I want to make...

[makenzie71]

...one of those crazy hungarian/asian horsebows that looks like one and a half coils from a spring when unstrung.  I've made a few Magyar~ish horsebows using Ipe/bamboo combos and fiberglass with decent results, but it seems like if I use heavy enough material with either to get the draw weight I want with this one it'll over-stress the limbs.

What are these things made of?

[makenzie71]

I've seen more aggressive looking ones but this is basically what I'm talking about:



I suppose it's more of a crab-bow....but the working limb area is so short I'm really curious about what materials would be best.  The more wood, the better...my projects do not usually like the cost of horn very well, but still.

I want to make something that makes people wonder how it could possible be a bow without seeing it strung.

[Del the cat]

I think you'll have to go horn & sinew... (or spring steel)
Del

[JW_Halverson]

Someone just published a book on how to do these bows, now where did I see the review on this book...lemme see, hmmm..OH YEAH, Primitive Archer Magazine!  Now where did I put those memory pills I was supposed to take?

You gotta promise that if you build one, you will take lotsa pics and post them all on here.  Then you have to take the finished product to the International Flight Shoot out on the Bonneville Salt Flats west of Salt Lake City and shoot for a score with it, and post pics of course.  

Shop online for some gemsbock horns, they also go by the name of oryx.  They are getting less expensive all the time, used to run about $100 for an unmatched pair, I have seen some sell for a lot less lately.

[HatchA]

Someone just published a book on how to do these bows, now where did I see the review on this book...

Is that the "Turkish-Ottoman bows" book?

I ordered mine back in February and am still waiting for it to arrive...  Saw my friend's copy last night and it looks like a very comprehensive read!

Good luck with the project Mak', don't forget the build-along

[KenH]

Ottoman Turkish Bows, manufacture & design
by Adam Karpowicz

196 pages, full color, index, 8.5x11, coil bound
$30.00 US

Shipping everywhere from Canada $15:
Europe/Asia (by surface mail) 4-7 weeks
USA (by airmail) 1-2 weeks
Canada 2 days (by Xpresspost, plus taxes)

That general Crab Bow style is made with a wood core, horn, and sinew, and then often wrapped in silk or covered with birchbark to protect the sinew from moisture.  They take upwards of a year and more to fully cure before you can string and shoot them.  For lots of detailed information about making these and other "horsebows" and Asian archery in general, the best source on the net is www.ATAR.net  -- Asian Traditional ArcheryNet

Here's a link to a post by Adam about some bows he currently has in prograss:

http://atarn.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1340

[makenzie71]

Thanks, Ken.  What kind of wood is in the core?  I know it's something that's going to be very expensive as far as time goes.

I'm going to make a glass/bamboo fiber one first.  I know you guys aren't fond of glass, but it's been a great starting point for me.  I have an idea of using a piece of 16" steel pipe as a mold.  I'll wrap 1/8" of glass around it, then I'll wrap 1/8" of bamboo fibers around it, then another 1/8" of glass...top it off with poplar sayahs.

Same technique helped me with my Magyar bow a lot...I'll be able to determine if I want to invest the money to get some good horn in.

[makenzie71]

somethign that really baffles me about these things is...how the hell do you tiller them?

[james parker]

bows like these are pre tillered in the core and final tiller is with heat and shaping of the bow   with limb forms after the c shape is opened up..a really long and laborous session ..well worth the wait ,if you can wait on the sinew to season out properly............