All-Primitive Composite Horn Bow

[Jack Napier]

Is it possible to make a composite horn bow or a laminate wood bow with all-primitive tools? I mean just flint scraping tools and maybe sandstone. Can you really get the surface of the materials flat and even enough to glue together without a metal plane? Thank you.

[Pat B]

Yes. If you work hard enough at it you can.

[Hamish]

Is this a hypothetical question, or something you actually want to try?
I suppose it would be possible, but the results wouldn't be anywhere near as good, to the point where you'd be better off just making a self bow. I don't think any true stone age people made them this way as it just wasn't a practical option, regarding time and efficiency.

[PatM]

Is this a hypothetical question, or something you actually want to try?
I suppose it would be possible, but the results wouldn't be anywhere near as good, to the point where you'd be better off just making a self bow. I don't think any true stone age people made them this way as it just wasn't a practical option, regarding time and efficiency.

 You hear a lot of references to lengthy curing times so it seems unlikely that a nomadic tribesman is going to be in that much of a rush scraping away at pieces for the first year or so.
  Composites pre-date high grade woodworking tools it would seem.

[bradsmith2010]

I think you could do it,, yes it is always argued that the cast would not exceed a self bow,, I have heard that,,
but I think it could be done,, if you split a straight grain stave,, and glued it together at the split side,, it would probably not need much work,,,then sinew back  or rawhide the back if need be,,

[mullet]

I don't see a problem with it, if you have a lot of time and patients. I think you're most time to consuming part would be making the tools to refined condition. More exacting tools for a very technical bow.

[PatM]

Some of the older bows show clear evidence of total wrapping with sinew. By heating components and using multiple glue layers to fill  gaps, wrapping tightly with cord and squeezing everything into a better fit they were surely able to overcome the limitations of cruder tools of the early days.

[Jack Napier]

Thanks for the input, y'all.

Is this a hypothetical question, or something you actually want to try?
I suppose it would be possible, but the results wouldn't be anywhere near as good, to the point where you'd be better off just making a self bow. I don't think any true stone age people made them this way as it just wasn't a practical option, regarding time and efficiency.

I actually want to try it but it seems so difficult that it's really hypothetical. Am I wrong for thinking that it is extremely difficult to scrape out a perfectly even, smooth bow with flint? There's always some "dip" somewhere in the bow and it's difficult to get the sides, the belly and the back nice and flat and sharp.

What bugs me, however, is that I have seen pictures of Native American (Plains Indian) bows that look extremely even and symmetrical, and sharply defined, almost as if they were sawn lumber. Most of them are probably from the 1800s. I am at a loss to explain how they made bows like this without planes or at least metal files, but I don't think they were widely available on the frontier? I wish I knew of definitie examples of pre-contact bows.

 The thing is, I've never held a Plains Indian bow in real life before so I'm not sure if it's just that I can't get close enough to see the waves and the dips in the wood.

These are examples of the really even, sharp, "perfect" looking bows I'm talking about:

From Clark Wissler collection:


Getty Images:

[Jack Napier]

Some of the older bows show clear evidence of total wrapping with sinew. By heating components and using multiple glue layers to fill  gaps, wrapping tightly with cord and squeezing everything into a better fit they were surely able to overcome the limitations of cruder tools of the early days.

Interesting! Didn't see this post. Have you ever held any Native American antique bows in your hands before? Am I just wrong in assuming that many of them were not masterfully scraped down to an even, planed-like surface? They're obvuously masterfully crafted regardless but I am assuming a kind of "water in to wine" magic has occurred, for someone to pull this off with just a knife.

[PatM]

They likely selected near perfect wood. Perfect straight grained wood splits clean and you just need to maintain that.
 Keep in mind that they did have access to metal tools in latter days.

[loefflerchuck]

Pat B- well said.

They were not just scraping with a piece of flint. We have little idea just how many tools they had for this. What about a sandstone outcropping? That's a pretty good sander. I imagine they got it figured out to get the job done in not as much time as we think.

[DC]

You have to remember that some guys just have really good eyes and can see minute differences in bend. One of my model boat building buddies could scrape and sand a hull and I'll bet it would come out almost perfectly symmetrical. This kind of  talent has been with the human race as long as there has been a human race. It doesn't depend on the quality of the tools. A person with this kind of talent will turn out a superior product no matter what he has to work with. There have always been bows that look like fiberglass and arrows that look like carbon. It's called craftmanship. If you are one of these people then fly at it.

[mikekeswick]

Good luck

[Jake]

PA Magazine in the last year or so has articles on Sheep Horn Bows, the Bowyer researched  Native Americans who made some, and there are others pictured in Dr Graysons book,  its doable without modern tools but better and quicker results with sharp tools.

In June the Bring Back the Bow project teaches/guides Lakota youth into making bows like the great grandfathers had and used. The tools used are modern but the use is very old. The average time is 3 days for a first bow, some of that would be shorter if the coaching time was less. Google Bring Back the Bow Project . Bowhorses or vices, and sharp edges.

Also google primitive bow making and you'll find several Bowyers doing it without power tools. I use a bow horse and a draw knife for 90% of the wood removal.

[JoJoDapyro]

Quite a few people here only use hand tools.

My thought is this. Even in modern society, not everyone does everything. So, why back then would it be any different? You let the best bow builder build bows, and teach someone else. The best arrow maker made arrows, and had an apprentice. So on and so-forth.

A big flat rock would make a great sander to sand something flat.