the guy I was making the bow for, so I'm not 100% sure.

Posted by: J. D. Duff says " How did you decide on the draw length--I've heard they were drawn up to 36"? "
Well to be honest, my tillering stick is only 32" long, so I pulled it all the way down to the bottom.  However I'm sure the bow could handle a 40" easy.

Posted by: markinengland says "Any chance of an unstrung side profile shot?"
Unfortunately I already sent the bow off to its new home and did not snap any photos of the unstrung bow.

Posted by: markinengland says "I'd guess this was glued up in some kind of form?"
Yes, a block form, just like the way I do my Reflex Deflex. There was an article posted by my dad in PA mag last year that showed the block form method.

Posted by: markinengland says "I can't help but think there must be a lot of playing with hand and nock positions to find the sweet spot? Maybe it is this freedome about where the hand and arrow are placed that reduces tillering issues?"
I did not get to shoot the bow more than 50 times before It left here, so I didnt get a chance to really get the hang of it.  However yes, when I moved my hand up or down I noticed a different flight from the arrow. I dont know which position was best though.


Posted by: markinengland says "Did you get the whistling point in the US? Care to say where?" 
I did not get the whistling tip in USA. I have a several suppliers in Europe that carry them.

Posted by: Far East Archer  says "I would make your lines more graceful. Make it so the reflex does not remain stiff, but at the very end pull out making all the lines in the bow bend gracefully with no abrupt transitions. (I know, easier said than done, thats why I Congratulate you on your attempt, assuming its your first?"
Yes, this was my first attempt.  On the next one I will take your advice and allow the reflex to uncoil more... that was my goal, however as you said, "easier said than done" 

Posted by: Far East Archer  says "BTW may you explain how the whistling tip you have works?"
 2 chambers actually, one on each side of the tip where the air passes over the top, creating a whistle, just like when you blow over the top of a beer bottle to sound like a ships horn.

I hope this answers your questions.

Sincerely,

Justin S.