Bow
Builder's Book
European Bow Building from the Stone Age to
Today
by
Flemming Alrune, Wulf Hein, Jurgen Junkmanns, Boris Pantel, Holger Riesch, Achim
Stegmeyer, Ulrich Stehli, Konrad Vogele & Jorge Zschieschang
Hardcover
225 x 285mm
214pp
Published by Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, Pennsylvania USA
R.R.P.$49.90
ISBN 0-7643-2789-6
Extract from back cover of book:
...Yes, I can go into a store and buy myself any kind of bow that I want, and this bow will fulfill its purpose. But for me it has a very different quality: to sense the bow in the wood, carefully help it come out of the staff, help it be born in this way.
Only
a person who builds a bow knows the special beauty of certain spots on this bow,
only he senses the care for weak points, only he can feel real sadness when this
bow finally breaks. Something develops between the creator and the object, between
bowyer and bow, a careful, whispered contact, a tender approach: It whispers,
on the workbench, on the tiller, and when I finally have it in my hands and draw
it. "Not so bad!" it says, and "carefully!"
- Hubert Sudhues
A bent stick and a string - for 20,000 years there has come from it a fascination that remains to this day. Archery in its original form, with a simple device, without special features, has been finding more and more participants for some years. And the art of bow building has also been rediscovered.
Experienced bow builders and practical archaeologists describe the history, evolution, and construction of European style longbows in this new and engaging book. For the beginner, clear, uncomplicated instructions are offered, including descriptions of construction techniques, tools, materials, and shooting styles. For more advanced bowyers there are tips on choosing wood and adhesive, and explanations of the evolution/adaptation of bow design, including precise dimensions for replicating special historic bow types, from Stone Age bows to modern laminated longbows. This book also offers comprehensive instructions on how to properly test your newly built longbow and constructing arrows.
Photos: Black & White and Colour
Units of Measurement: Metric
Contents
Introduction
Chapter
One: Bow and Arrow 6000 Years Ago
by
Flemming Alrune
Replicating a Mesolithic bow
- The Discovery
- The
Tool
- The Wood
- The Shape
- The Tillering
- The String
-
The Arrows
- Accessories
- Using the Bow and Arrow
Chapter
Two: A Simple Bow
by Jorge Zschieschang
- Tools
- Wood Selection
- Treating the Wood
- The Rough Bow
- The High Art of Tillering
-
Pulling Weight
- String Condition
- Fine Polishing
Chapter
Three: Early Stone Age Bows
by Jurgen Junkmanns
- Discoveries: Cross-sections
- Notches
- Grip Parts
- Raw Materials
- Production
- Bending
- Replicating the Bodman Bow
- Characteristics of the Replica
Chapter
Four: Prehistoric Arrows
by Jurgen Junkmanns
- Raw Materials
- Characteristics
- Arrow Shapes - Production
Chapter
Five: Shaft Material: Wooly Snowball
by Wulf Hein
Chapter
Six: Arrowheads made of Quartz
by Wulf Hein
- History
- Characteristics
- Techniques
- Errors and Causes
Chapter
Seven: Wood for Bow Building
by Konrad Vogele
- Growth Shape
- Structure
- Preparation - Storage
Chapter
Eight: Alemannic Bows and Arrows
by Holger Riesch
- Elements of Alemannic
Bow Use
- The Oberflacht Longbow
- The Practical Replica
- Alemannic
Arrows
- Bowyers and Archers
- Dimensions of the Discoveries - Overview
of the Literature
Chapter
Nine: The Bows of the Vikings
by Jurgen Junkmanns
Haithabu and Ballinderry
- Cross-sections
- Materials
- Shot Testing
- Building a Viking
Bow
Chapter
Ten: The English Longbows
by Ulruch Stehliows
History: from the hunting
weapon to the war bow
The art of bow building
An English War Bow Made
of Yew
- Materials
- The Yew
- Tools
- Choice of Wood
- Rough
Form
- Profile
- Trimming
- Testing
- Horn Tips
- Final Dimensions
An English longbow with splint-wood back
- Fishtail Split
- Dip: Transition
from Grip to Bow Arm
- Arrow Plate
- Grip Wrapping
- Dimensions
Longbow
with hickory back
- Rough Form
- Gluing with Form
- Tension and Care
of Yew Bows
Chapter
Eleven: A Medieval Longbow
by Flemming Alrune
- Wood
- Bow Designing
and Building
- Cross-section
- Tillering
Chapter
Twelve: Glue Used in Bow Building
by Boris Pantel
- History of Glues
- Outer Surfaces
- Characteristics
- Adhesion
- Division
-
Technological Qualities
- Tricks and Means
- Using Glue
- Selecting
Glue
- Natural Glue
- Glossary
Chapter
Thirteen: A Modern Longbow
by Achim Stegmeyer
- The Laminated Bow
-
Arm Woods
- Grip Woods
- Fiberglass Lamination
- Glue
- Bow Design
- Glued Form
- Warming Box
- The Actual Process of Building: Grip,
Arms, Gluing, Dimensions, Tip Reinforcement, Trimming, Arrow Design, Finishing
Glossary
of Bow Terminology
Timeline
Addresses