What classifies as a selfbow?

[Red Dwarf]

Could one of you experienced guys please define a "selfbow" for me?

Red Dwarf

[mullet]

    A bow that has not been laminated, A board bow or bow made from a log or limb. Usually made with white wood by removing the bark and shaping the bow. With Osage or wood with sapwood,chasing a single growth ring and then shaping.  Or you can leave the sapwood on in some wood.

[Red Dwarf]

What about backing??

Red Dwarf

[mullet]

   My personal opinion is a backed backed with anything,sinew,hide ,or bark is backed. For Bow of the Month,hide and sinew backed qualify as self bows.

[Coo-wah-chobee]

....................As Eddie said. Ifn ya want a pure definition it has ta be a single piece of wood NO billets. .................bob

[Hillbilly]

I'm like Eddie, I consider sinew, rawhide, and such backings, I wouldn't consider something like a snakeskin or thin bark just for cosmetic purposes to be a backing.

[snakebow]

I agree with mullet. no backing of any kind.

[Badger]

Same as hillbilly, decorative backings may be considered a finish, but if the backing is protecting the bow from blowing it is backed. Billets are totally acceptable as self bows as well as built up handles and tip overlays. Extended kerfing on recurves may eliminate a bow as a selfbow even though it really is a self bow. This is the defination used by the flight committees. Steve

[Sidewinder]

In my humble, somewhat inexperienced yet observational opinion a self bow in its purest form would be a single piece of wood with no laminations or structuraly relevent backings. I think a semi modified definition would include built up handles cut from the same stave/board.... Danny

[George Tsoukalas]

The standard definition for a selfbow is that it is one piece of wood or 2 spliced at the handle. No backing of any sort. If it is backed it is a backed bow.
Jawge

[OldBow]

The term "backed bow" has led to confusion.
Perhaps the term as used for "Backed" Bow of the Month should be Laminant Bow of the Month. ie., ElBow or LBow, LBOM, whatever
Seriously, though, Mullet, and the rest have a good point about what is a "backed bow".
 I must say, though, that if bows from billets are not self bows then I'm out of the self bow business.  Because of the less-than-desireable wood I find in Western Montana,  I have  come to use billets, frequently.

[Glenn R.]

I could be wrong but I think many of the TBB authors refer to them as   selfbows /backed selfbows-----seems pretty simple.   Also backed selfbows are nothing NEW. Chasing to one ring? Thats not the oldest style of selfbow either----get my point?

[Kegan]

Selfbow- a chunk of wood whitteled into a bow

[Red Dwarf]

Seems like there is a little confusion out there.

Who, or what organisation should we be looking to for a definitive answer?

Red Dwarf

[Glenn R.]

Red Dwarf----How far back in history do you want to go? What region? Are you sure theres only one defined answer?