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Author Topic: Traditional chinese bow  (Read 8869 times)

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Offline Bearded bowyer

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Traditional chinese bow
« on: January 24, 2015, 04:25:45 pm »
Two posts in one day..... I've outdone my self!  :P

OK

My brother is an internationally acclaimed kung fu instructor, and has asked me if I can make him a traditional Chinese bow...
I've no Idea where to begin!
Anyone got any pictures I can use as a template? or experience ?
It will be going to china with him so has to look the part. I'm not fussed about using ancient techniques or materials, but want to get the look right.
Ta
Matt
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Offline huisme

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2015, 04:30:44 pm »
Lots of designs are pretty common throughout the world. You could claim that a plain old flatbow is a traditional Chinese bow as you can bet plenty of Chinese used similar bows.

I think you've given us too broad a spectrum here. I'd google that page I saw a couple months back where a mollegabet-like bow was unearthed in China and use that as an excuse to make another molle, personally ;) >:D
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50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline Bearded bowyer

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2015, 04:41:37 pm »
ooooh molle........ ::)
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Offline Tree_Ninja

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2015, 04:44:33 pm »
The mongolian bow was pretty much the standard after the mongolian conquer in 1200.
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Offline jayman448

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2015, 04:46:00 pm »
ill bet dollars to doughnuts hes wanting one of those composite recurves with huge wooden static recurve tips and a broom handle mid section. something that really stacks and will use a thumb ring release. lol just speculating
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Offline Tree_Ninja

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2015, 04:48:28 pm »
+1 what Jayman said....
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Offline huisme

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2015, 04:50:38 pm »
Quote from: jayman448 on January 24, 2015, 04:46:00 pm
ill bet dollars to doughnuts hes wanting one of those composite recurves with huge wooden static recurve tips and a broom handle mid section. something that really stacks and will use a thumb ring release. lol just speculating

Have you drawn one of those things? Smooth as butter on a hot day, and the siyahs are made from very light wood. I think they could be reduced a little more than what I've seen but I'm no expert in the field. Or any field. ;D
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50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline Bearded bowyer

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  • I'm younger than I look.........honest!
Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2015, 04:58:12 pm »
Can you make the working section of the limbs from timber or does it have to be horn/ sinyew etc...
Could you do a laminated bamboo/ hickory? or is it just too much for it to cope with?
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Offline bubby

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2015, 05:17:49 pm »
Go to the atarn site and check there
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failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
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Offline bradsmith2010

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2015, 05:37:03 pm »
looks like a reflex deflex with large siyahs,, i just googled and there is lots of info on those bows,, most seemed to be highly reflexed etc,,
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Offline jayman448

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2015, 05:56:52 pm »
Quote from: huisme on January 24, 2015, 04:50:38 pm
Quote from: jayman448 on January 24, 2015, 04:46:00 pm
ill bet dollars to doughnuts hes wanting one of those composite recurves with huge wooden static recurve tips and a broom handle mid section. something that really stacks and will use a thumb ring release. lol just speculating

Have you drawn one of those things? Smooth as butter on a hot day, and the siyahs are made from very light wood. I think they could be reduced a little more than what I've seen but I'm no expert in the field. Or any field. ;D

no ive not tried one. i just assumed from the massive string angle
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Offline huisme

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2015, 06:02:43 pm »
That's what the siyahs are for ;) The angle between the string and the limb it's pulling on is what causes stack or lack thereof, so the highly reflexed stiff portions mean a very short bow made from material that isn't harmed by such extreme bends can be pulled much farther with no stacking.
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50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline Bearded bowyer

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  • I'm younger than I look.........honest!
Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2015, 06:06:15 pm »
bubby
just checked the site, no mention of what the limbs were made of other than being bound with sinew.....
Have any of you made one? without sinew........
I can feel an experiment coming on if not........
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Offline huisme

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Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2015, 06:17:12 pm »
Quote from: Bearded bowyer on January 24, 2015, 06:06:15 pm
bubby
just checked the site, no mention of what the limbs were made of other than being bound with sinew.....
Have any of you made one? without sinew........
I can feel an experiment coming on if not........

I haven't seen any selfbows as highly reflexed as composite Asiatic bows. When I make a locust bow with 4" of reflex I expect to come out with 2", maybe more if the wood is really nice. My highest reflex bow ever had five inches and ended with four, just one inch of set, pulling ~40#@26".

I have no confidence that I could build a locust bow with ~ten inches of reflex at the end of the limbs with reflexed siyahs on the ends. I just know the belly couldn't stand up to that, and that's why horn is used. Locust could, if the back happened to be clean enough, go without sinew in my opinion as I've never had tension issues in even the most extreme situations.
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50#@26"
Black locust. Black locust everywhere.
Mollegabets all day long.
Might as well make them short, save some wood to keep warm.

Offline Bearded bowyer

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  • Posts: 109
  • I'm younger than I look.........honest!
Re: Traditional chinese bow
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2015, 06:24:03 pm »
Thanks Huisme
Anyone know where I can get bits of horn long enough in the UK?
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