A while back, must be three years ago I was out hunting for bow wood and came across a failry unique piece of dogwood with a strange wiggle in it. I thought it just had to be made into a bow.
You'll see it there second from the left.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/100_0571.jpg)
It went into my loft to dry. Every now and then I'd take it down, have a look at it and put it back again. Was the wiggle going to go sideways and give a kind of window, shoud it form a handle? Eventually I decided it would have to be the handle to make a kind of natural pistol grip.
Eventually I took it to the Prehistoric Archery and Atlatl gathering at Flag Fen, debarked it, and started work on it, roughling it out to bow like dimensions.
This summer I took it with me to the Paleo Planet European meet in Bulgaria. There I finished it out. The handle made it bit arkward on the tiller tree, and seeing the shape was not msade easy by that off shape but eventually it looked like a fialry good shape at about my bow weight and I decided to leave well enough alone and call it finished.
I made up a linen string with linen serving and a bow was born.
I must measure the poundage. To be honest I can't remember quite what it finished at. Will post this later.
When I got home I give it quite few coats of Tung oil and I have been shootong it since on a failry regular basis and like it. A few problems. It has developed a few chysals on the belly, basically around knots. It developed a start of a tension failry around a very very small pin knot. I bound that area and it seems to be holding up OK. I guess the back is failry crowned. A a few others have posted about tension failures around pin knots with dogwood so maybe I'll make the next bow a bit longer.
Today while shooting it around the woods at the club I decided it was about time I took a few pictures and shared the bow.
Here she is at my draw length. Those are long arrows by the way!
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010221.jpg)
Another picture that maybe shows the shape a bit better.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010222.jpg)
Braces shape. It was a nice crips frosty morning in the woods.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010223.jpg)
The wiggle at the handle.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010224.jpg)
And again.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010225.jpg)
A view of the back of the bow.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010226.jpg)
I'll try to record draw weight and take some more pics this evening. Looks like that will have to wait. The batteries have gone on my bow scales!
A shot of the belly of the top limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010231.jpg)
Belly of bottom limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010235.jpg)
Back of top limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010233.jpg)
Back of bottom limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010238.jpg)
An interesting knot to work around.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010232.jpg)
The central pith tended to be a good guide.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010236.jpg)
I hope this shot shows the chrysal. Seems to be holding up though so I won't worry about it.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010237.jpg)
A bit more info who like dimensions etc. It is pulling about 47lbs at 29 inches. Limb width is 1 and 5/8ths narrowing in the outer half of the limb. total length 66 inches, nock to nock 65 and 1/4 inches. Pin nocks. Limb tips 1/2 inch (well one is actually 9/16ths).
A side view of the bottom limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010248.jpg)
A side view of the top limb.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010250.jpg)
A pin nock.
![](http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a277/MarkinEngland/primitive%20bows/P1010251.jpg)
All in all I am impressed with dogwood as a bow wood. The back finishes up nice with the cambium showing through and it seems to shoot quite hard for it's physical size and mass.
Best wishes,
Mark in England