Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Traditional Firearms => Traditional Archery => Topic started by: david32cal on June 16, 2008, 09:23:30 PM

Title: selfbow
Post by: david32cal on June 16, 2008, 09:23:30 PM

would someone please explain,what is a selfbow.

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Post by: Longhunter on June 16, 2008, 09:35:42 PM

A "self" bow is a bow made out of all one piece of wood (no fiberglass) or in some cases two pieces spliced together.  A wood laminated bow or a backed bow without fiberglass is a "primitive" bow, but NOT a "self" bow.

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Post by: david32cal on June 16, 2008, 09:48:09 PM

what would be the pros and cons of the two,lets say a hickory selfbow and a hickory/osage laminated longbow of eaqual length and pull.

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Post by: Fletcher on June 16, 2008, 10:45:21 PM

Any laminated bow, if the backing and belly are properly picked for wood characteristics and are bonded properly, will out perform a pure 1 piece self bow.

The cast will be greater since the limbs will recover quicker and the bow is less likely to 'string follow'.

The question is what do you want out of the bow.

Many want the purity of a one piece bow and will pick the best wood they can.  Osage will out perform Pacific Yew which will out perform hickory.  It is in the nature of those woods.

Add some reflex/deflex to the limb or a true formed recurve and they will have even better cast with the same draw weight.

Look back in the Traditional Bow forum - I am sure this was discussed at length last year or longer and I think the threads are still there.

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Post by: Longhunter on June 17, 2008, 08:12:04 AM

With bows, as with anything there are exceptions to every rule. I've had some self bows that shot and performed as well as any laminated bow ever did. I have a osage self bow that was made from two pieces , fishtail spliced together. It was made sometime in the 40's and is still a good shooter today. After shooting it returns to nearly straight after it's unstrung.

Wood bows are different than laminated bows in that the wood it's self has a character all it's own and may sometimes perform very well or not as well. Many bowyers look at a tree and see a bow or bows inside waiting to be free.

In the early 80's I bought an osage bow stave from an old bow maker in Indiana. He had cut the tree and worked the stave down some before putting it away with some other staves that he had. When I got the wood from him he'd had it for 50 years. It was very dark and seasond. The stave had good grain and was exceptionally straight for a one piece osage stave.

I had it for a couple of years before I gave it to a friend of mine that had made many many bows from osage. A few months later he called me and told me the bow was finished and that it was the most perfect piece of osage he had ever worked with. Then he told me he was sending it back to me because , in his words the bow needed to be owned and shot by someone that was a better shot than he was. The stipulation was that I name the bow "Sleeping Beauty" and that I write an appropriate poem on the limb. I have the bow yet today and it is truly an exceptional bow in every way. It is 66" long 60# @ 28" The name "Sleeping Beauty" is written in the belly side of the bow above the riser and on the bottom limb I wrote this poem.

"Fifty years as a Stave I slept
 
 my fate uncertain, my promise unkept

 for love of beauty and days of old

 a bowyer came forth, with hands so bold

 he finished the task and set me free

 to be the bow I was meant to be"

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Post by: david32cal on June 17, 2008, 01:59:08 PM

thanks for the info guys, would like to get a longbow sometime in the future and know absolutely nothing about bows,i'm sure i'll be asking more questions

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Post by: Lady of the Woods on June 17, 2008, 06:01:44 PM

Ron, that was awesome! I'll bet she really is a beauty.
z

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Post by: Chairslayer on June 17, 2008, 06:19:16 PM

I nominate Ron Laclair as "poet laurette" of the TMA. Incredible  Ron.  :clap  :clap  

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Post by: jbullard1 on June 17, 2008, 06:24:25 PM

Quote from: "Chairslayer"

I nominate Ron Laclair as "poet laurette" of the TMA. Incredible  Ron.  :clap  :clap  :lt th

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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 17, 2008, 06:41:52 PM

Ol Rons' a poet,
He didnt even know it;
But his big feet showed it,
Their Longfellows! :rotf  :rotf  :applaud  :applaud  :hey-hey  :hey-hey  

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Post by: deadfallpaul on June 17, 2008, 09:43:43 PM

I third the motion !
Ron LaClair as "Poet Laurette" of the TMA.

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Post by: Longhunter on June 17, 2008, 09:59:27 PM

Thankee kindly  :Doh!

 

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Post by: Minnesota Mike on June 18, 2008, 10:12:24 AM

Nicely done.

r/
MM

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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 18, 2008, 11:37:39 AM

Quote from: "Longhunter"

Thankee kindly  :Doh!

 :lol:

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Post by: Fletcher on June 18, 2008, 07:21:00 PM

Did the bowyer give you any idea as to how hard the wood was to work?

I have never made a bow out of an 'old wood' but I have worked lumber out of houses more than 100 years old and much of it was hard as a brick!

Most bow books I have read stated that they like wood aged 4 to 6 years.

Obviously this was no quality problem for your 'Beauty', I just wonder about the workability.

Well done.

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Post by: nifeman on July 04, 2008, 07:09:01 AM

Quote from: "BEAVERMAN"

Quote from: "Longhunter"

Thankee kindly  :Doh!

 :lol:

I know who he wuz...the guy always eating cucumbers :shock: ....BUd