Horn strip in longbow handle?

[dwardo]

You get them to pay you? Around here I can't give away my bows to SCA types!  They'd rather pick up an old effingglass recurve and shoot bent aluminum arrows!

I had one guy ask me to do a 100% accurate English longbow, complete with English yew wood, horn nocks, and a linen string.  I asked him for an up front $200 and he almost spit out his teeth screaming "WHAT?? I will pay you $75 for the bow, maybe $100 if you throw in a dozen arrows and fully document all your research!"

I advised the $200 was to locate a Pacific yew stave, he would need to pony up the materials costs for the linen and horn for nocks and string as well as whatever shipping charges there were.  The labor was yet to be negotiated.  He promptly declined, telling me he would buy one from a reputable dealer.  I referred him to Don Adams (starting prices are about a $1K last I heard).  He's mighty reputable.

As for a Sam Aylward repro....that's 20th Century, pal...pretty normal for those casual time-travelers, hehehe. Whatever you make, post some pics!

Had a few of them my self 

I offer an alternative. You pay for the materials and you can match me hour for hour in regards to labour.
So you come do my garden every week for the next six months or, you can come re-decorate my front living room plus maybe a bedroom. Thats it they dont have any other skills I can use. Soon back off.

[Weylin]

That's a good idea. 

[BOWMAN53]

You get them to pay you? Around here I can't give away my bows to SCA types!  They'd rather pick up an old effingglass recurve and shoot bent aluminum arrows!

I had one guy ask me to do a 100% accurate English longbow, complete with English yew wood, horn nocks, and a linen string.  I asked him for an up front $200 and he almost spit out his teeth screaming "WHAT?? I will pay you $75 for the bow, maybe $100 if you throw in a dozen arrows and fully document all your research!"

I advised the $200 was to locate a Pacific yew stave, he would need to pony up the materials costs for the linen and horn for nocks and string as well as whatever shipping charges there were.  The labor was yet to be negotiated.  He promptly declined, telling me he would buy one from a reputable dealer.  I referred him to Don Adams (starting prices are about a $1K last I heard).  He's mighty reputable.

As for a Sam Aylward repro....that's 20th Century, pal...pretty normal for those casual time-travelers, hehehe. Whatever you make, post some pics!

lol $75? i make kid recurves for that much lol that guy is on crack.

[JW_Halverson]

You get them to pay you? Around here I can't give away my bows to SCA types!  They'd rather pick up an old effingglass recurve and shoot bent aluminum arrows!

I had one guy ask me to do a 100% accurate English longbow, complete with English yew wood, horn nocks, and a linen string.  I asked him for an up front $200 and he almost spit out his teeth screaming "WHAT?? I will pay you $75 for the bow, maybe $100 if you throw in a dozen arrows and fully document all your research!"

I advised the $200 was to locate a Pacific yew stave, he would need to pony up the materials costs for the linen and horn for nocks and string as well as whatever shipping charges there were.  The labor was yet to be negotiated.  He promptly declined, telling me he would buy one from a reputable dealer.  I referred him to Don Adams (starting prices are about a $1K last I heard).  He's mighty reputable.

As for a Sam Aylward repro....that's 20th Century, pal...pretty normal for those casual time-travelers, hehehe. Whatever you make, post some pics!

lol $75? i make kid recurves for that much lol that guy is on crack.

But I bet he has $1200 tied up in action figures from Lord of the Rings!

[kevinsmith5]

I've actually made two with horn handles so far. Hickory backed Jatoba and maple backed Jatoba. The hickory backed Jatoba is for an SCA shooter that is an actual serious archer as well and pulls 65 at 28. The maple backed one (pic) is for someone who wanted a "pretty bow" and was the first one I made (30 at 28). Near as I can tell the horn adds nothing to the draw or speed (at least the way I'm doing it) but does seem to reduce hand shock (maybe by stiffening the handle?).

Yes they pay me, but you gotta remember the bows I sell to them are PRETTY but not necessarily good shooters. When ine if them wants a good shooter its the rare one that appreciates the difficulty of making them. I paint Celtic knots on them, use exotic hardwoods in the risers (most of what I sell are flat bows with cut shelves) and crest the arrows in attractive patterns. I do spine match the arrow sets I sell, which has gotten me a reputation for selling good arrows (many of them have never experienced shooting a set that is consistent). Doing shooting demos and competing in their archery events helps. My overhead costs are low as I get most of my wood from a local trim shop that sells me the raw milled wood and let's me have scraps for free (risers and nock tips) of exotics.