Author Topic: Yew long bows (Read 834 times)

ratherbefishin · « **on:** July 28, 2004, 03:32:35 AM »

way back when I was a kid, my dad got the archery bug- but didn't have much money.The trouble with my dad was , he didn't know he didn't know-so he would just go ahead and try stuff.Heactually made some pretty decent stuff too.One project was to make yew long bows, and as I recall, he got a well seasoned billet of yew, and then split itlength wise and finger jointed it together so each limb was more or less equal.He tillered it with a spoke shave following the natural curves and then used a piece of leather[ a tongue from a discard boot as I recall] for the hand grip.he made his own arrows from Port Orford cedar and made his own fletching jig too.Bow strings were obtained from myuncle who was a shoe repairman and the dacron thread he used for sewing boots made serviceable bow strings once waxed with bees wax[dad kept bees , too]I think the only thing he actually bought was nocks and points.
Anyway, he had a lot of enjoyment making the archery equipment, and we spent many happy hours shooting arrows into hay bale targets.
Now that I'm approaching retirement,I just might get back into it again, funny, you seem to go through the stages of buying high tech[ and expensive] stuff and at some point revert back to where you started.

TheBowhunter · « **Reply #1 on:** July 29, 2004, 03:11:03 AM »

you are right ratherbefishin it is a full cycle event but it fun doing it though.
I hope you have an enjoyable time here. let use know how your adventures turn out ok?

Hawkeye · « **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2004, 03:47:11 AM »

Hey, TheBowhunter, where you from in KS? Do you know KSBow from Chase, KS? I bow hunt south of Great Bend around Raymond and west of Hays at Waykeeney and Voda. Taken some nice deer around those areas with selfbows and one of my homemade longbows. Do you go to MOJAM?

I'm a member of the KBA and have gone to the last four Conventions.
Great bunch of guys.

Ratherbefishin,
This is something that I see in a lot of people that I shoot or hunt with. They started with recurves or longbows when young, went through the compound stages of getting higher tech equip every couple of years when something new was faster and shorter. Now they have come back to traditional archery for one reason or another. Mostly simplicity.
You should go to some traditional shoots, visit with some of the people about their longbow, recurves and selfbows. Shoot some of them and then decide which you might want to try. :wink:
Building selfbows is addicting and there are many books and articles out there to walk you through the process of building a selfbow. There are several sites that come to mind that cater to the traditional archer that you can visit and get help from. These sites even have places where you can trade for or buy staves for building selfbows, shafting of many types and other archery related items. These sites list traditional shoots during the year and have success stories about the game taken during the seasons.
Good luck and if you have any questions, let me know. I'm sure I can help you get addicted to this craze. Wood for making bows, shafting, feathers, or any other items for trad bows I or any of the people on the trad sites can steer you in the right direction. :grin:

Here are the tow I told you about: on the tradgang, go to the PowWow, this is where they all discuss trad archery and gear.
On stickbow after opening go to the Leatherwall and this is where they have threads about trad archery and related info.

Mike

www.tradgang.com

www.stickbow.com

TheBowhunter · « **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2004, 04:02:20 AM »

First let me say Hi! Hawkeye and welcome aboard. I live in mahattan. I know of KS CHase,KSbow ,Hairlessoneand many ony other who visit these forums, and have seen them once in a while at the KBA conventions and get togethers but lately I have been nocked out of commission because of my heart. The past few weeks my BP has been at 88/44,I am not athletic looks like time for a pace maker just waiting for a few more details to come down. My wife is not to happy with me right cause I still plan on getting out there this oct if not in the hospital then.... to flink the stix I do visit the trad and few others
I made the full circle in archery real quick took me about four years to recurve to compound to recurve again I wont go back... Hopefully if all goes well after this year I lock into third retirement plan and be buying some acreage here of my own to hunt on looking at 300 acres right now part of it I allready hunt on and is good hunting ground.