[MR] bow maker

[Siegfried Sebastian Faust]

>   He said that since they are solid hickory wood, and
>not laminate, that they arent going to be very good at all.  Hickory, loses
>limb power over time.  And he believes that they will probably break 
>before too
>long.

Actually, not necessarily true.

While I can't speak specifically for this bow maker, what I can say, is 
that ANY wood can be a 'good bow wood'.

It's just that each wood must be treated properly for it's own characteristics.

If made properly, a Hickory bow will last a lifetime and never lose power.

In general, the 'less springy' and/or 'weaker' a wood, the wider, flatter, 
and longer the limbs must be made.  Much more like an American Indian 
Flatbow, than an English Longbow.

If you are interested in this, I'd recommend reading the Bowyer's Bible 
series (all three), as there are various articles in there to this point, 
talking about the properties of the different woods and how to deal with them.

It has even been shown that you can make a 70# selfbow out of cheap pine 
that takes no set.  Of course, the limbs must be 4" wide  at the center, 
and very long. *grin*

As for this company, as I said, I cannot speak for their craftsmanship; 
however, their pictures do show that they understand this concept, as their 
'longbow' is in fact a 'flatbow', with wide flat limbs, exactly how a 
hickory selfbow should be made.

Siegfried



_________________________________________________________________________
THL Siegfried Sebastian Faust     Baronial Web Minister & Archery Marshal
Barony of Highland Foorde        http://highland-foorde.atlantia.sca.org/