Robert Martin Bows

[willie]

A nearby thread mentions the work of Robert Martin. Does anyone have any aditional info they can share about the designs he built?

Here is what I found in

American Indian Archery
by Reginald and Gladys Laubin
Drawings  by Reginald Laubin
University of Oklahoma Press
Norman



I have tried many designs, but believe the one

developed by the late Robert Martin of Wisconsin, a famous bowyer

well-acquainted with Indians of his area, to be the best. It incorporates

ears about 5 1/2 inches long which are very narrow when viewed from

the back or belly of the bow but are quite thick when viewed from the

side. This design gives the necessary whip action at the end of the shot

for the most efficient flight of the arrow and eliminates extra weight

that could cause sluggish and jarring performance. Being heavier on

the side prevents the ear shearing off and produces stability. To make

a bow of this design requires much practice and skill and should not

be attempted as a first trial. It would be better first to try a simple

Indian style like some of the ones illustrated.

Most of my bows of Martin design are made of two pieces because this

makes it possible to give them quite a set back as much as three

inches in a four-foot bow. I will not go into detail about making the

splice at the handle; that has been illustrated in a number of archery

books. A little trick I have discovered to get the ears to line up

correctly is to bend them before I join the two halves. This way I

can lay out and saw the splice after the ears are turned and line them up perfectly.

Even when this method is used,there are times, due to peculiarities in the wood,

when a bow will go out of line after it is made. It is then necessary to heat the limbs and

twist the ears to change the alignment and bring the bow back to true.

Usually, though, the ears hold true and no such trouble is experienced.

Forms for turning the ears can be made of two-by-fours that have been

shaped to the curve desired. The wood should be heated in a steam

box, or boiled, to soften it before bending. Boiling is the easiest and

requires the least equipment, but it takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours of boiling to

soften it sufficiently. By using two pieces for the bow, both ends can

be boiled at once, saving much time, although saving time was not

particularly important to Indians. A big, heavy coffee pot does the job

nicely.

[PatM]

That's all there is to it.

 An article on Nelson Hofmann who was a close friend of Bob's  mentions that the bow design started out longer and they kept shortening it  until it was just 46 inches and shot an arrow no longer than 22 inches. It was basically a flight bow.

 The article was published in PA in '98 shortly before Hoffman died.  It included pictures of him shooting this style of bow.

[willie]

Laubin mentions inducing 3" reflex at the handle with the splice. And then shows about 4" more with the static tips.
Could he possibly have done both on the same bow? Perhaps someone could scan the article and pics from the 97 issue in PA

[PatM]

He did both on the same bow. Within the book he wrote you can see examples on his bow rack.

  The article did not have much  specific info on the design and only had  a few pictures.

[Shamusrobert]

The late Mr Ed Scott seemed to make a version of this bow design.
There is still a vid about him and his bows floating around on utube.

[Stick Bender]

Yep he did both in his book but I have always thought that you could get a less stacking bow by progressive reflex in the limbs vs the splice reflex he mentioned also he had made the bow un spliced but found it easer with the splice but with dry heat alignment isn't much of issue with osage but I suppose if you wanted a true replicate you would do it his way !

[willie]

Yep he did both in his book

when sinew is used with a wood belly, and in the more radical designs, I would assume the bow would have to be proportionately more sinew and less wood than a milder design.

Has anyone seen examples of even more radical designs than Martin when limited to sinew and wood? (no horn)

[PatM]

That likely depends on draw length.   Laubin used two layers of sinew and a cross section diagram shows   the wood is still a much greater portion.

 The design is fairly radical but the draw length is  still not extreme.

   The problem with adding sinew is that the bow becoming relatively  unbreakable allows you to   flatter your perception of extremeness of design relative to drawlength.

[Stick Bender]

Any body here made this design ? Any examples ?

[PatM]

Any body here made this design ? Any examples ?

 I have one of the design but not materials.

[bradsmith2010]

It reminds me of White Lightning,,. or in the same ball park,,from what I remember