Hickory English Longbow - "Skinny Pete"

[Academonicon]

I've had this narrow hickory board sitting around in the basement for a while and wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it, but it occurred to me that I wanted a bow that was really long and skinny, and flipping through the Traditional Bowyer's Bible, I rediscovered the weird design that is the English longbow.  Curved belly?!  Square cross-section?!  What is this madness??!!!  I had to try it.

The bow actually ended up coming out really nicely.  It's about 69" tip-to-tip, pulling 65# at 27".  It tapers from 1.5" to 0.5" at the tips - truth be told, the board wasn't thick enough to match the technical specifications of the English longbow (with the width-depth ration of 1 to .66), so it's a sort of flattened version of the design.  The tiller is a pretty even D-curve, with a little more bend in the top limb.  I haven't taken it out for a test-drive yet, but I'm anticipating about 1.5-2" of set.  The bend goes through the handle, which is built up with a couple layers of rawhide on the back and leather on the belly, and wrapped again in corseted black leather.  The finish is one coating of Minwax "Gunstock" (which I LOVE), and three coats of tung oil. 

And why's it called "Skinny Pete?"  I dunno.  Why isn't your bow called that? 

[mikekeswick]

Good use of that thin piece of hickory 
If you try another aim for an elliptical tiller. ELB's have a lot of thickness taper and respond much better with an elliptical tiller. Can you see how yours is bending a lot near the handle? The wood is thickest there so should be bending the least there. As you go out towards the tips the bend should increase.

[Parnell]

Good work.  I would agree with Mike with tiller design.  Your top limb looks a little flat hitting that outer third.
Did you heat treat that hickory at all?
Nonetheless, good work!

[Academonicon]

Thanks guys!  I knew what I should be shooting for with the elliptical curve, but after doing nothing but flatbows since I started bowyering, I think I was just fighting my instinct and didn't put enough time into focusing on the ends of the limbs.  And yeah, Parnell, I think you're right about the tiller on the top limb.  C'est la vie.  Things to aim for in the next one!

[Academonicon]

Oh, and I forgot to answer your question Parnell: No, I didn't heat-treat it.  Thought about it, and just got lazy with so many projects going on at once.

[Parnell]

Hickory loves the heat.  Big time.  I heat it early, midway through tiller, and again just before full draw.  But, I live in S Fl. and it's pretty much required down here.  You can heat it until it's basically blackened and just before an ember ignites.  A quick sanding takes it to the toasted brown.  Slow, deep heat.

[scp]

Nice work. I would definitely heat treat the inner half of limbs. And consider flipping the tips a couple of inches, if the bow gets that much set.

[Peacebow_Coos]

I like the finish, did you stain it?

[Academonicon]

Thanks, Peacebow.  I stained it with Minwax "Gunstock" and went over that with a couple layers of tung oil.