English Longbow construction: How long?
Although it might look ike a simple matter, I'm somewhat
confused about it.
Whereas it is said that an adroit bowyer could craft an English Longbow
in two hours 1) , another source says that it could often take 3~4 years
for making it, including 1~2 years for seasoning and other "slow stages"
for finishing the bow 2).
What I'm now curious about, is whether the "two hours of crafting"
mentioned above is the process done after the long seasoning, or
whether it is included in the other "slow stages" for making bow.(And,
what does this "slow stages" include?)
However, if this topic is rather unsuitable to be written in this board,
I'll delete it.
1): http://www.ravenwoodarchers.org/default ... ge=longbow
2): http://www.student.utwente.nl/~sagi/art ... ngbow.html
confused about it.
Whereas it is said that an adroit bowyer could craft an English Longbow
in two hours 1) , another source says that it could often take 3~4 years
for making it, including 1~2 years for seasoning and other "slow stages"
for finishing the bow 2).
What I'm now curious about, is whether the "two hours of crafting"
mentioned above is the process done after the long seasoning, or
whether it is included in the other "slow stages" for making bow.(And,
what does this "slow stages" include?)
However, if this topic is rather unsuitable to be written in this board,
I'll delete it.
1): http://www.ravenwoodarchers.org/default ... ge=longbow
2): http://www.student.utwente.nl/~sagi/art ... ngbow.html
I don?t like these longbows. When I have to make a longbow, I prefer the flatbow-design made of elm, ash, black locust, osage..........
If you have a well seasoned not to thick and excellent stave without any problems(knots,twists.....) it is possible to do a common bow within 2-4 hours. But this happens maybe one time a year.
I guess that there were times when the crafting of an English longbow was a kind of industry, the master bowyers could depend on premium well prepared staves, including perfect seasoning.
The "slow-stages" would include seasoning(yew should dry for 4 years), maybe drying times after somehow necessary steaming.......so normally a longer time is needed to complete such a bow.
Michael
If you have a well seasoned not to thick and excellent stave without any problems(knots,twists.....) it is possible to do a common bow within 2-4 hours. But this happens maybe one time a year.
I guess that there were times when the crafting of an English longbow was a kind of industry, the master bowyers could depend on premium well prepared staves, including perfect seasoning.
The "slow-stages" would include seasoning(yew should dry for 4 years), maybe drying times after somehow necessary steaming.......so normally a longer time is needed to complete such a bow.
Michael
"could craft" doesn't mean "always crafted".
I'm inclined to think that material was chosen, worked up, set apart for seasoning, and worked up again and then fit to the user-as a regular occurrence. Remember, there was a market for it.
But, in an emergency, or even for the sheer fun of it, someone might work up a bow in a short time.
I'm inclined to think that material was chosen, worked up, set apart for seasoning, and worked up again and then fit to the user-as a regular occurrence. Remember, there was a market for it.
But, in an emergency, or even for the sheer fun of it, someone might work up a bow in a short time.
I would say that first one must be dubious of the claim that a master Bowyer could craft a bow in two hours. It's not that this isn't possible but the website gives no reference to backup this claim.
In Roger Ascham's Toxophilus, he states the following about the making of bows ( I will translate as best I can from the medieval english)
"Yet I would desire all bowyers to season their staves well, to work them and synke (sink?) them well, to give them heetes (heat?) convienent and tillering plenty. ... If any men (take) offense in this point, I am afraid they be those journeymen which labour more speedily to make many bows for their money's sake then they work diligently to make good bows..."
While no actual time is given, Ascham is complaining that some bowyers are cutting corners and doing sloppy work to get a bow done faster.
Can a english longbow be done in two hours? Yes but it will probably take longer. But I have never seen anything that gives an actual time for making a medieval bow. The stave has to be seasoned but most bowyers aren't going to count that time as their crafting time. It would be an ongoing thing for somebody that was making bows all the time. He would always have staves ready to go and some just starting their seasoning. Yew and Elm need different drying times. Yew takes years and elm takes months but yew makes a better bow and is in demand. Once seasoned, the bow can be quickly roughed out.
The slow stages. I would think that is fine detail tillering to get the bow to full compass and to the correct weight. But this is the real art of making selfbows. Scrape too much and the bow is too light or develops a hinge in one spot.
How long does it take a modern bowyer. I take forever but I would estimate I put about 30+ hours in actual scraping and shaping over a month. The experienced bowyers I talk to usually say they can get a whitewood bow out in 10-15 hours but there are some that can put out a bow in as little as 4 hours. And despite Ascham's claim, their bows are better than mine.
In Roger Ascham's Toxophilus, he states the following about the making of bows ( I will translate as best I can from the medieval english)
"Yet I would desire all bowyers to season their staves well, to work them and synke (sink?) them well, to give them heetes (heat?) convienent and tillering plenty. ... If any men (take) offense in this point, I am afraid they be those journeymen which labour more speedily to make many bows for their money's sake then they work diligently to make good bows..."
While no actual time is given, Ascham is complaining that some bowyers are cutting corners and doing sloppy work to get a bow done faster.
Can a english longbow be done in two hours? Yes but it will probably take longer. But I have never seen anything that gives an actual time for making a medieval bow. The stave has to be seasoned but most bowyers aren't going to count that time as their crafting time. It would be an ongoing thing for somebody that was making bows all the time. He would always have staves ready to go and some just starting their seasoning. Yew and Elm need different drying times. Yew takes years and elm takes months but yew makes a better bow and is in demand. Once seasoned, the bow can be quickly roughed out.
The slow stages. I would think that is fine detail tillering to get the bow to full compass and to the correct weight. But this is the real art of making selfbows. Scrape too much and the bow is too light or develops a hinge in one spot.
How long does it take a modern bowyer. I take forever but I would estimate I put about 30+ hours in actual scraping and shaping over a month. The experienced bowyers I talk to usually say they can get a whitewood bow out in 10-15 hours but there are some that can put out a bow in as little as 4 hours. And despite Ascham's claim, their bows are better than mine.
Much agreed. It will take an amateur like me a long time to turn a stave into a decent longbow. Not that it's such complicated work but it takes a lot of experience to be sure just how much wood to remove and maintain the correct profile throughout. Also, some woods (ash for example) are relatively easy to work. Not so with yew, which almost always has some defects and is very easy to cut through the grain.
On the other hand, back in the times when longbows were mass produced a skilled professional could probably turn out a bow like that very quickly with a drawknife if he had decent staves to work with in the first place. The Mary Rose bows are for the most part very crudely made by modern standards and I am pretty sure that they were made quite quickly. But again, this takes real skill and confidence.
On the other hand, back in the times when longbows were mass produced a skilled professional could probably turn out a bow like that very quickly with a drawknife if he had decent staves to work with in the first place. The Mary Rose bows are for the most part very crudely made by modern standards and I am pretty sure that they were made quite quickly. But again, this takes real skill and confidence.