Egyptian Selfbow Replica
Greetings everyone, this is my first post on atarn. My name is Orien MacDonald, I am a luthier and bowyer...some of you already know me from PaleoPlanet, where I post quite a lot. I mostly make selfbows, although I've been thinking about attempting a hornbow for a while now. I've been enjoying lurking around here the last couple weeks, the craftsmanship displayed on this site is simply amazing!
I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the ancient Egyptian selfbow replica I made this year. I've long been curious about this design, and it's been very interesting to try one out.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ows031.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... YPT006.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ypt002.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ypt004.jpg
The other bow in the last two pics is a more "typical" longbow I made for comparison purposes.
Regarding the deflex tipped bow...it is not the fastest bow, but shoots tolerably well, especially with the light reed arrows I made for it. The deflex seems to spare the bending portion a lot of strain, and it has kept most of the reflex I put in. A good design for a desert climate, I think.
My latest project is an Ipe-bellied wood/wood/sinew composite based loosely on the "Novgorod" bow. I'm currently in the middle of the sinewing process. As a self-bowyer, I find working with sinew is teaching me patience!
-O
I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the ancient Egyptian selfbow replica I made this year. I've long been curious about this design, and it's been very interesting to try one out.
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ows031.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... YPT006.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ypt002.jpg
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w241 ... ypt004.jpg
The other bow in the last two pics is a more "typical" longbow I made for comparison purposes.
Regarding the deflex tipped bow...it is not the fastest bow, but shoots tolerably well, especially with the light reed arrows I made for it. The deflex seems to spare the bending portion a lot of strain, and it has kept most of the reflex I put in. A good design for a desert climate, I think.
My latest project is an Ipe-bellied wood/wood/sinew composite based loosely on the "Novgorod" bow. I'm currently in the middle of the sinewing process. As a self-bowyer, I find working with sinew is teaching me patience!
-O
You seemed to have solved the basic problem of stopping the string coming off the deflexed tips at full draw. That has defeated a lot of bowyers. Good work!
Thanks! Surprisingly, it's only slipped once or twice (and only before the rawhide string got broken in...startling though!). The deflexed tips are actually more convenient to tie the string on than the straight bow. There are small indentations near the tips for the string to hold onto...I copied the lower knot (a half hitch over a slipknot) from W. McLeod's book, and the upper knot is a half-hitch with extra figure-eight wrapping (which I "interpreted" from an Egyptian relief). Both hold on pretty well. I bent the tips about as steeply as I could get them, so I really expected worse!
Hi, Orien, welcome to the ATARNet. This is a very good place for a bowyer to be, as it is the Paleoplanet.
For the "Novgorod- bow", have a look at Asian Archery Literature......Bows from Siberia, a thread begun by Kviljo.
Michael
For the "Novgorod- bow", have a look at Asian Archery Literature......Bows from Siberia, a thread begun by Kviljo.
Michael
Thanks, Michael! :D This is a marvelous site. I had not seen Kviljo's post, or the excellent reconstructions he's made. Nice to finally see a decent photo of an original, too...looks like I'm basically on the right track with mine.
Good to see you here Orien . I really your bow ,I need to try one.
Thanks Ralph! Definitely you should try one of these sometime. I've attempted to bend the tips on a few others and keep breaking them off...not an easy operation. I suspect the Egyptians bent them after shaping...I had no such luck, my only success was with bending the tips in rectangle form, before rounding them.