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Look at the Traditional Bow Recurve - Any bow which has the tips of the working limbs bent
backward in the opposite direction from the draw when at rest. This
allows the bow to develop extra power when drawn, to store and release
energy more efficiently, as well as increasing velocity in the arrow by
adding an extra flick in the arrow at the last second as the arrow
starts to leave the string. The amount of recurve can vary from a slight curve at the
tips, (similar to a ']' shape) to a reversed 'C' shape. Here the total
curve makes the whole working limb of the bow bend backwards from the
handgrip, sometimes it can curve to the point that the two tips will
actually touch when unstrung. (Also known as 'retro-flexed') Compound - a modern bow using a system of one of more pulleys to
develop mechanical advantage. These pulleys may be concentric or
eccentric and include wheels or cams. If eccentric, they can allow
variable advantage and variable let-off. The
elaborate pulley system can allow the draw weight of the bow to be
variably set and altered. This will also allow the draw weight of the
bow to drop off as it reaches full draw. For example, a bow is set to 60
lbs when partially drawn (maximum weight) but dropping off to 30 pounds
at the full draw position. Thus allowing the draw to be held at that
point (30 lbs.) more easily for a longer period . This is the opposite
of other bows which tend to generate their maximum force at full draw
and minimum force at undrawn. Self bow - a one piece bow, usually made of a single stave of
wood, or any other single material (this now includes 'all steel' or
'all fiberglass' bows). This term also refers to a bow which may be made
of 2 staves of wood of the same type, jointed at the midpoint (handle),
to give a single length of uniform strength and uniform properties. This
was often necessary due to the difficulty of getting a single bowstave
of a decent length without knots, warps or other defects. This is the main European/African/American Indian etc
style of traditional bow but it can be applied to solid fiberglass,
steel, horn, etc. Composite - a bow made by laminating multiple materials together in
thin layers. Materials most commonly used in traditional bows were
different types of wood and layers of horn, often bound together with
sinew and glued in layers. Modern bows usually use layers of wood, fiberglass and/or
steel. Traditional Asiatic and Arab bows were often horn/wood/sinew
recurved composites. The different materials allow the bow to use the
best properties in the best location to maximize their efficiency.
Manufacture of these types of bows is a slow and painstaking task, as
any weakness in any of the joints will give either reduced performance,
or a bow which will break under load. Backed bow - a bow primarily of wood, but having a thin strip of
another material along the back of the bow (see composite bow). Usually
the material used was a thin strip of wood like bamboo or hickory, or a
strip of raw hide or even silk glued in place. This backing did not add
much (if anything) to the strength or efficiency of the bow, rather it
helped the bow to return slowly to straightness. Bows backed with sinew
are the exception to this, as the sinew greatly increases the tension of
the bow. Longbow - Usually a 'Self' or 'Backed' bow, the longbow is
effectively a straight (or slightly curved) length of wood with string
on each end. Fiberglass, steel and composite longbows are also often
made. It has no recurves, no pulleys or cams, and is the traditional
shape associated with the European archers of the middle ages. Spine - the measure of stiffness in an arrow. Of less
importance with 'center-shot' bows (ie those firing through the center
of the handle), but of major importance with arrows fired past the side
of the bow (See 'Archer's Paradox' below) Hence there can be 'Composite Compound' bows, 'Composite
Recurve' bows, 'Self recurve' bow etc. Modern bows are nearly all of a
composite style (recurve or compound) although many clubs do have
archers shooting with 'traditional' equipment, and some clubs exist
(mainly in the UK) solely for the traditional archer. Arab/Asiatic
traditional bows Usually made of thin layers of horn and softened (soaked
and softened) sinew glued to a central core of wood. They are often shorter (42"-72" = 107cm-183cm )
than their European counterparts (60"-78" = 152cm-198cm) as
they were more often used from horseback, whereas the European bows were
more often used from the ground. The Japanese bow was different again,
being up to 84" (=213 cm) (or more) in length. Many of the Turkish, Asian and Arab races drew the bow
using a thumb- ring, a ring worn on the thumb of the drawing hand. The
string was hooked behind it (in the palm of the hand) and the thumb
closed over the string so that it rested tightly against the middle
finger. For heavy bows, the forefinger could also be used to lock the
thumb closed. To release, the thumb is opened, allowing the string to
slip off the edge of the ring. (With the heavy bows, the forefinger
should be raised first to save undue strain on the thumbnail as it
slides free from the forefinger). Using the Asian release, the arrow would rest on the
opposite side of the bow to that of those using a finger release. For a
right handed archer, the arrow would rest on the right side of the hand
piece, whereas usually for those using a finger release, a right-handed
archer will have the arrow resting on the left side of the grip. Regular war tactics involved charging on horseback until
close enough to fire arrows then circling away again for another go. European/African/American
Indian traditional bows Usually a wooden 'Self' bow of between 60"-78"
(=152cm-198cm) and intended for use from the ground, although the
American Indian used the shorter versions very effectively from
horseback. The American Indian also often used composite (horn/sinew or
wood/sinew) or backed bows. The traditional yew bow of Europe acted as though it were
a composite bow, as it was preferably made of a section of yew taken
where the sapwood and heartwood joined. The different properties of the
two different wood types allowed the bow to act with the best features
of each wood type. The properties of the 'Self Bow' are such that the
minimum length of the bow is (2xDraw length) ie with a draw length of 28
inches (=71 cm), the minimum length of the bow will be 56 inches (=142
cm). The greater the length of the bow, the more even can be the spread
of forces built up. The short bows of the American Indian probably varied
between 20-70 pounds, the European hunting bows normally ranged between
40-100 pounds, while the European war bow like the Welsh Longbows, ranged
from 90-180 pounds. Due to their great draw weight, European war bows were
drawn both to the chin and to the chest.. They were often used in ranks
of archers and fired at large masses of opponents at long range. In
these circumstances they were often drawn to the chest. The bow-string
passing down the cleft of the chin and using a longer arrow (36" =
91cm) the 'cloth-yard' shaft. They
would fire high into the air in massive volleys to fall almost randomly
into their targets. Hence 'clout' shooting. As the ranges got closer and the archers were more able
to pick specific targets, they reverted to a more traditional aiming
style. The long arrow
drawn past the side of the chin and the fingers of the nock hand back
somewhere around the jawbone or ear and aimed normally. The heavy draw
weight of these warbows requires a significantly heavier shafted arrow,
usually with some form of bodkin head, which had enough weight to strike
its target with frightening power. Indications are that often many warbows were carried half
made (as shaped staves) during prolonged campaigns, and finished as and
when they were needed during the campaign. Normal (European) war tactics involved massed ranks of
lightly armed or armored archers firing large volleys of arrows into
formations of targets. It was the Welsh Longbow, in the hands of
thousands of archers, which effectively obliterated the cavalry force of
thousands of French knights at both Agincourt and Crecy. Bad weather and
mud were major contributing factors in this, as the French cavalry were
unable to close to attack effectively, so that massive volleys of arrows
wiped out the opposing crossbowmen and then the French Knights (and
their horses). Woods normally used for these bows include :
During the reign of England's King Henry VIII, he was
concerned about the rapidly decreasing availability of Yew wood for
longbows. He made a law
stating that for every Yew bow made, there would also be one made of
each of the following timbers :- Witch-Hazel, Brazil, Elm, Ash. He also made it a law requiring every male in the kingdom
to practice with the longbow, and decreed that it was not murder if
anyone killed someone between the target and firing line during
practice.
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