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Author Topic: War bow and arrow questions  (Read 11938 times)

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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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War bow and arrow questions
« on: June 01, 2015, 09:25:12 am »
I started my first war bow this weekend. I watched a few guys tiller a monster yew war bow in Marshall last weekend and it got me thinking and churning. Im hoping to get an 80-90# bow at 30" when all is said and done. Its of elm and 74" long, about 1 3/8" wide finished.

My question is what are some basic rules I need to follow to make proper arrows for this hypothetical bow I started? Spine? Length? My bowyer/archery/arrow experience is all hunting bow based. 

If you see anything in my bow measurements I should be aware of, speak up please.

Thanks
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Offline Del the cat

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2015, 10:43:41 am »
For that sort of weigh you can test it out with 11/32" shafts and 150 gn points ok.
To look good you'll want 3/8" shafts and longer fletchings.
You prob' won't want to go to the full medieval spec as you are still under 100lb.
Some quick cheap 'pretend medieval' arrows here.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=medieval+arrows
I'd suggest either doing the horn nock insert or, much easier, binding just fore of the nock with linen thread and soaking with a drop of low viscosity CA.
Don't worry about spine too much... the big flights will straighten 'em up. I'd suggest avoiding the real big 1/2" Ash shafts tho' as they will fly sideways for the first 10 yards!
Don't worry over much about point weight either... most of an arrow's weight is in the shaft.
Del
« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 10:51:04 am by Del the cat »
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2015, 10:52:22 am »
Thanks for the info Del. Would a 23/64 shaft be better? I know the same spine will weigh a bit more than a 11/32 shaft. I have gobs of full length feathers, so that wont be a problem. Im excited to tiller this bugger out. Ive never made a bow over 60-62#.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Del the cat

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2015, 11:12:04 am »
Yeah those shafts will be fine...
You'll have so much power it will throw anything... got any old broom handles? Just tie a Turkey fan on the back and ready to shoot >:D
Del
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2015, 11:33:12 am »
I like the sounds of that Del! I never thought my war bow trigger would be tripped, it has begun.
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blackhawk

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2015, 12:32:55 pm »
Isn't 80 pounds kids weight for ur guns?  ::) .... :laugh:

Where's the pics of this "bow"? Or do u want me to post the ones ya sent me?  ::)

Ya should've gotten in more on that yew warbow at Marshall. It was a fun one. I even got it back to full draw with my puny twigs!!!  :laugh:  it came out only to 96 pounds tho

Can't wait to see you full draw this thang  8)
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2015, 12:42:36 pm »
Sure, post them up if you want to.
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Offline WillS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2015, 01:04:40 pm »
Good luck dude.  Will be great to see somebody with your experience tackling a warbow.  Will be watching and learning with interest  :)
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blackhawk

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2015, 01:06:12 pm »





« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 01:12:50 pm by blackhawk »
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Offline Pat B

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2015, 03:03:35 pm »
Pearlie, I built a yew war bow a few years ago(95#@30") but could only pull it to about 15".  ;D   It's not a difficult design to execute but unlike with flat bows lateral bends can be a problem if you're not paying attention.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2015, 03:23:46 pm »
Im not adding reflex for that very reason Pat. I don't care how far it follows the string. I figure it will be more likely to keep a string on if Im not fighting 3-4" of reflex from the start. I think I can pull 80# still. I pulled an 87# Dwyer long bow 4-5 years ago. Granted that was a traditional draw and only 28" max.
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Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Del the cat

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2015, 04:13:07 pm »
Pat is right... you have to watch out for lateral bend...
My top tip is leave the ends tapering to about 20mm wide until it's pulling back about 15-20" then you can start to narrow them.
If you rough it out too narrow the damn things can just go sideways on you big time.
The extra width gives more stability and gives room to shift the string line across a bit to counter any sideways bend.

The long draw thing is a blast too, it feels totally weird at first, but slowly starts to settle in and make sense.
Del
« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 04:16:11 pm by Del the cat »
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2015, 04:17:32 pm »
Thanks guys. The tips are at least 20mm wide right now. I watched the guys tillering a war bow last week and noticed they cut temporary grooves in and left them that way as well.
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Offline WillS

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2015, 05:02:19 pm »
I've found cutting side nocks is the best way of tillering a warbow.  It doesn't affect the back of the bow at all, and while the tips are wide you end up getting rid of it all anyway when you come to do the actual nocks (which should be side nocks anyway, if you're making a real warbow  >:D )

What's nice about sidenocks early on in tillering is that if the stave does have a tendency to roll over on you, or looks like it might you can pick the side you want the nock on, to counter it. 

I did sidenocks for the long string tillering of a heavy bow a while ago, and haven't looked back since!
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Offline Cameroo

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Re: War bow and arrow questions
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2015, 07:47:24 pm »
I second Del's advice on reinforcing the arrow nocks, especially if there is any chance of using them with heavier bows in the future (and you WILL build a heavier bow in the future!).  I have had an otherwise healthy warbow explode to pieces in my hand after splitting a dud arrow with the string, which essentially dry-fired the bow.  The heavy ones don't like that at all... ;)

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with! It's about time!  8)

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