"Eastern woodland" bow design

[dylanholderman]

Tension,
Keep to the flatter native styles I had a maple stave crysle (spelling?) on me real bad one time.
That said it may have been silver maple not sugar maple.

And I’ve had better luck with maple staves from saplings rather than full trees.

[mikebarg]

In the past I made a number of red oak board bows. All between 64-68 inches. I used a basic layout with wide flat limbs ,3/4 inch wide at the tips. I wasn't really concerned with optimal performance. I just wanted a reliable bow that would shoot well. Here is a pick of one of the tips.

[willie]

Thanks everyone! What was a common draw weight? Does it very as much as it does today?

For war or hunting?

Encyclopedia of Native American Bow, Arrows, and Quivers, Volume 1: Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest is a good reference for eastern woodlands and more. it may be instructive to look at some of the arrow lengths of arrows associated with some bows