What is your Longbow made of ? (wood choices)

[maninthemoon]

Originally Posted by cliveanne

78" of Hickory & Yew Bickerstaff

How are you measuring that 78 inches. Is it between the nock ends or between the string grooves in the nocks. It seems excessive.

[NoWay]

Medieval style hickory backed osage from Pip Bickerstaffe.
75lb @ 31"
Only had it a few weeks but managed to get 261 yards with a flight arrow and 194 with a standard war arrow with it at the Fraternity of St George international Mary Rose warbow comp the other day.

[narrowboat]

2 bamboo, belly is Ipe very fast

[cliveanne]

Originally Posted by maninthemoon

How are you measuring that 78 inches. Is it between the nock ends or between the string grooves in the nocks. It seems excessive.

Groove to groove. Tailor made by Pip

[Dreadnaught]

Originally Posted by jaarus

Hi all,

What laminates are your longbow made from?

Looking to get one made, so very keen to see what wood choices people have gone for, and are happy with.

Hi Jaarus,I've made several longbows mostly from staves bought from Peter Bakewell at Bakewell Bows. I've tried too many different woods to list quickly but my favourit is a 48lb at 27 in. hickory,goncolo-alves, maple, goncolo-alves, lemonwood bow This was one of my early efforts with far too heavy nocks and tips and perhaps not tillered that well.It has followed the string 2 to3 inches (due I'm sure to poor tillering) and will still send a 520grain arrow to 80yds with the aiming point the tip of arrow at bottom of tressle leg. Even with the heavy tips it is smooth and gentle to shoot. My wife has a bow made from an identicle stave, this is her favourit also with three others to choose from some of which look much better tillered. I really belive if you get the chance have some maple in it. I have always felt this gives a very fast extra springy feel to the bow.I suggest you ask your chosen bowyer what he thinks, I don't claim to be an expert, just an ametur who has made quite a few bows,and even more mistakes, but I like to think I have learnt from them.
Best regards,
Steve

[Et tu brute]

I'll be getting a longbow in the near future (providing there are spaces at my local club left) and it'll be hickory/greenheart/lemonwood, from Steve Stratton at DIY archery, now i'm just praying that there will be spaces at the club for me to join!

[kool4katz]

My first longbow was Lemonwood Belly,Bubinga accent,Putu Jumu core,Bubinga accent and Hickory back.
Unfortunatly i managed to break it only 3 weeks after i bought it, having waited 6 weeks for it to be made.

My new bow is Yew belly,Padauk accent,Canadian Hard Rock White Maple core,Padauk accent and Bamboo back. Lovely bow.

[alanesq]

I have a self Ash bow
120lb at 32" 80" long

I made it a couple of weeks ago from some standard American ash from my local builders type woodyard
Its performance isn't fantastic (I dont know how much of this is the wood and how much my poor bowyering skills?)
but at a cost of £16 it has to be one of the cheapest bows on the forum ;-)

[Et tu brute]

Hi all, just wondering what people's opinions are on which would perform better and be more reliable out of these two bows:

Hickory backed Osage or...

Hickory backed Lemonwood with cores of Osage and Purpleheart.

thanks

[djthompson]

osage is as tough as old nails - go with that; backed with hickory.

Rgds, Dave