[Ansteorra-archery] An Offer

[Sylvrfalcn at aol.com]

Ulrich,
 Alas, there's a bit more to it than just simple dimensions, not every piece 
of red oak has the "character" to become a good bow. That's why most red oak 
bows sold on the market are backed with linen as a safety precaution. It's 
about product liability and keeping customers happy by not having bows blow up in 
their hands. However, if you know what to look for in a suitable piece of 
wood, you can make a strong, durable, self bow, with no backing at all. Gilli has 
been shooting one of my unbacked oak longbows for more than two and a half 
years with no problems. In our recent challenge shoot, I shot three full IKAC 
rounds with an unbacked hickory bow pulling sixty pounds (not for the faint of 
heart). That's a rough total of 300 shots in a single day, and that bow's still 
fresh as a daisy.
  The best advice I can give anybody, is to get in your car, drive to your 
local bookstore, and pick up Volume Two of "The Traditional Bowyer's Bible". 
With nothing more than that single reference, you should be able to figure out 
how to make a bow. I did ;-)

Cheers,
Robert

p.s.: While at the book store, check out "Bows and Arrows of the Native 
Americans" by Jim Hamm, then mosey on over to the magazine rack and pick up the 
latest issue of "Primitive Archer" magazine. And, if you're at Barnes and Noble, 
by all means pop into the coffee shop for a cup of Tazo Chai ;-)