THE ESSENTIALS OF
A R C H E R Y
ORIGINAL PRINTING - 1942
HOW TO USE AND MAKE
BOWS AND ARROWS
by
L.E.STEMMLER
MANORVILLE, L.I., N.Y.
FORWARD
"THE
ESSENTIALS OF ARCHERY", "How to Use and Make Bows and Arrows" is
an attempt to present the fundamentals of Archery to those who wish to take up
the sport. It tells how to use bows and arrows, gives rules and regulations of
the game, and contains a variety of other archery information.
For those
who like to do something in their spare time, it contains information on the
making of tackle which may help them to employ their leisure in a profitable
and pleasurable manner.
Archery as a
sport is growing, there is no question of that. Archery matter in the press, in
sport news, rotogravure section and cartoon is common. Articles in the better
magazines appear frequently, and each year sees some new book on the subject.
Every National Tournament has been larger than the one before; every season
sees more clubs, and individual archers are everywhere. The famous double York
Round record of the Englishman, Horace Ford, which remained a mark to shoot at
for over fifty years, has been broken so many times that one rarely alludes to
it any more. Scores that are well nigh impossible have been set up - only to be
broken again and again. Interest in archer is widespread and genuine.
Hunting laws, specifically mentioning Bows and Arrows,
indicate how widely these primitive weapons are used for taking game. Many
states, Oregon in particular, have set aside forest preserves where hunting is
permitted only with Bows and Arrows. The archer's implements are the true
weapons of the real woodcrafter and conservationist. Deer and all manner of
small game are constantly being taken by the archer. It is indeed a proud
moment when your hunt with the bow and arrow is successful. You knew the quarry
had every chance, and it was your own skill and strength of arm that won.
~ CONTENTS ~
PREFACE
Archery
Target
Shooting
Roving
Hunting
Archery
Games
THE
FUNDAMENTALS OF ARCHERY
Archery
Tackle
Stringing or
Bracing the Bow
Shooting the
Bow
MAKING
ARCHERY TACKLE AS A HOBBY
Archery Camp
Programs
Making
Bowstrings
Bow Woods
and Bow Staves
Arrow Woods
and arrows
How to Take
Care of Your Bows and Arrows
Common
Archery Terms
~ finis ~
DISCLAIMER
"The Essentials of Archery" booklet was
copyrighted in 1942, but NO publishing / printer credits (logos, names,
addresses, etc.) are listed, and efforts to locate the L.E. Stemmler family
have so far been in vain.
IF THERE ARE LEGAL OBJECTIONS TO THE USE AND
DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF "THE ESSENTIALS OF ARCHERY"
ALL DOCUMENT PAGES WILL BE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM THE STAV ACADEMY
LIBRARY WEBSITE.
ARCHERY
THE urge to shoot bows and arrows is latent in all
of us. Bows and arrows standing in a corner or hung on the wall draw people
like honey does flies. Pick up a bow, brace it and place an arrow on the
string. Go through the motions of shooting, and everybody is at once
interested. They just itch to try it. The use of the bow goes back to the days
of early man, to the reindeer hunters and to the caves of our ancestors. No
wonder the desire to pull a strong bow and loose a keen shaft survives.
Primitive bows and arrows were very crude. Arrows
were neither feathered nor straight. They were tipped with sharp flints,
splinters of bone or had fire-hardened points. The bows probably had every
possible fault that a finicky archer of today can discover even in a fine yew,
osage or lemonwood weapon of modern make. Yet the men of the Neolithic age met
beasts of all kinds - and conquered; for we, their descendants, are alive
today. The love of the bow is our heritage.
When we consider that guns, as effective weapons,
are only four to five hundred years old, we can easily realize how those first
crude bent sticks and rather pitiful arrows eventually became the glorious
weapons of the English yeoman, the crossbows of Europe and the amazing works of
art that the Turks, Persians and East Indians called bows. Man can do a lot
with an idea in fifty thousand years; a conservative estimate of the age of
archery.
Every nation used the bow and arrows and, as time
progressed, developed its own individual type of tackle. Early Saxon and Norman
archery grew up to be the famous English long bow and cloth-yard arrow.
Germany, France, Spain and Italy seemed temperamentally unsuited to long bow
archery and developed the cross bow. When we see the workmanship of these
weapons, we marvel at the craftsmen who did the work. Exquisite carving, inlay
work and decoration beautified the stocks. The steel prods or bows were made by
master metal workers, and those that have survived can still drive a quarril or
cross bow arrow four to five hundred yards.
With their composite bows, the Orientals reached
perfection in the bowyer's art. How long it took them to discover that animal
sinew, wood and horn combined, make weapons of exceptional cast and power is a
mystery. Shredded sinew, laid in a specialized glue, formed the backs. A very
thin strip of wood separated the back from the horn belly. The sinew back, the
thin wood core and the horn were all glued together skillfully, and the ends of
their short weapons were reflexed.
The Turks, who produced the most beautiful weapons,
left the polished horn belly exposed, while the Persians and men of India
covered the whole bow with rawhide, birch bark or thin shark skin. Artists vied
with each other in decorating the masterpieces of the old bowyers. Gold leaf,
brilliant lacquer and colored embellishment of fantastic design enhanced the work
of the bow maker. They were fit gifts to and from sultans and shahs.
The bows of the American Indian were all shapes and
sizes. They were usually quite crude but nevertheless effective. The Indian was
a hunter rather than a long distance archer. His knowledge of woodcraft and his
ability to stalk game made up for what his weapon lacked in range. African bows
and arrows also are all forms and lengths. The pygmies of the Iturbi forests
have little implements three feet long, while the Ikoma bows are regular long
bows.
No wonder then, that all youth, when it reaches the
tribal stage of development, similar to that lived through by ancient
forebears, wants to shoot the bow. The hunting, fishing and camping urge is
strong in him, and the thrill he gets when his arrow whistles to the mark is a
survival of the savage joy of that ancestor of centuries ago, who watched his
feathered stick plunge into the heaving side of reindeer or wild horse.
History is full of tales of the bow. Regiments of
sturdy English archers met and conquered panoplied and armored knights at
Crecy, Poictiers and Agincourt. When the masses of the English got the long
bow, along with it they got liberty, confidence, pride and self reliance.
Archery is a grand sport and knows no age limit.
Sixteen or sixty may shoot the bow and arrow. You may go in for formal target
shooting. You may take your cherished bows and arrows on hikes and camping
trips. You may stroll over the landscape with a good friend and shoot at
anything, trees, stumps, bunches of grass, a conspicuous bush or what you will.
That sort of shooting is called roving, and is the finest training for hunting.
You may try for distance. The record is over 500 yards, so you have something
to look forward to. You may experiment with trick shooting, or else see how
many arrows you can keep in the air at one time. Archery-golf is played over a
golf course.
Shooting the bow
naturally falls into three classes - Formal Target Shooting, Field Shooting or
Roving, and Hunting.
Target Shooting
Formal
Archery is Target Shooting, and the game, as a sport, is very old. Courtesies,
rules and regulations, hallowed by time, are part of it. In America we pattern
ourselves after the English system, but have added many ideas of our own.
Competition at the targets is keen, enjoyable fun. The National Tournament, at
which the champions of the United States are chosen is based on the following
Archery Rounds.
FOR MEN. York Round: 72 arrows shot at 100 yards,
48 arrows shot at 80 yards, 24 arrows at 60 yards. American Round: 30 arrows at
60 yards, 30 at 50 yards, 30 at 40 yards. Team shoot (four archers): 96 arrows
at 60 yards.
FOR WOMEN. National Round: 48 arrows at 60 yards,
24 at 50 yards. Columbia Round: 24 arrows shot at 50 yards, 24 at 40 yards, 24
at 30 yards. Team Shoot (four archers): 96 arrows at 50 yards.
FOR JUNIORS. (Young people not passed their
sixteenth birthday): Boys-junior American Round: 30 arrows at 50 yards, 30 at
40 yards and 30 at 30 yards. Girls-junior Columbia Round: 24 arrows at 40
yards, 24 at 30 yards, 24 at 20 yards. Team Shoot for Boys (four archers): 96
arrows at 50 yards. Team Shoot for Girls (four archers): 96 arrows at 40 yards.
The Standard 48" Diameter Tournament Target is
used at Archery Meets. The standard target is a round bast of spirally sewn
straw, covered with a face divided into a central disc, 9 3 /5 " in
diameter, and four concentric rings, each 4 4/5" in width; painted
respectively, from within out, gold, red, pale blue, black and white.
The target values shall be: gold, 9; red, 7; pale
blue, 5, black, 3; white, 1.
The targets shall be placed on easels made of soft
wood, the center of the gold being four feet from the ground.
If an arrow cuts two colors it shall count as
having hit the inner one. An arrow rebounding from, or passing through, any
part of the scoring face of the target shall count as blue.
Until one does a little figuring, the exercise
enjoyed and the energy expended, is not realized. Let us assume that you shoot
a Single American Round (90 shots) with a bow weighing or pulling forty-five
pounds-about the average for men. Ninety shots means pulling ninety times
forty-five or 4,050 pounds. That's about two tons. Each time you loose the
arrow, that 45 pounds for each shot is taken up by your bow arm, the arrow and
your shoulders. In walking to the targets and back again, after each six shots,
in running about looking for misses, you walk at least a mile. If you use a
stronger bow, say fifty pounds, you can see that the poundage mounts up.
Shooting the York Round, since the distances are longer, requires a bow of
respectable weight. Fifty and fifty-five pounds is not unusual. A hundred and
forty four arrows at fifty pounds pull each makes a tidy sum - 7,200 pounds-and
you walk about two and a half miles.
A National Tournament
is a never-to-be-forgotten sight. A hundred gay targets all in a row! Flags and
pennants joyously fluttering from tall bamboo poles! Lines of bowmen in action!
The arrows hiss through the air and strike the targets with a “puck",
"puck", "puck". The picture is all color, graceful action
and romance. Old friends meet year after year, new ones are made and ideas on
tackle and shooting are exchanged. After the tournament a banquet is held and
the prizes awarded. Everyone goes home sure that there are no finer ladies and
gentlemen, no better sports and no nicer people generally than archers.
Roving
Get yourself a good long bow and go roving. Tuck
half a dozen tough birch shafts, fletched with long, low turkey feathers, under
your belt or slip them in your quiver. Adjust your leather armguard and put the
"tab" in place. If you have a dog, take him along, he'll get as much
fun out of it as you will. Saunter down the lane or strike off across the fields.
The first target that catches your eye is a corner fence post. Draw, hold a
second and away whistles your arrow. You miss by an inch, but you secretly
figure it was a darn close shot at that.
Next
there is a burdock bush. "Now if there was a rabbit right at the base of
it, I'll bet I'd get him." A quick draw, a snappy release and the arrow
speeds clean and true-right through the imaginary bunny. "That's
shooting," say you. You walk a bit more and catch up with a friend.
"Let's see you hit that telegraph pole, bet you can't." You nock a
shaft - a favorite one, for now you're shooting under the eyes of a skeptic and
critic. You take careful aim, loose perfectly and-a real thrill - you hit the
pole dead center. "Gosh, you hit it!" "I'd like to shoot too,
must be lots of fun." You affect indifference, as if socking a pole at
that distance - all of forty yards-is nothing at all, and begin telling him
something about bows and arrows.
After four or five of your friends are equipped,
you can have real fun. You plan a roving course through the woods and over a
hill. You lay out targets of various kinds. A corrugated box full of sod, a
small flour sack full of leaves and dirt, a whitened stake, a wooden figure cut
to resemble a bird, a toy balloon. Each one is placed from twenty to fifty
yards apart, down the road, through the woods and up the hillside. You start at
number one and shoot from mark to mark. He who gets around with the least
number of shots, wins.
Years ago, in England, the home of the yeoman and
long bow archery, elaborate roving courses were laid out. One of the famous
ones, built about 1594, was near London and was called Finsbury Fields. The
names of the butts or targets breathe romance and adventure. From The Castle to
Gardstone was 185 yards: from Turkswale to Lambeth was 75 yards; from Bloody
House Ridge to Arndol was 154 ,lards. From the Scarlet Lion to Jehu was 82
yards.
The course had
hundreds of marks and could be shot over from many directions. After an
exhilarating round of the course, the merry party could drop off at the Egg Pye
or Whitehall for a tankard of ale and a cut of cold beef.
HUNTING
The logical outcome of Roving is Hunting. During the
Spring and Summer months all your roving is a preparation for hunting. Hunting
rabbits becomes a more than fascinating sport. A cottontail goes bounding away.
Cautiously you are after him, and finally locate the game hunched against the
roots of a maple. To get a clear shot is important. Any little twig will
deflect your arrow. You back away 
and
work to one side. By crouching a little you get your shot-a good twenty yards
and everything in his favor. Your loose is faulty and you miss, but does bunny
scamper off into the next county? He does not - he very suspiciously sniffs at
the thing that plunked down two inches from his nose.
That gives you another shot. This time you are
careful. You draw until you feel the small broadhead touch the knuckle of your
bow hand; the shaft leaps from the bow, and you know the second you loosed that
you have him.
A fat grey squirrel in
a hickory tree - he's smart and wary, and keeps a limb between you. You stand
still. You don't move for what seems hours and his curiosity gets the better of
him. He peeks over the limb and you have a fair shot at his head. A blunt shaft
this time, so you won't have to climb for an arrow sticking in a limb. You
don't get him, but the thrill of the fine shot you made is there. Better luck
next time.
ARCHERY GAMES
SHOOTING FOR FUN, THRILLS, PLEASURE AND
SATISFACTION
Archery furnishes clean and companionable enjoyment
and is perhaps man’s oldest sport. Once, man depended on the bow and arrow for
his livelihood and protection. Now, he is thrilled to find he has latent
ability to user archery tackle. Feeling the tug of the bow string, hearing the
whiz of the arrow and the "thuck" as it hits the target gives
pleasure to any outdoor-minded person. Satisfaction comes when you see your arrow
speed away to stand quivering in a difficult target. Even a near miss gives you
the hope that the next shot will hit. Once intiated, few ever escape the
"Witchery of Archery".
DEER. A fascinating book for boys is "Two
Little Savages" by Ernest Thompson Seton. It was the writer's bible. In it
is described a splendid archery game called "Deer". A dummy deer (a
bag stuffed with leaves or straw will serve) is carried from a starting point
by the archer being "it". The "deer" leaves a trail of cut
up paper or one made with tracking irons. After a prearranged interval the
others follow the trail and locate the "deer". The one sighting the
hidden "deer" counts ten points and gets first shot. Each hit counts
five. If no one hits from the first sight of the "deer", everybody
moves in ten paces. Moves are made until the "deer" is hit (but not
closer than fifteen paces) and then all shooting is done from that point. If
the "deer" is so well hidden that it is not found, the "deer"
(the one carrying it) scores twenty-five.
INDIAN GAMES. The Indians used to make wooden hoops
two feet in diameter with gaudy feathers tied around the rim. These were rolled
down a hillside or along a level place and the object was to shoot through the
moving hoops. In winter a frozen pond or a flat piece of hard-surfaced snow was
picked out. One archer would skim his arrow along the slippery surface and
another at right angles to him would try to hit the sliding arrow. Keeping
arrows in the air was another stunt. The one who could keep the most in the
air, won. Seven is considered exceptional.
ARCHERY-GOLF. This is played over a golf course.
Instead of driving a ball from hole to hole, arrows are shot from target to
target. The one getting around in the smallest number of shots, wins. Official
Rules for this game may be had from The Ohio Archery Golf and Hunting
Association, Mr. Paris B. Stockdale, Secretary, Department of Geology, Ohio
State University, Columbus, Ohio.
ARCHERY TACKLE
One who shoots the bow and arrow is called an Archer.
His equipment or tackle consists of:
THE BOW. Nine-tenths of all moderately priced, good
bows are made of Lemonwood. More expensive ones are made of Lemonwood Staves
backed with hickory, rawhide, fibre, fibre glass and plastics. Self Osage
Orange and Yew, Osage Orange and Yew backed with various substances, are also
in the upper price range. Hickory and Ash are also used for beginners' and
youngsters' bows. For the novice, a moderately priced lemonwood bow is
recommended. Whether you choose a Flat Bow or a Long Bow is immaterial; both
are good. Later you may want a, fine Osage bow or a backed or laminated
lemonwood. 
Men
and grown boys take a 5'6" to 5'8" Flat Bow. (6'0" Long Bow).
Your bow should not be too strong. You should be able to pull and loose it
without too much effort. Thirty-five to forty-five pounds pulling weight is
sufficient. Grown girls and women take a 5'6" Flat Bow. (5'6" Long
Bow). Weights (pull in pounds) of twenty to thirty-five pounds are enough.
juveniles take bows the same height as themselves and with pulls of fifteen to
twenty-five pounds.
THE ARROW. Modestly priced arrows are recommended
for beginners. Arrows are perishable, and while learning, it is best to use and
abuse a low priced set. After you become more proficient, better, straighter
arrows of Port Orford Cedar are necessary. Footed Tournament Arrows are for the
more advanced target shot. The following scale gives the proper length of arrow
for bows:
Length of Bow Length of Arrow 4'0" 21" 4'6" 23" 5'0" 24" 5'3" 25" 5'6" 26" 6'0" 27" or 28"
The arrows of the Field Archer or Rover are usually
fletched with long, low, triangular turkey wing feathers and the heads are
heavy steel piles or rounded roving heads. The Hunter's arrows too, have long,
low, rakish feathers and his shafts are headed with keen bladed hunting heads.
THE ARMGUARD. It is a heavy leather guard for the
left wrist and covers the inside of the left arm from the hand almost to the
elbow. Its use is to protect the left wrist and forearm from the bowstring's
strike after the arrow is shot. A good Armguard is a very essential part of an
archer's tackle.
FINGER GUARDS. They are also very necessary. They
protect the first three fingers of the right hand-the shooting fingers.
Constant friction with the bowstring causes soreness unless they are protected
by a glove padded on the first three fingers, semi-gloves or "tabs".
THE QUIVER. A receptacle for conveniently carrying
arrows. It is a long, narrow bag, in which arrows are placed. It has a belt for
the waist, or a shoulder harness when worn on the back.
THE TARGET. Archery targets, with the standard
target rings of gold, red, blue, black and white come in various sizes
24", 30", 36", and 48". The scoring, beginning with the
gold or center counts 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1. The tournament size is 48". There
are two kinds of targets - the regulation, hand-wound, rye straw targets, and
those made of rye straw or other filler, covered with burlap.
THE TASSEL. It is a worsted or woolen tassel and is
used to wipe arrows clean when soiled or muddied after a shot. It is hung at
the belt.
STRINGING OR BRACING THE BOW
Figure 1
If you buy a bow, it will come to you unstrung. The
bow will be straight and the string will run limply along the belly, held in
place by the string keeper. Whether you bought your bow or made it, before it
may be shot, it must be strung or "braced". In other words, the
string must be in position so that the bow is sprung, and will be held that way
by the string, which is shorter than the bow. "Bracing" or stringing
a bow means putting the top loop or "eye" of the string into the
notch at the top of bow. The notch may be cut into the wood itself, as in plain
ended bows, or in horn, fibre or metal as in tipped bows.
Figure 2
THERE IS ONLY ONE PROPER WAY TO STRING A
BOW
ANY OTHER PROCEDURE INJURES IT
When a beginner comes to my shop, one of the first
questions is: "Do you know how to string a bow?" The answer
invariably is: "Sure," whereupon the eager novice either tries to
climb the bow like a monkey does a stick, or grabs it by the top and attempts
to drive it into the floor like he would a nail into a board. Others contort
themselves into horrible shapes, wrap one leg around the bottom limb and yank
the top limb east by west. You can spoil a good bow by bracing it improperly.
The ways just mentioned will spring the lower limb all out of shape and the
result is usually a bow that will no longer bend evenly. More bows are broken
or spoiled by improper bracing than by any other abuse. The proper method is an
easy, simple, graceful maneuver. The bottom of the bow has the string
permanently attached to it. Place it on the floor, inside the instep of your
left foot.
Take hold of the grip with your left hand. The flat
side of the bow, or back, is toward you. The rounded side, or belly, along
which the loose string hangs, is away from you. See Figure 1, above.
Place the heel of the right hand four inches below
the loop or eye of the string, and on the flat back. Your thumb tip and second
joint of the bent, first finger of the right hand should be just under the
loop. Your other three fingers should be raised and not under the string on the
belly side, where they are sure to get badly pinched. Now, pull with your left
hand toward and against your left hip; push with the heel of your right hand
against the upper limb of the bow, just under the loop. The bow, since it is
stopped at the bottom by your left instep, will bend. It ought to bend quite a
good deal, and as it bends, run the loop of the bowstring into the notch with
the tip of your right thumb and second joint of your bent first finger of the
right hand. See Figure 2. Some people find it easier to string a bow by
grasping it about six inches above the handle.
You unstring your bow by reversing the above
operation. Place the bottom of the strung bow inside the left instep. Get a
firm grip on the handle with the left hand. Place the heel of the right hand
under the nock. Pull with the left hand and push with the right so the bow
bends and as it does, lift the loop of the bowstring out of the notch with the
fingers and let the bow spring straight. Bows should always be unstrung after a
shoot to preserve their cast.
SHOOTING THE BOW
In 1545 Roger Ascham,
the grand-daddy of archery, wrote a book called "Toxopbilus",
"The Schole of Shootinge Conteyned in tvvo Bookes". In it he states
that "fayre shootynge came of these thynges: Of standynge, nockynge,
drawynge, howldynge and lowsynge". Every writer since has reiterated these
essential five points:-Standing, Nocking, Drawing, Holding and Loosing.
Figure 1
STANDING. Stand
naturally and squarely on your two feet; don't try to toe in or out, and at
right angles to your mark - your left shoulder toward the target, your bow in
your left hand. The arrow is held in your right hand at the nock end, just
above the feathers, and between your thumb and first finger. Figure 1.
Figure 2
NOCKING. Which means
placing the arrow on the string. Pick up a shaft by the notch, carry it over
the string while your bow is in a horizontal position so that it lays on the
knuclde of the first finger of the left band. If you look down an arrow, you
will see that the three feathers are placed so there is a free space between
two of them. This permits the arrow to leave the bow without any feather
hitting. The feather that is colored differently than the other two is the cock
feather, and it is at right angles to the nock. When the arrow is properly
nocked, it is also at right angles to the string. Arrows are shot from the left
side of the bow (right banded archers), and they must be at right angles to the
bow and string. They must not be tilted either up or down. Figure 2.
Figure 3
The bowstring is drawn
or pulled with the first three fingers of the right hand. These three fingers
are hooked around the string. The arrow goes between the first and second
fingers. The bowstring cuts across the middles of the first phalanges or palm
side of the tips of these fingers. With the string in place, as shown on Figure
3, you are ready to draw your bow.
Figure 4
DRAWING. You are
standing at right angles to the target, and you are looking at it down your
left shoulder and left arm. The draw is accomplished by a simultaneous movement
of both arms-the left pushing out and the right pulling toward you and across
the upper chest or should ers. You extend your left or bow arm and pull with
the three shooting fingers hooked around the string. It is absolutely essential
that you always draw the arrow to the head no matter what distance you are
shooting, and that you draw the arrow so your right hand always comes to rest
under your jaw or on the jaw or cheek, whichever suits your nature best. Figure
4.
Figure 5
HOLDING. After you
have completed the draw, hold this position for a few seconds, during which
time you get your aim and release the arrow, called "loosing". A
common failing with beginners is to have the arrow fall away from the left side
of the bow. Only practice in drawing will overcome this fault. Figure 5.
Figure6
LOOSING. Means what it
says-you loose or release the arrow and the bowstring propels it. Quickly
straighten the three fingers hooked or curled around the bow string. You must
learn to snap these three fingers straight at the same time, so that the
release is true and smooth. Figure 6.
HOW TO AIM
The first time you shoot a bow and arrow, the whole
business feels awkward. Your shooting glove or the "tabs" feel thick
and clumsy, the arrow may keep falling away from the left side of the bow, and
your first shots will seem futile. Persist in your efforts and you will soon be
able to shoot an arrow in the general direction of your mark. To shoot with a
fair degree of accuracy means practice and lots of it. Sometimes a novice will
pick up a bow and at once shoot with some precision-it is instinct with some
others must follow the slower road of practice.
INSTINCTIVE SHOOTING. We don't know just exactly
how we aim a stone or a baseball when we throw it. Some coordination of muscle
and mind directs the missile and with practice we become accurate throwers.
Just so with the natural or instinctive method of shooting a bow. This
"snap-shooting" is used in roving, hunting and by some target shots.
The arrow is usually drawn to the cheek or jaw, and the pull and release is
quick and snappy. The writer has a quiver full of assorted arrows, no two of which
are alike, but, because the peculiarities of each arrow are known, excellent
snap shooting can be done with them. The writer has always admired a good snap
shooter or an archer who is an instinctive shot. It is real archery, and if a
fellow can go out and hit rabbits, stumps or any other mark at from thirty to
fifty yards and do it regularly, then he is an archer of the true breed.
POINT OF AIM SHOOTING. This is the only method to
use if you expect to become a proficient target shot. All the top notchers
either use "Point of Aim" or a sight of some sort. Study the Plate
"Aiming by Point of Aim." What you do is to find a spot on the ground
(for short ranges-say 60 yards and under) or a spot in a tree (for long
ranges-say 80 to 100 yards) on which you rest the pile or tip of your arrow. If
you always rest the tip of your arrow on this spot, your arrows, if they are
all the same in length and flying qualities, will fly and land in the same
place. Suppose you want to find your "Point of Aim" at 40 yards. With
a 6'0" bow 45 pounds drawing weight, it may be halfway between you and the
target. Go back to where you first stood. Draw the arrow under your chin, sight
down diagonally across the head. Follow this imaginary line to the ground. It
may rest on a tuft of grass or bunch of clover. Place a point of aim, marker, a
wad of paper or a stone at this spot. Draw your arrow under your chin, rest the
tip of your arrow on the "point of aim" which you just marked with
some object, and release your shot. If your arrow flies over the target, move
the marker in closer. If it falls under the target, advance your marker. You
also can control left and right direction by moving the marker either way. An
important point to remember: Keep your eye on the "Point of Aim". You
see the target only vaguely or not at all. Experiment until you get the idea.
The Plate shows the method quite clearly. Once you have mastered "Point of
Aim Shooting", your target scores will go up by leaps and bounds, you will
begin to find fault with your arrows, and demand better and better matching
until you have driven honest fletchers crazy.
SHOOTING WITH SIGHTS.
During the past ten years, a great variety of sights and sighting devices have
been developed. There are so many different kinds that it would be useless to
attempt to describe them all. Some evidently are excellent, for very high
target scores have been made with them. Sights generally fall into two classes;
one includes those where the point of aim would be below the target, as in
short ranges, and the other where it would be higher, as in longer distances.
From the diagram entitled "Aiming by point of aim for short Ranges",
imagine the bow held in exactly the same position, where the same arrow flight
would hit the bullseye, and imagine a point on the upper limb of the bow, above
the arrow plate which would be in the line of sight, if the archer were looking
at the bullseye. This point would be about two inches up the handle from the
arrow plate. Anything might be used as a sighting point, such as a match or a
wire, or a brad-headed nail. Some archers actually paint lines on the belly of
the bow, their position being determined by experimenting and practice, to help
them in odd range shooting where they judge the distance from the mark and look
at it across the line corresponding to the distance they think they are from
it. There are many mechanisms for sighting purposes, of which the main
requirements are ease of moving and stability of position, once set. Any cross
bar with a small knob on the end will serve the purpose while an elastic band
makes a good position fixing member. We make a very simple sight which will do
anything that more complicated ones will do.
MAKING ARCHERY TACKLE AS A HOBBY
THE CAMP PROGRAM AND ARCHERY
Every archer should also be something of a
craftsman. He should at least be able to make minor repairs to his gear. He
ought to know how to whip a bowstring, how to re-tiller his bow, how to put on
a needed feather or re-head his arrows. If you want to get all the fun possible
out of this Sport of Archery, you should investigate the handicraft aspect of
making bows and arrows. The writer strongly recommends that everyone seriously intending
to make Archery his hobby, learn to make his own bows, arrows and accessories.
There is genuine satisfaction in making your own tackle. To see a shaft made by
your own hands, speed from a bow fashioned on your own workbench, gives you a
bit of sound, honest happiness. The joy of creating is real and lasting.
Camp, to those youngsters who are fortunate enough
to be able to go, is a grand summer adventure. Home government is far away, and
they can go "native" or "Indian" in a big way. Naturally,
they look forward to all the sports and games that go with camping. Swimming,
horseback riding, hiking, shooting, archery, etc., are all part of the picture.
Archery is unique in that it combines sport and
handicraft. It offers interesting exercise, competitive play and makes hikes
doubly interesting. As a handicraft project, the making of bows and arrows is
well within the abilities of boys and young men. Bow staves may be bought in
the square or so shaped and fashioned that very little work is required to turn
them into excellent bows. Arrow materials, too, may be had in various stages of
finish, so that making a set of decent arrows is not too much work. The
fabrication of quivers, armguards, shooting gloves and "tabs" offers
the camper leather work on which he may exercise all the ingenuity and
craftsmanship of which he is capable.
All camps have a building or part of the mess hall
or recreation room set aside for handicrafts. Facilities for those who wish to
make bows and arrows can easily be provided. Only simple hand tools are
needed-small block planes, coarse and fine wood rasps, a hack saw, a six inch
flat file with thin edge, two or three round, rat-tailed files six to eight
inches long, a scraper (The Hook Scraper is fine), a jackknife or two, medium
and fine sandpaper.
For making arrows you
need a couple of small flat containers for mixing glue, assorted paint brushes
and enamels for decorating the arrows, some large headed pins for holding
feathers in place on arrows, scissors and penknives. Ten or fifteen years ago,
it was rather difficult to find councillors who knew anything at all about
archery or the making of bows and arrows. Now, among those who go in for camp
work, the archercraftsman is not a rarity. Making archery targets is a project
that will save money. Round burlap sacks may be bought. These come in various
sizes 24", 30", 36" and 48" diameter. Straw, hay, leaves,
etc. are always available in the country, and with this material the sacks are
stuffed. Then they are tufted or sewn like a mattress. A slip-on target face,
with draw string, fits over these backs. In laying out your target range, it is
well to use the tournament size 48". Beginners in archery should be
permitted to get quite close to the target so they hit it promptly. Later they
may be moved off, and eventually the junior American Round for boys and junior
Columbian Round for girls should be shot. Whether the bows are
"boughten" ones or made in camp, they should be lengths as described
under "The Bow" in "The Fundamentals of Archery". Arrow
lengths should also conform to the scale given.
MAKING BOWSTRINGS
The simplest kind of a bowstring is made of linen
or flax twine prepared especially for this purpose. All that is required is to
splice an "eye" in one end and fasten the string to the bow.
A bowstring is usually affixed to the bottom of the
bow, in the lower nock or notch, with a timber hitch. It is better, however, to
have two "eyes" on your string. The bottom one may be made small so
that it fits tightly. The upper "eye" should be large enough to
permit it to slide easily down the bow limb. The "eye" of the string,
and the middle, where the fingers and arrow touch, should be whipped or wound
with linen thread. These are the wearing points and should be protected. Good
whipping is tedious work, but it doubles the life of a string.
In my shop we use strings of various kinds; strings
of prepared linen or flax twine; strings made of linen thread, handmade in
three plies; strings made of three lays of linen threads, thickened at the
upper and lower ends; strings made of linen threads, one lay for the body of
the string, three lays for the thickened top and bottom.
Linen is the best
fibre of which to make a string. It is very strong and does not stretch.
Stretch in a fibre is an objection, a bowstring must always maintain one
length.
Making a Bowstring of Linen or Flax Twine
Cut off a piece of
flax twine. Allow 18" more than the length of your bow. This twine is made
of four lays or plies. Open the lays in one end for a distance of 6".
Leave 3-1/2" of twine, and open the twine again. Insert an ice pick, fair
sized nail or small marlin spike so that two lays are on each side of the
instrument. In this opening insert two of the opened end lays, pull them down
and you will have an eye about 1-l/4" in diameter. Open the twine again
under the insertion and pull through the first pair of lays and then the other
pair so they cross each other. Continue this opening and crossing of the lays
down the twine. The last two inches of the loose lays you can thin out so the
crisscross splicing tapers into the body of the string. Whip the eye, and under
it for a couple of inches, and wax well.
Making a Simple Three Ply Hand Laid String
This string looks like
a little rope, and that is what you really are making-a small three ply rope.
Eighteen threads of No. 10 Linen makes a string strong enough for the average
5'6" and 6'0" bow. Drive two nails in a board. These nails are to be
18" further apart than the length of the string you wish to make. For a
5'6" string this would be 7"; and for a 6'0" string it would be
7-1/2". Run out 6 strands of thread between the nails. Fasten one end to a
nail and twist the threads 20 to 25 times clockwise or until it begins to kink
from twisting. Wax the strand well. Clip a spring clothespin on each end of the
strand and put it aside. The spring clips will keep it from untwisting while
you work on the other two strands. Prepare your three strands of 6 threads
each, fasten them to a nail, pull them all even and carefully roll the three
strands counter-clockwise. Any kinks in the strands will work out during this
process. Wax well. The result should be a smooth round rope. Open six inches of
this rope into three strands, and back splice an eye about l-1/4" in
diameter. Thin out the strands so the splice flows into the rope in a neat
taper. See Plate 1. Whip the eye and the bottom of the splice.
Making a Three Ply Hand Tapered String
This string is made
the same as the Three Ply Hand Laid String, except that it is thickened at the
loop or eye and at the bottom for additional strength. Run out six threads of
No. 10 Linen. Now cut off four threads each 12" long. Wax each of these
12" threads. Beginning 4" down from the nail, apply a waxed thread to
the six on the nails; 6" from the nail apply and work in another; 8"
down another and 10" down another. Cut off four more 12" threads and
do the same to the other end of the untwisted six strands. After you have
thickened both ends with the addition of these four staggered threads, wax over
them. The wax is to make them stick in place. Now loosen one end of the strand
and carefully twist it clockwise about twenty-five times. Prepare your other
two strands the same way. Fasten the three well waxed strands to a nail, pull
all even and straight and roll the three strands counter-clockwise until you
have a nice little rope thickened at both ends. Eye splice your loop as
described, wbip it well around the eye and below it. See Plate 1.
Making a Tapered String, Simple Strand Center
Run off 18 threads of No. 10 Linen between two
nails as described. Remove one end, and twist or roll all eighteen threads
clockwise about twenty-five times. Wax the strand well. Nineteen inches down
the strand bind it with a piece of cord, so that you can open the strand above
this tie. Be careful that you make a tight tie, yet one that may be easily cut
off when ready. Open up the strand to this tie. Divide it into three parts-6
strands to a part. See that there is no twist in anv third. Cut 4 threads each
12" long. Beginning at the tie apply one thread. Wax it in with the other
6 strands. Two inches down wax in another 12" thread; 4" down another
and 6" down another. Thicken each 6 thread strand this way. Fasten the
cord at the tie to a nail. Roll each thickened strand counter-clockwise until
it begins to kink. Clip on a spring clip clothespin to hold it, and twist the
other two strands the same way. Pull the three well twisted strands out
straight and roll them clockwise so they assume the form of a rope. Do both
ends of your string this way. Make your loop or loops and wax well over all.
Wax is to a string maker what tar is to a sailor. A
string should be always well waxed and the best wax for a bowstring is pure
beeswax to which sufficient resin has been added to give it body and
stickiness.
A bowstring is always shorter than the bow. The
distance between the taut string, when the bow is strung, and the handle is
called the "fist-mele", and is the distance between the edge of the
clenched fist and the tip of the extended thumb. See Plate 7.
There is a certain amount of stretch in a laid
bowstring, and this must be pulled out before the string is used. The bow
itself usually does this the first time you put on a new string. You then take
up a little on the string by twisting it a few times or taking in on the timber
hitch.
Fifteen threads of No. 10 Linen are sufficient to
hold 5'0", 5'3" and 5'6" bows up to 35 lbs. pull. Eighteen
strands are sufficient for 6'0" bows with weights up to 45 pounds;
twenty-one threads holds up to 60 lbs., and for very heavy bows of over 60lbs.
24 threads are enough.
On unstrung 5'0"
and 5'3" bows the loop of the bowstring should be 3" below the nock.
This gives you about 6" between the string and handle when the bow is
braced. It should be 3-1/2 " down for a 5'6" bow. This gives you a
fist-mele of 6-1/2". The loop should be down 4" on an unstrung
6'0" bow. This gives you 7" between string and handle when the bow is
braced.
Plate 1
Plate 7
BOW WOODS AND BOW STAVES
TOPICS
Making
Lemonwood Bows
Horn and Fiber
tipped Bows
Backed and
Laminated Bows
How Backings
Are Applied
Demountable
Bows
Flat-Limbed
Lemonwood Bows
Making Yew
and Osage Orange Longbows
Flat Osange
Orange Bows
Reflexed
Bows
Hunting Bows
LEMONWOOD (Calycophyllum candidissimum), the degame
of the wood importers, is a native of Cuba. It is hard, heavy, tough and
springy. It comes in small logs or spars and is straight enough to be sawn into
bowstaves. It is the most satisfactory and reasonably priced wood of which to
make a bow. It grows in the mountains, and most of it is carted by oxen to a
port for shipment by steamer. The bark is a reddish brown, rather stringy and
somewhat resembles red cedar bark. It has nothing to do with lemons; the name
refers to its color. It varies from a light yellow to a light brown and is
often mottled. We have found that the spars yielding the very best bowstaves
have a distinct apple green streak just under the bark. Lemonwood is a true bow
wood, and for an all-around bow, as good as any that comes. The fact that the
highest score ever made in tournament for the American Round was made with a
lemonwood bow speaks well for its qualities.
OSAGE ORANGE (Maclura or Toylon) belongs to the
mulberry family (Moraceae), and is one of our finest native bow woods. It seems
to grow throughout the whole of the United States, and is known in many
sections as the Mock Orange. Years ago this tree was planted extensively for
hedges. The best of it comes from our Middle West. It is a very hard wood,
ranging in color from a very pale yellow to chocolate brown. Sometimes it comes
in a light yellow prettily mottled with dark brown spots. Since the wood takes
an exceptionally fine polish, such a piece results in a bow of unusual beauty.
Osage Orange bowstaves, unlike Lemonwood, come directly from
the log section, with the bark, heartwood and sapwood intact. Before the staves
are stored away for seasoning, the bark is removed and the staves given a coat
of shellac. This permits them to dry out slowly and prevents warping and
checking. As an all-around bow wood, Osage Orange ranks high. Good staves yield
hard shooting, tough, sturdy bows that will stand lots of abuse. This wood
possesses none of the temperamental aspects of yew, and for a bow that is
equally good in the heat or cold, one good for target work, hunting or roving,
Osage Orange is the wood. Osage Orange Staves may be worked up into Standard
Long Bows, the shorter, semi-Indian type flat bows, and the Flat Reflexed Bows.
All are good; the maker's personal preference
alone being the guide.
YEW (Taxus) is a soft wood. Compared to Lemonwood
and Osage Orange, which are hardwoods, it is light in weight. The heartwood of
yew is reddish, and ranges in color from light to nut brown. Our American
supply comes from Oregon, Washington and California. The yew staves are split
or sawn directly from the trunk and come with the bark, sapwood and heartwood
intact. After the staves season, the bark, which is quite thin, readily chips
off.
During the past couple of years advocates of
various inethods of seasoning have pushed their pet claims -some are for kiln
drying, some want to place the staves in running water or streams until the sap
and resin is washed out. These methods may have merit, but why go to all that
fuss when you can pile it up in a nice dry attic and leave it alone for a year
or two. Turn it over once or twice for luck if you wish.
Generally, the ner or more grain lines to the inch,
the better the wood is. Yet I have seen a yew bow with six grain lines to the
inch that shot better and harder than any close grained stock. After making a
thousand yew bows in my shop, the writer is of the opinion that the excellence
of each bow depends on the individual stave and the care with which it has been
handled by the bowyer.
Yew may lose weight and cast in hot weather, it
picks up in cold; in freezing weather it may break in your hand, it develops
crisals (a peculiar crack that works at right angles to the grain of the wood)
which occurs with Osage or Lemonwood only in rare instances, and may prove
cussed beyond belief in more ways than one. Yet we are frank to confess that a
fine yew bow is a joy to shoot and something to cherish.
Perfect six foot staves
of Yew are rare. Most staves will have small pins, the grain is sure to dip at
some spot and little knots may appear. Since it is easier to secure this wood
in lengths of 3'6", two such pieces are joined to make one six foot piece.
OTHER WOODS
Ash, hickory, black walnut, sassafras, ironwood,
mulberry, apple and many other native woods have been made into bows. These
woods are not true bow woods, but have been used only because nothing better
was at hand. They produce bows that shoot fairly well in the beginning, but
they soon lose cast and become flabby and weak. When they dry out thoroughly
they become brittle and break.
This is true of the
average run of these woods, but sometimes a bow of northern ash or hickory
yields a fair weapon. There is a tree called hop hornbeam, with a white, very
tough wood resembling hickory. This makes a fair bow.
MAKING LEMONWOOD BOWS
Nine-tenths of all good bows made in this country
are Lemonwood. Lemonwood bowstaves are different from yew and osage staves.
They are sawn from the spar. The trees grow straight and round and the grain
runs true, making it possible to saw out staves with the grain running from end
to end. While it may be better to make a Lemonwood bow with the grain running
flat, in practice it doesn't seem to make any difference whether the grain runs
flat, diagonally or some other way. This is such a hard, dense, close grained
wood, that the direction may be ignored.
In my shop Lemonwood Bowstaves are prepared in
various ways. There are plain square staves, square staves backed with rawhide
or fibre, roughed out or semi-finished plain staves, and roughed out or
semi-finished staves backed with rawhide or fibre.
Staves are also selected for quality, as you will
see in the catalog. The Blue Ribbon Staves are the cream of the crop. From
these staves self and backed bows may be made. Your bow may be plain ended,
that is, have the notches cut into the wood itself, or you may tip it with cow
horn, stag horn or fibre.
Semi-finished bowstaves have a good portion of the
preliminary work done. Their general outline is that of the finished product.
Square staves must first be planed to the approximate shape of the bow. If you
are going to make a plain self bow, the first work is done on the back. Staves
from us have the backs marked. No work need be done on the back of a rawhide or
fibre backed stave, since the backing is smooth and ready for sandpapering and
polish. A self bow is one that is made of a single piece of wood, without
backing.
The tools needed
are-two small steel block planes, one set fine and one set very fine, (and they
must be sharp), coarse and fine wood rasps, fine wood file, six inch round
rat-tailed file, coarse, medium and fine sandpaper, steel wool, jackknife and a
scraper. (The Hook Scraper No. 25 made by the Hook Scraper Co. is excellent.)
Making a Plain Self Long Bow, Plain Ended
With a square stave in
your possession, smooth the back with the plane set very fine. If the plane
digs in, turn the stave around. Plane the back smooth and finish it with the
scraper. Around the middle of the stave draw a pencil line. One inch above this
line draw ahother. Three inches below the center line draw another. This four
inches will be your handle, and it is so placed to permit the arrow to leave
the bow one inch above the true center.
Now look down along the stave. While Lemonwood
bowstaves are reasonably straight, very few of them are absolutely true. There
is bound to be some side warp. Straighten the stave by planing. If the warp is
to the right, take off sufficient on that side to straighten it. At the same
time you will, of course, be tapering the stave. On most staves a little
planing is sufficient; more work is necessary with others. A stave with a
concave or reflexed back is sought after. The bow is built against the natural
tendency of the stave to warp in this direction, and usually results in a
better casting bow. When your bow has been straightened as to side warps, you
want a true center line penciled down the back, so that you may lay it out
according to the following tables of measurements. Insert a pin or thumb tack
in each butt end of the stave, and stretch a string between them. See Plate 2.
The following tables give actual measurements, in
sixteenths of an inch, taken from finished Lemonwood bows 5'0", 5'6"
and 6'0" long. The weights (the pull in pounds) are given. Since bow
making is a non-dimensional art, these figures are not absolute, and the
measurements of a 60 pound bow may result in one of 45 pounds, or some other
weight. You can always take off wood, hence it is better to figure on making
your bow stronger-four or five pounds more than the finished bow will be.
Now, using your center line, measure off on each
side of it half of the figures given under the heading "across back",
depending, of course, on whether you are making a 6'0", 5'6" or
5'0" bow. Connect up these measurements and plane down to this line-just
up to the line, not past it-this will give you a little leeway. Plate 2.
Then, on the tapered sides, pencil in the belly
measurements - that is, the distance from back to belly, or thickness of the
bow you propose to make. Plane down on the belly side up to these lines. Round
off the handle section until it looks like cross section "A", Plate
2. Continue this rounding of the belly to the ends, so that cross sections look
like those on Plate 2.
One of the commonest faults of amateur bow makers
is to take off too much wood in the upper limbs and not enough just above and
below the handle. The result is that only two or three feet of the entire bow
works or bends, undue strain is placed on these weak spots and the bow breaks.
A good bow should be stiff at the handle, a distance of about 6", and then
the entire limb should bend evenly to the tip. A long graceful curve is to be
striven for. See Plate 7.
A distinct dip should be made above and below
the handle-called the Buchanan dips. The handle or grip proper takes up
4", then the dips begin and the dips take up about 1" on each side of
this 4". Look at the finished bow on Plate 2.
If you bought a roughed out stave, practically all
the prelitninary work has been done for you, and making the bow is a far
simpler job. It is best to work slowly and cautiously, always remembering that
it is a simple matter to take off wood, but impossible to put it back on. When
you have one limb about finished, place the tip on the floor and bend the limb.
You can tell if it is far too strong or about right. Look at the curve the limb
is assuming. There may be spots in your stave that are difficult to plane. The
wood rasp may be used on them to advantage. Keep your bow wider than it is
thick, or, after you have strung it, it may turn. When you have both limbs
worked out, you are ready to cut the notches in the ends of the bow.
Begin an inch down from each end, and with the
round file, cut notches diagonally on each side on the ends as shown on Plate
2. Do not cut the notches across the back, because the grain of the back must
be left whole and without breaks. The notches should be at least Ys" deep.
After you have finished with the notches a preliminary stringing or bracing of
your bow is in order. It is assumed that you have made, or now will make, a
bowstring as described under string making. Read carefully "Stringing or
Bracing the Bow". Slip the loop or eye of the string over the top limb,
run it down the bow the proper distance (given under "Making Bow
Strings"), fasten the lower end to the bottom notch, and brace the bow.
Lay the strung bow on the floor and look at it. If the limbs bend evenly and
both alike, you are ready for a trial draw. If they do not bend evenly, it will
be necessary to unstring your bow and scrape away wood from the stiff portions.
Scraping is safer than planing, as you may easily take off too much.
You should also look down along your strung bow and
see if the string bisects the belly. If it does not, but throws off to one
side, your bow has a turn in it. This is corrected by taking off wood from the
side of the bow opposite, i.e., if your string bears to the left, take off on
the right side of the bellv and vice versa. Turning is usually caused by
"stacking" a bow, which means it is thicker from back to belly than
it is wide. Flat, Semi-Indian Type Bows have no tendency to turn because they
are ever so much wider than thick. While it is said a bowstring should bisect
the belly of a long bow, in practice a bowstring that throws off to the left-the
arrow side of the bow-is no objection, at least, that is the writer's opinion.
Many fine osage hunting bows I have used were made with this in view. Then the
plane of the arrow nock and the string are about the same, and the arrow goes
straighter to the mark
After your bow has been corrected where needed,
string or brace it again. The next step is tillering it, which means working on
the limbs until they bend evenly and are well balanced at full draw. There are
two ways to do this. First, pull your bowstring five or six times a distance of
twelve to fifteen inches. This settles the wood a bit. Now have a friend draw
the bow about half the arrow length and get off and look at it. You can easily
see if it is bending nicely. If it isn't, mark it with a pencil, and take off
wood where needed. (Whenever you scrape off a bit of wood, pull your bow a few
times to settle the new bend.) Continue this until the bow is at full draw.
Lengths of arrows are given under "The Arrow" in the "Fundamentals
of Archery". When, at full draw, the bow bends evenly and the limbs have a
graceful arch, you are ready for a final very light scraping, coarse and fine
sandpapering and finishing.
The second method of tillering is to make yourself
a tiller. This is a wooden instrument with a notch at the top to hold the
handle of your bow and other notches cut in the side to which you can pull the
bowstring. See Plate 7.
. Space the notches for the string three or four
inches apart until the last one is the proper draw length from the handle. Now,
by stringing your bow and drawing it to the top notch you can get off and look
at the bend. Pull it up notch by notch until the full draw is accomplished and
you can see your bow at full arc.
The finish on your bow is a matter of taste. The smoother
you sandpaper and steel wool the wood, the finer will be the polish. A good one
is orange shellac and a bit of linseed oil. Dip a soft rag in a drop or two of
the oil, then dip in the shellac and rub it on the bow. Dip and rub, dip and
rub, until the whole has a fine polish. A couple of coats of good varnish,
steel wool rubbed between coats, is good too.
An attractive handle on a bow dresses up the whole
weapon. Colored cords, braids or tapes may be used. Fancy dyed leather with a
narrow binding of a contrasting hue is fine. A grip of heavy calfskin, laced up
the back with a thin leather thong looks sturdy and businesslike.
You laid out the handle when you started the bow.
For guides draw these pencil lines in again. The back of the handle is padded
so that the grip is thick and comfortable. A block of soft wood, 4" long
and as wide as the back of the bow and half an inch thick is glued or tacked to
the back of the handle. Then it is tapered off and rounded so the grip feels
right. Your handle material goes on over this wooden pad and belly of the bow.
Glue it on with waterproof glue and wrap it tight.
A string keeper adds
the last neat touch. Drill a very small hole in the upper extremity of your
bow, run a leather thong or fancy cord through it and tic it to the top of the
eye in your bowstring. Pull it up so the string lays along the belly of the
bow. This string keeper prevents the string from sliding down the bow limb.
HORN AND FIBRE TIPPED BOWS
Horn or fibre tipped bows are made exactly the same
as plain ended bows. The only difference is in the tips. The traditional shape
of horn tips is shown on Plate 2 - "Cow Horn Tips". The top has a
scroll and the bottom is pointed. Stag horn tips are pointed while fibre and
aluminum tips are shaped as shown on the same plate. Cow or Steer Horn and Stag
Horn Tips have tapered holes, and the ends of your bow must be tapered to fit
them. With the wood rasp and file, taper the ends of your bow, so that they fit
3/ perfectly inside the horns. Five foot bows take a horn with a 8" hole,
5'3" and 5'6" takes 7/16" holes and 6'0" bows take horns
with 1/2" holes. The holes in fibre and metal tips are usually 3/8"
and are bored straight. The illustrations on Plate 2 depict this and show how
the ends of the bow should be worked to fit these various tips. It is well to
both glue and pin the tips to the bow. A very small hole to take an 18 gauge
brad is large enough, and the brad should go right through and be filed off
even with the sides of the tip.
BACKED AND LAMINATED BOWS
A backed bow is any bow-flat or long type-that has
been backed with a substance intended to prolong its life or improve its
shooting qualities. The bow consists of two pieces; the bow itself and the
back. A laminated bow is a bow made of three or more pieces, joined or
laminated together. Wood, rawhide, fibre, fibre glass, sinew and various
plastics are used for backs and for laminated bows.
A wood backing is a piece of fine, straight
grained, tough white hickory, ash, elm or lemonwood. It is one-eighth to a
quarter of an inch thick and adds strength and cast to the bow. If the wood
back is put on so that the stave has a reflex toward the back (in other words,
the back is concave) this adds to the cast. Before the new resin and plastic
glues were developed, backing a bow with wood was a chancy business and there
were many failures because of the back and belly of the bow parting company.
Now, with these new glues, joints are actually stronger than the rest of the
stave. The secret of making good joints is to be sure the back and stave are
absolutely flat so that contact between the two pieces is made everywhere.
The rawhide for backing bows is drum head rawhide,
a clear parchment-like calfskin. This is exceedingly tough and strong and makes
an excellent backing. The black or red fibre used in bowmaking is quite thin
and makes a very pretty back. The fibre polishes very well and the colors are
attractive. Neither rawhide nor fibre increase the strength of a bow much.
Their principal function is to protect the back of the bow from hard knocks and
to keep splinters from lifting.
Sinew is what the Indians used to back their bows,
but it is difficult to get, unless you have access to the dead animal itself.
The longer the strands of sinew the better, and the longest comes from under
the back bone. The hock tendons are good too, but are much shorter.
Fibre glass backings
are made of spun glass fibres laid in a plastic to hold them in place and thus
make a workable product. Plastics have been developed that are hard and horn
like and make fair backs and facings for laminated bows.
HOW BACKINGS ARE APPLIED
Wood-See that the back of your stave is absolutely
flat. Sand it well with coarse sandpaper. See that your backinp, piece is
absolutely flat also, and well sanded with coarse abrasive too. Apply glue
(Casein, Weldwood or any resin glue) liberally to both backing and bow back.
Cut a pressure board of pine or other wood Y4" thick and Y4" narrower
than your wood back. Place this over the back and bind your pressure board,
wood back and bowstave together with rubber strips cut from an inner tube. Cut
the strips Y2" wide and use plenty. See that glue squeezes out all along
the joint. Let it dry for at least a day before working on your backed stave.
Rawhide-Scrape or plane the back of your stave
smooth and sandpaper it with coarse sandpaper. Clarified calfskin or rawhide
comes in various widths. Two pieces are used on a bow. Each length covers half
the back. Soak the two strips in cold water for ten minutes and wipe off the
excess moisture. The strips will now be soft and pliable. When you take the
calfskin out of the water stretch it very carefully. It will have a tendency to
curl-apply the concave side to the bow back. Apply smooth, thick, creamy
waterproof glue along the back of your stave. At the center tack one piece to
the back, run the rawhide up to the end, smooth out all air bubbles and tack it
at the tip with a thumb tack. Butt your second piece against the first, tack
it, and run it down the second half of the back of the stave. Be sure all air bubbles
are worked out and the rawhide adheres everywhere. Watch it for half an hour or
so and keep working it down where needed.
Fibre-Fibre comes in strips and is glued directly
to the back with waterproof glue. It is best to cut a thin slat (Y4"
thick) exactly the width of your bow back, for a pressure board. Lay the fibre
in the glue on the back, press the slat on, and bind down with rubber strips
Y2" wide cut from an inner tube. Let it dry overnight and remove the slat.
Sinew-Secure three to four dozen Achilles heel
tendon sinews. These will run from 6" to 12" long. Shred them fine by
pulling apart with flat jawed pliers. Rough the smoothed back of your bowstave
with very coarse sandpaper. Apply Special Formula Glue (a glue developed by the
writer for glueing sinew to sinew, sinew to wood, horn to horn and horn to
wood) liberally along half the back. Take a handful of shredded sinew, work it
in lukewarm water for a few minutes, squeeze out all water, and pull out a soft
strand. Lay it lengthwise in the glue, and continue this process until you have
covered the back with the strands of sinew. Lap them, and so arrange them that
the back is covered. Then do the same to the other limb. Apply another layer
and continue this process until you have 1/8" to Y4" of sinew and
glue on the back. Apply glue between each layer. Let it dry for at least two
weeks, and you will have a hard, hornlike back. The longer this back dries, the
harder it gets and the more cast it develops.
Fibre Glass-Fibre Glass comes in the form of strips
ly2 wide by 1/16" to 3/32" thick and about 5'6" long. It isglued
to the flat back with a resin glue. Some fibre glass backs come already glued
to a very thin strip of wood, and the thin wood piece (plus fibre glass) is
glued to the bow back. A pressure board should be used-as described under Wood
Backs. To get a good glue joint with fibre glass is quite a job.
To improve the cast of
the finished bow, backs are glued to the stave while it is held in a reflexed
position. Make a wooden form 2" thick, 2" longer than the stave you
are working with and 6" wide. One edge of this wooden form piece is worked
into an arc, the cord of which is 3" to 4". By bending around this
form, your stave will come out with a concave back. The backing goes on the
form first, stave on top. Start at the center, and with rubber strips (spaced
I" apart) cut from an inner tube, tightly bind down one limb. Bind all
around the form. Then bind down the other limb. Before binding to the form, the
stave should be tapered on the flat belly side. Begin 20" down from the
ends and taper to 3/8" at the ends. This will make bending around the form
a lot easier.
DEMOUNTABLE BOW
A demountable bow, or carriage bow, is a bow that
is made to come apart. The two limbs are joined under the handle in a stee!
tube, which acts as a ferrule, so that the top limb may be pulled out. The
advantage of a bow of this kind is its convenience in packing and carrying. A
6'0" bow reduces itself to a package a little over three feet long.
The handle consists of three pieces of seamless
steel tubing - one piece 4" long and two smaller pieces 2" long. The
two shorter pieces are fitted to the ends of your limbs; and care must be taken
to see that the billets of lemonwood, yew or osage, whichever wood you are
using, fit snugly and perfectly into these 2" pieces. A hole 3/32" in
diameter is drilled through steel and wood and a long thin nail driven through
and filed off even with the tubing. This is to hold the tubing securely in
place. Then the two limbs with their steel ends are inserted into the longer
tube and lined up; another long nail is pinned right through the large 4"
tube and the lower section, which is held permanently in place. A socket and
post is made from a nail 3/32" in diameter for the top limb so that it
lines up easily each time you assemble the bow. See Plate 4.
It is essential that
when the two 2" pieces of tubing are fitted to the bow ends that you do
not cut shoulders of any kind. The wood of the limbs must fit inside the tubes,
so that there is no chance of a break starting at a shoulder.
FLAT-LIMBED LEMONWOOD BOWS
The Flat, Semi-Indian
type bow merits special consideration. Although the idea is not new, its
present growing popularity is due to the many advantages it possesses. The
fundamental principle of this type of bow is that a wide, thin, flat slat will
bend easier and be less liable to fracture than a square stick of the same volume
of wood. This feature makes it possible to use a 28" arrow in a 5'6"
bow, and, naturally, since a shorter bow of the same weight will shoot farther
and faster than a longer bow, you get a flatter trajectory. Further, a well
proportioned flat bow is easy to string, sweet to use and has lots of punch. It
is well established that the nearer to the center of a bow the arrow can pass,
the less side variation there is in its flight-hence the narrowed handle of the
flat bow, thickened from back to belly for the necessary stiffness and
strength. See Plate 3.
MAKING THE FLAT LEMONWOOD BOW
The Flat Bow is the easiest of all bows to make,
and is, therefore, an excellent type for the beginner to attempt. It presents
fewer problems than the making of a long bow, yet the finished bow is entirely
satisfactory and a worthwhile weapon in every respect.
The Flat Side of the stave is the Back. The side
with the handle riser is the Belly. Caution: Do not attempt to bend your stave
until you have tapered the limbs on the sides and belly, as described below,
otherwise the riser may pop off. If it should loosen, take it off, smooth off
the surface of the riser and stave, glue it back into place with casein glue.
Use rubber strips cut from an old inner tube to hold it in place while the glue
is drying.
Since a 5'6" Flat Bow is the proper length for
the greatest number of archers, let us begin with that size stave. The Flat
Bowstave you get from us will look like that shown on Plate 3.
It will be 5'6" long, IY2" wide and
9/8" thick in the limbs. The handle riser or thickening piece will be
glued in place and be sawn to the approximate shape of the finished handle. At
this point it will be I Y2" thick, ample bulk to result in a stiff middle.
The back of the bow is left flat. Smooth it up with
a sharp hand plane set very fine. At each end of the stave, measuring from side
to side, place a dot. These marks will be Y4" from the edges. Measure off
Y4" from each side of the center mark and make two more dots. Eighteen
inches from each end of the stave draw a line across the back. Connect the ends
of this line with the two dots which are Y4" from the center point. Plane
off the wood on either side of these lines. This gives the limb taper. See Plate
3.
Note: Sometimes your stave will not be absolutely
straight, but may have a side warp. In this event the above measurements would
not hold, because it would then be necessary to take off more wood on the side
toward which warp curves, i.e., the concave side. When you finish tapering the
limbs, however, each should be a long, narrow, triangular figure measuring
ly2" wide just above the handle riser and continuing this IY2" width
for about a foot, then tapering to Y2" wide at the ends of the stave.
The Belly side of the bow is tapered from the
handle riser, where it is @/8" thick to Y4" at the ends-just a slight
taper. Then round off all the corners on the belly side, so that the cross
section is a low, flat arch. The handle of the Flat Bow is accomplished by making
an abrupt, sharp dip in the riser, rounding off the corners and working the
wood into the limbs. A coarse file is good for this work. Plate 3.
Next comes the notches for the bowstring. These may
be cut into the wood, or be of stag horn, cow horn, or metal. Plate 3 shows how
the ends will look when the notches are cut into the wood. A round, rat-tail
file 8" long is excellent for this work. If you wish to embellish your bow
with cow or stag horn tips, the ends of the stave must be carefully tapered and
rounded into a cone that will snugly fit into the horn bow tips. Be very
careful not to force the wood into the horns, or a split will result. Work
slowly and carefully, and when the horns fit perfectly, glue and pin in place.
Put the loop of your bowstring over what is to be
the top limb of the bow in such a fashion that the string lies along the belly.
Slide the loop down a few inches below the notch (3y2"), lay it out
straight along the bow and fasten at the bottom with a bowyer's knot (timber hitch).
After the bow is strung or braced the string should be 5y2" from the top
of the handle riser.
When your bow is cut out, and before you apply the
final finish, it should bend evenly in both limbs and its shape should be a
segment of a circle with a flattened middle of about 6". One of the
commonest faults of amateur bow makers is that their bows are stiff for about
two feet in the middle. Too much wood is cut from the upper limbs which leaves
them too weak. The result is that only about 24" of the whole bow does the
work of bending. This sets up undue strain on your weak limbs and breakage
occurs. Plate 7.
The following
measurements are taken from finished flat bows of Lemonwood. The lengths of the
bow and weights are given, but since bow-making is non-dimensional, these
tables are not absolute. In other words even though you might work closely to
these figures, the bow may or may not be the weights given. It is better to
leave a bit more wood all around, and then scrape down to the weight you wish.
MAKING YEW AND OSAGE ORANGE BOWS
Yew and Osage Orange bowstaves differ materially from those
of Lemonwood. They are cut directly from the log and have the bark, sapwood and
heartwood intact when first cut. The bark is usually taken off the osage orange
staves to help them season. The bark on yew is thin and after a year's drying
can be taken off with a draw knife quite easily.
Both of these woods may be had in full length staves of from
5'0" to 6'0". They also come in billet form. Billets are two pieces
cut preferably from the same wide short piece. Since these woods have small
knots, pins and other minor defects, it is easier to get two clear pieces 3'6"
long than it is to get a single long, sound clear stick.
If you intend to make your bow from billets, they must be
joined to give you sufficient length. There are two methods of joining yew and
osage billets. The simplest way is to join them in a seamless steel tube
lys" in diameter. The ends of the billets are carefully rounded so they
fit perfectly in the 4" tube. After they are in place, and the two billets
lined up for straightness, two pins of metal are driven through tube and wood
and riveted in place. Drill a hole I" from the tube end right through and
insert your pins-one in each billet end. Any nail 3 /32" in diameter will
do.
The other method of joining is by means of a bowyer's or
double fishtail joint. See Plate 4. Square up one extremity of each billet so
that you have ends 4y4" long, IY4" from heartwood to sapwood, and
ly4" wide, as shown on Plate 4. Paste a piece of paper on the back of the
sapwood side of the squared ends on which to pencil the outline of the joint to
be made. First measure down 4y4" and draw a line. The joint you are going
to cut is a dove-tailing of two ends. One end of your billet will have two
points; the other three. The two pointed end goes into the three pointed end.
To make the two prongs, divide the end of your billet into three equal parts;
make pencil points at these divisions. Draw lines from these two points to the
outside of the bottom of your first line across the back, which is 4y4"
down the ends of the billets. Place a point in the center of this cross line,
and draw two triangles as shown on Plate 4. With a band-saw or hack-saw cut out
the center and side pieces as shown. This gives you the two pronged end. The
receiving end is three pronged as shown. Divide the tip of the other billet in
half, and the cross line in thirds. Draw in your lines as shown and saw out the
wood where required. If you make the joint carefully, it should fit perfectly.
No light should shine through. If it isn't a perfect fit, you may work it in
with a file.
When the joints fit nicely, apply heavy, creamy waterproof
glue liberally. Force the joint together and tightly bind the whole joint with
rubber strips Y2" wide cut from an inner tube. Leave about a quarter of an
inch between the rubber strip wrappings so the air can get at the glue. After
the joint is wrapped with rubber strips, line up your stave carefully. See that
it is straight. A very slight tilt or reflex towards the back is permissible.
You may shift the joint while the glue is wet and the rubber will hold the
shift in place. Leave your work tightly wrapped for two days, remove the rubber
and let the joint dry for a week.
When the joint is perfectly dry, it is a good idea to round
it off to approximate handle shape and bind it tightly with thin linen fish
line or linen twine. This is an insurance against accidents which might open up
the sides of the double fishtailed joint. After your stave has reached this
point you may proceed to make the bow the same as if it were a single stave.
The most important thing to remember in making both yew and
osage bows is that the GRAIN MUST BE FOLLOWED. Place your stave in a vise, and
with a draw knife take off the bark if it hasn't already been done. With osage,
removing the bark is all that is necessary. Scrape the back clean and smooth with
a Hook Scraper No. 25. With Yew it is necessary to reduce the white sapwood to
3/16" thick evenly along the back. Do this with a sharp draw knife and be
sure to folllow the grain; dip when the grain dips, let it rise where it rises,
don't try to flatten the back or you will cut across the grain and your bow
will break. Your guide line is the separation point of the red heartwood and
wbite sapwood. Next look along the stave from end to end. if it has a side warp
or is not straight, take off wood from whichever side needs it.
Measure down 1" from the end of your joint or metal
tube. Consider this point the true center of your bow. Measure from this point
3'0" in either direction and cut off any excess material.
The joint or metal tube will now come under your handle and
the arrow will leave the bow I" or ly4" above the true center.
Plate 4 gives you various steps in the making of 6'0"
Yew and Osage Orange bows, and the following tables of measurements give you
actual figures on which you may lay out your stave. Base your back measurements
from side to side of a true center line arrived at by means of a string and
thumbtacks as described under the section, "Making a Lemonwood Long
Bow". Bear in mind that the figures were taken from finished bows, but
that is no guarantee that if you follow them your bow will weigh the same. If
you wish a 45 pound bow follow the measurements for the next higher weight
given, and then you may scrape your bow down a bit if it results in too strong
a bow. You can always take off wood, but you can't put it back on.
Following the grain on the backs of both yew and osage is
very important. Be sure you do it, regardless of dips and rises. On the belly
of yew bows, it is well to leave a little more wood where there is a pin or
small knot. When the bow is finished, these look like small warts about a
quarter of an inch in diameter. This is necessary to prevent crisals at these
points.
Since you have plenty of depth at the handle, you can make
it IY4" from back to belly and cut quite sharp dips just above and below
the grip. This makes for softness in shooting. Be sure when your bow is
tillered, as described in making Lemonwood Long Bows, you achieve a long
graceful arc from the handle to the ends. See Plate 7
When working on the belly side of your bow, the rough work
may be done with a sharp draw knife. Some staves may be finished with a hand
plane while others may have to be worked into shape with scraper and wood rasp.
With some osage staves it may be necessary to practically fashion the entire
belly with coarse and fine rasps.
The actual making, finishing and handling of the bow is
similar to those of lemonwood. Naturally, it is impossible to foresee and
advise against every possible contingency in bow making and it is expected that
the craftsman will have sufficient intelligence to help him over rough spots.
FLAT OSAGE ORANGE BOWS
Osage Orange lends itself beautifully to the Flat,
Semi-Indian Type of bow. Read again the section on making the Flat Bow of
Lemonwood. With an osage stave 5'6" long in your possession, the first
step is to transform it into a Flat Bowstave.
Remove the bark if it has not already been taken off, and
clean up the back; be sure to follow the grain when using the draw-knife.
Determine the center of your stave. One inch above the true center draw a line
around the bow; 3" below the center draw another line around the stave.
This is where your handle will come. Refer to Plate 5 and note bow the handle
looks. With draw-knife and coarse wood rasp, work your handle to this shape.
The abrupt dips at either end of the handle riser flow gracefully into the flat
limbs.
At the widest part of your limbs-just a bit below where the
handle riser dip disappears into the limbs, your stave should be IY4" to
IY2" wide, depending on how wide your original stave was. It should be
Y4" through from back to belly, and taper off at the ends 5/16" from
belly to back. Next taper your sides. Measure in from each extremity 18",
and draw a line across the back. Place a dot at each end. Measure Y4" to
either side of this dot. Connect up the ends of the line across the back
18" down, and you will have a triangle with its base the width of the
stave and the apex Y2" across. Plane down to this line and lead into the
sides so there are no harsh lines. Consult Plates 5 and 7. Round off the belly
into a low flat arch, cut your notches, brace your bow and tiller as described.
Finish and handle to suit your fancy.
REFLEXED BOWS
Reflexed bows have the ends reflexed or bent back in a
pleasing curve. Reflexing adds beauty and grace to the outline of a bow.
Reflexed bows may be Long Bows or Flat Bows. There are two methods of reflexing
bows. Osage and Yew may be reflexed by means of steam and boiling water.
Lemonwood is very difficult to reflex this way. It does not absorb moisture
readily and is prone to split and check from the heat. The other way is to glue
a reflex in the ends-it is done by laminations. Flat bows are easiest to
reflex, and most reflexed bows are of the Semi-Indian Flat Type.
First Method - Assuming that you have a flat osage or yew
stave, proceed the same as if you were making a flat bow, but before you cut
your notches in the ends, they are reflexed or bent back. A water pail, two
wooden forms, and about two dozen rubber strips cut from an old inner tube
constitute your bending equipment. Rubber strips should be I ' wide.
The wooden form is made from boards 1312" thick, or two
1" boards nailed together. The shape with measurements is given on Plate
6.
Boil the ends of the limbs, one end at a time, until the
wood is soggy, soft and pliable. This takes three to four hours. Bind the ends
to the wood forms with the rubber strips. Stretch the rubber well and bind
tightly. As you bind, the rubber will pull the ends down along the curved
forms. Begin binding at the bottom of the curve and work up (towards the ends
of the stave) so the wood is always covered with rubber in order that splinters
may not lift. The stave ends should be left in the forms in a dry place, not
too hot, for three or four days. All exposed parts of the stave should be
shellacked to prevent possible checks from drying. After the rubber binding and
forms have been taken off, allow the stave ends to dry out for four or five
days to be sure they are perfectly dry and set. Then cut the notches, brace or
string the bow as described before, tiller the limbs to a perfect bend, scrape,
sandpaper, handle and finish.
Second Method - This, in the writer's opinion is by far the
best way. It results in a reflex of beauty and grace, and is in to stay; the
reflexes made by the first method may eventually pull out. Assuming that you
are going to reflex a 5'8" Flat Bowstave either of Lemonwood, Yew or
Osage, the first step is to flatten the ends of your stave with a long 12"
taper. The tips or ends of the stave should be thinned down to 1/16" and
increase in thickness to Y4" at the 12" mark. This permits bending
the tips around a form as shown on Plate 6-A. Prepare two sets of lamination
slats (ten slats in all). These are to be about 1/16" thick. Each set
consists of: I piece 14" long, 2 pieces 12" long, I piece 10"
long, 1 piece 8". If these slats are of contrasting colors-for instance,
lemonwood and black walnut, or lemonwood and rosewood, the finished bow will be
very handsome. Prepare a wooden form as shown on Plate 6-A. Place the stave on
the form and bind the thinned ends down around the curved extremities of the
wooden form. Use strips of rubber Y2" wide cut from an inner tube. Leave
the stave overnight so the ends take a set. Prepare good, thick, lumpless,
creamy waterproof glue. It is possible to glue on two lamination slats at a
time. Apply glue liberally to the 14" piece, place it over the end; apply
glue liberally to one of the 12" pieces and bind these down around the
form ends with strips of rubber. Be sure the ends are lined up evenly with the
tips of your stave. Continue glueing these slats on around the form ends until
you have built up about a half inch of laminations in a reflexed or curved
form. Let the glue job dry at least a week before shaping the bow. After the
laminationg are well set, the step-like ends of the slats are all tapered off
as shown on Plate 6-A.
HUNTING BOWS
The typical Hunting Bow is about 5'8" long, Flat,
Semi-Flat or Long Bow type. Bois d'arc (osage) is tough and dependable. The bow
is plain ended and backed with rawhide. The string is oversized for safety and
the handle is of heavy calf-skin or cowhide.
There are no frills on a good hunting bow -sturdiness and
dependability are what count. For big game hunting the bow is around 70 lbs.,
some go as high as 80 lbs.
Osage Orange is the most dependable wood at these heavy
pulls. These bows are intended to drive big, broadheaded arrows with 3/8"
shafts swiftly and surely to the mark and are made accordingly. For hunting
small game, any kind of a bow 45 to 55 lbs. pulling weight will do. They may be
plain ended, tipped with horn, fibre or metal and be either the long bow or
flat bow type. Whether the bow is made of Lemonwood, Osage or Yew is
immaterial. The arrow used in these lighter bows is 5 /16" or 11 /32"
in diameter, is tipped with a small bunting head, and is fletched with long low
triangular feathers.
ARROW WOODS and ARROWS
Arrows have different work to do, and are, therefore, made
of different woods. Knock-about arrows, beginner's arrows, roving, field and
hunting arrows are made of birch. Better target arrows are made of imported
Norway Pine and Port Orford Cedar. Excellent hunting arrows are also made of
these woods.
Birch:-Is a hard, tough, white wood, and the best of it
comes from the New England States, especially Maine. If birch could be had
straight, and if it stayed straight, it would be the ideal arrow wood. Birch
used in my shop is specially selected, and is as straight as this wood comes.
Even though arrows made of birch may not be as perfect as fine target arrows
made of the soft woods, when fletched with long triangular feathers, they
whistle straight and true to the mark. Birch has one distinct advantage; it may
be straightened with the fingers when out of line. My quiver full of sturdy
birch field arrows have been in use for a long time. They get lost, but they
stand up and rarely break.
Port Orford Cedar:-Is a light, straight grained, soft wood.
It has a delightful odor, and makes excellent self and footed arrows. It comes
from the West Coast.
Norway Pine (Pinus Sylvestris): -This comes from the Baltic
Sea forests, where the cold, stern climate makes for slow growth and splendid
"spiney" wood. It is the old "red deal" of the English
yeoman and there is no finer arrow wood than good Norway Pine. It is used for
both self and footed target arrows. Shafts in the 3/8" size make the verv
finest hunting arrows for big game.
There are two kinds of arrows-self arrows and footed arrows.
Self arrows are arrows made of one piece of wood. Footed
arrows are arrows with an inlay or "footing" applied to the head end
of the shaft. Norway Pine and Port Orford Cedar are "footed".
The footing is a hard, tough wood that strengthens the head
end of the arrow, gives it a hard wearing tip, makes for balance and beautifies
the arrow. Footings are of beef wood, lemon wood, purpleheart, hickory and
birch.
Arrows also have various shapes. The cylindrical shaft is
most common. Chested arrows are thicker below and under the feathers and taper
to the nock and head. Barrelled arrows are thicker in the middle and taper to
each end. Bob-tailed arrows are thicker at the head end and taper from the pile
to the nock. There are target arrows, flight arrows, roving arrows, field
arrows and hunting arrows.
MAKING SELF ARROWS
The simplest way to make a dozen plain, self arrows is to
buy a set of arrow materials intended for this purpose. They may be bad already
nocked and headed. All that is necessary is to fletch them, or put on the
feathers. Casein, waterproof glue is recommended for feathering arrows. This
comes in the form of a white powder, which is mixed with cold water. It should
be thick, creamy and free from lumps. It should stand for fifteen minutes after
it has been well mixed to allow the ingredients to set. Prepare it in small
batches-it will not keep overnight. Good casein glue is really waterproof.
Feathers, on arrows that have been lost for months, are likely to be still on.
There are two common shapes for feathers. The balloon shape,
as shown on Plate 8 is used on target arrows. The long, low, triangular feather
is used on field, roving and hunting arrows. You may buy feathers already
prepared or you may make your own from the whole turkey wing feather. Stripped
feathers are those which have been stripped from the quill. See Plate 9. Cut
feathers have been cut out with a sharp knife and have a thin portion of the
quill remaining. Either sort is good.
Arrows should be the right length for your bow. The table
given under "The Arrow" ("Fundamentals of Archery") should
be followed. These sizes are not absolute, but it is well to follow them.
Arrows entirely too long for your bow will result in breakage.
The first step in making self arrows is to put on the head.
Plate 8 gives various types of target heads, and your shafts should be
shouldered to fit the head used. They should be pinned or knurled on when
firmly seated. After your heads are on, cut off your shafts to the desired
length. If you use birch, cut the notch in the shaft itself. Notches should be
Y4" deep, wide enough for your string, and should be sanded smooth and be
nicely rounded. If you are using a soft wood-Port Orford Cedar or imported
Norway Pine, it is well to reinforce your nock with an inlay of fibre or
hardwood, as shown on Plate 8. Then cut your notch across both the grain and
inlay. Sandpaper all your shafts very smooth.
Feathers come in pairs, and an archer's pair is three. A
pair of feathers consists of two of any color and one of another. The odd
colored feather is called "the cock feather" and is to be put on
first, whether it is balloon shaped or triangular. Feathers go on I" below
the bottom of the nock. A pair of three must all be from feathers from the same
side of the bird. You cannot mix lefts and rights.
Feather shapes are given on Plate 8. Balloon feathers are
2y8" along the vane and Y2" high at the highest point. A good size of
triangular feathers is 3y2" along the vane, 3/8" high at the back or
nock end, and 3/16" high at the lowest point.
With your feathers cut and ready, lay out six pairs. If they
have a tendency to curl, place them between warm, damp cloths for a couple of
hours. This takes the curl out of them and they will go on straighter. Apply
waterproof glue liberally to the vane of all six pairs. Pick up a cock feather
and glue it to the shaft I" down from the bottom of the nock. It is well
to run a pencil line around the whole batch of shafts I" down from the
bottom of the nock, so you'll get all your feathers on evenly. The cock feather
goes on at right angles to the nock. The other two are spaced equidistant
around the shaft,.as shown on Plate 8. It may be necessary to pin them in place
as shown. Large headed pins are best, since they can be stuck into the wood
better, but any pin will serve. After your shafts are feathered, varnish or shellac
them and decorate or crest them to suit your taste.
MAKING HUNTING AND ROVING ARROWS
These are made the same as any self arrow, but long
triangular feathers are used. Roving arrows have blunted heads. The long,
tapered steel head is a good field arrowhead. Hunting heads are of various
shapes and size.
The small broadheads,the small lancet shaped heads, etc.,
are usually affixed to 5/16" and It /32" shafts. The big broadheads
are for 3/8" shafts, and imported Norway Pine in this size is best, as it
is straight and tough enough when inlaid at the nock for real u e with heavy
bows.
The hunting heads go on the shaft with the blades in line
with the nock so you do not see the wide flat side. See Plate 8.
FLIGHT ARROWS
These are long, light arrows, with very small feathers and
little heads, and are intended for distance shooting only. They may be made of
Port Orford Cedar, imported Norway Pine and be either self or footed. An
exceptionally fine flight arrow is made from thin bamboo shoots. Flight arrows
are from 28" to 30" long, sometimes longer.
MAKING FOOTED TARGET ARROWS
There are various ways to make footed target arrows, but, in
the writer's opinion, the following method is the easiest. Assuming that you
have a dozen straight 5/16" x 30" Port Orford or imported Norway Pine
shafts, and a dozen square footings Y8" x 8y2" long, slot the
footings with a hacksaw to a depth of 5y4". See Plate 9. Lay them aside.
Taper the ends of your shafts with the flat of the grain, beginning 5"
from the end as shown. The footing is slotted 5y4" and the extra Y4"
will help you to plane your square footing round with the round shaft. The
taper should go down to a feather edge. See that each taper fits a footing.
Apply casein glue liberally to the taper and inside the slot. Push the taper
into the footing, as shown, and bind tightly with rubber strips cut from an
inner tube. Look down your shaft and line up your footing with it, so that the
footing and shaft is absolutely straight. While the glue is wet this can easilv
be done with the fingers.
Let the footings and shafts dry for a day-two is better, and
with a sharp block plane round the square footing to the same size as the
shaft. If you buy round footings, it is a simple matter to work down the prongs
to the shaft. Study Plate 9. After you have your footings rounded down and all
straight with the shaft, put on your heads, and cut off all your shafts to the
length that fits your bow. Inlay your nocks as shown on Plate 8, being sure to
cut with the grain lines, so that you may finish your nock across the grain.
Fletch your shafts with balloon feathers and finish up the same as you would
self arrows.
MATCHING ARROWS
When you have progressed to the point where you take your
target shooting seriously, it is absolutely essential that you have a set of
six, eight or a dozen footed arrows that are "matched". That means
that they should all fly the same, or fly as nearly the same as it is humanly
possible to make them.
In our shop we match by shooting. Footed arrows are made up
in batches of a gross and are then shot at 55 yards in a 45 pound bow. Groups
of twelve are picked, Naturally the same point of aim is used, and these groups
are tied out in bunches. Then each bunch of twelve (sometimes more) is shot
again and again until we are reasonably certain that the twelve are matched and
fly and perform the same.
If you are making your own footed arrows this method is
impractical because it involves the making of too many arrows.
When you are working with a dozen or eighteen, it is
necessary to have a set of grain weights and a jeweller's scale-the sort of
scale that blind justice holds in her hand. It is a simple matter to make a
pair of balances that will answer your purposes. All you need is a cross bar of
thin hard wood with a hole in the center so that it may be suspended on a wire.
A small tin pan with four holes punched in its rim and four strings to suspend
it about ten inches below one end of the beam and a wire hook, with two widely
separated prongs, on which you can rest an arrow, hung from the other end of
the cross bar, will do. Bring your scale to an even balance by pasting adhesive
tape bit by bit to whichever side needs it. Now discover your lightest arrow.
Place its weight in grains in the tin pan, pick up your next arrow and bring it
to the same weight by taking off wood very carefully toward the nock end. Do
this with all your arrows until they are within ten grains of each other. Then
finish up as described for feathering. This way you have a much better chance
to get eight or nine out of the dozen to fly the same.
The English weigh their arrows against newly minted silver
coins-shilling and pence. In America, while some still use these weights, it is
fast becoming the custom to use grains. A shilling is 87 giains and a pence is
seven and one-quarter grains. Men's 27" to 28" arrows vary between
410 and 425 grains; ladies' 25" to 26" arrows are between 300 and 325
grains.
HOW TO TAKE OF YOUR BOWS AND ARROWS
After you are through shooting, unstring your bow. If you
leave it strung overnight it may lose cast.
It is best to keep your tackle dry. If you get caught in the
rain, wipe your bow and arrows with a soft dry cloth. If the feathers on vour
arrows get mussed, run them through the steam from the spout of a briskly
steaming water kettle. They will fluff out at once.
Don't overdraw your bow, or try to see how far it will bend
without breaking. It is said that a drawn bow is seven-eighths broken. Bows are
wood, and wood breaks.
The flat side of your bow is the back; don't draw it or
string it any other way than flat side out.
Your bow will become accustomed to your particular style of
draw. It is poor policy to let others use your pet bow. It won't do it any
good.
The best way to store your bows is to hang them on pegs on
the wall. Keep them away from radiators. Do not jam too many arrows in a
quiver; it spoils the feathers. It is best to keep them in a wooden box with
spaces for each arrow.
Almost all wooden bows "follow the string", or
take a set in the drawing direction. A set is no real objection, so do not try
to straighten a bow by bending against this natural set.
It is a good plan to wipe arrows clean and dry after you are
through a day's shooting.
Be sure the whipping in the loop or eye and in the center of
the bowstring does not fray. Replace it if it does. Wax your bowstring
frequently.
Don't pull your bow and let go. That is an excellent way to
snap the string and break your bow. It is a good plan to have an arrow on the
string whenever you draw; then you can't draw too far and strain the bow.
COMMON ARCHERY TERMS
Arms-The two limbs of a bow.
Armguard-A protection against the
bowstring's strike, worn on the inside of the left forearm. It is usually of
heavy leather padded with felt.
Arrow Case-A box of wood or other
material in which arrows are transported. Each arrow is usually held separate
from its fellow.
Arrow Plate-A piece of horn, pretty
shell or leather just above the handle on the left side of a bow, where the
arrow passes as it leaves the bow.
Arrowshaft-The wooden shaft or
steel of an arrow. Arrowsmith-One whose business it was to make metal
arrowheads.
Artillery-The old time word for
bows and arrows. Ascham-A tall, narrow cabinet in which bows and arrows are
kept.
Back-The outer or flat side of a
bow.
Backed Bow-A bow which has been
backed with rawhide, wood, fibre or sinew.
Backing-Any substance which is used
for backing bows.
Balloon Feather-A feather that has
been cut parabolic or curbed.
Barb-A projection on a hunting head
which prevents its easily being withdrawn.
Barrelled-A barrelled arrow is
heavier in the middle and tapers toward each end.
Bass or bast-The twisted straw back
of a target.
Belly-The belly of a bow is the
rounded side, held towards you when shooting.
Bend-You bend a bow when you brace
or string it.
Bobtailed Arrow-An arrow that is
thicker at the pile end. It tapers to the nock.
Bow Stave-The stick, stave or piece
of wood from which a bow is made.
Bowyer-A maker of bows.
Brace-To string a bow.
Bracer-Another name for an
armguard.
Brash-Wood is called brash when it
is brittle.
Broadhead-A large flat hunting
head.
Butt-A hillock or mound of earth or
sod on which target faces are attached to be shot at.
Carriage Bow-A bow joined under the
handle in a ferrule so it comes apart and makes for easy transportation.
Cast-The ability of a bow to throw
or cast an arrow.
Chested Arrou-An arrow is chested
when it is thickest toward the nock end and tapers to the pile and nock.
Chrysal-or Crisal-A crushed line of
fibres running across the grain, usually in the belly of a bow.
Clout-A small white faced target
with a black bull's eye used in archery-golf and clout shooting.
Cock Feather-The feather placed at
right angles to the nock. Usually of a different color from the other two.
Crest-The decoration on an arrow.
Each archer has his own color scheme which identifies his particular arrow.
Crossbou-An old time weapon made
with a short steel or horn bow set crosswise on a stock.
Crow Bill-An arrow head of horn, as
used in Northern France.
Curl-A curl or swirl in the grain
of a bowstave.
Dead Shaft-An arrow that has no
life or spine. One that flies sluggishly.
Down Wind-When the wind is on the
archer's back.
Draw-Pulling an arrow the proper
distance.
Drawing Fingers-The fingers used in
pulling a bow-the first three of the drawing band.
Drift-The drift to either side of a
mark caused by a cross wind. End-Six arrows shot one after the other is an end.
Eye-The loop at one or both ends of
a bowstring.
Finger Tips-Leatber stalls or
protectors for the three tips of the shooting fingers.
Fistmele-The distance between
handle and string when the bow is strung. It is an old Saxon measurement. The
distance from the base of the hand when clenched to the tip of the extended
thumb.
Fletch-Putting the feathers on an
arrow.
Fletcher-An arrowmaker.
Flight Arrow-An arrow used for
distance shooting. It is long and light and has very small feathers.
Flight Shooting-Distance shooting;
to see how far you can send an arrow.
Flirt-An arrow flirts when it jumps
out of its steady line of flight.
Follow the String-When a bow takes
a set or bend in the drawing direction, it is said to have a set or to follow
the string.
Foot-The piece of hardwood spliced
to an arrowshaft.
Footed Arrow-An arrow which has
been footed with a piece of hardwood at the head end.
Fret-The same as a crisal.
Grip-Tbe same as a handle of a bow.
Handle-Where the bow is held when
being shot.
Head-The tip or head of the arrow.
He! He!-The call of ancient
archers. We get our "Hey, Bill" from it. Used the same as
"fore" in golf.
High Braced-When the distance
between handle and string of a strung bow is over seven inches. It is better to
high brace a bow than low brace one.
Holding-The slight pause just
before you loose the arrow. Home-An arrow is home when it is fully drawn and
ready to be shot.
Horns-The tips of a bow made of
cow, steer or stag horns in which the notches for the string are cut.
Jointed Bou-A carriage or two piece
bow.
Kick-A bow is said to kick when a
jar is felt after a shot. It is due to unevenly tillered limbs.
Long Bow-Any bow of 5'6" in
length or over.
Loose-To let go the string with the
shooting fingers; to shoot the arrow.
Nocks-The grooves cut in the wood
of the bow itself or in horn, fibre or metal tips, in which the loop of the
bowstring fits. The notch in arrows.
Nocking Point-That point on a
bowstring where the arrow is nocked or placed when you are ready to shoot.
Overbowed-A bow too strong for its
user.
Overshoot-To shoot beyond your
mark.
Overstrung-When the string is
entirely too short for the bow.
Pair-An archer's pair has come to
mean three, i.e., two arrows and a spare is a pair of arrows. Three feathers
are called a pair.
Petticoat-The rim of the target. It
is outside the last or white ring, and has no value in the count.
Pile-The head of an arrow-its
point.
Pin-A small black knot in yew or
osage.
Pinch-The same as crisal. Pin
Hole-The exact center of the gold of a target.
Point Blank-The range is said to be
point blank when the arrow flies flat to the mark.
Quiver-A receptacle for holding
arrows. They are of various shapes, sizes and materials. Some are worn at the
waist and some at the shoulder.
Reflexed Bow-A bow with the ends
reflexed or curved back in a graceful arc.
Release-To let the arrow and string
go; to shoot an arrow.
Round-The number of shots at given
distances, as in the American and York Rounds.
Rover-One who indulges in field
shooting or rovers.
Roving-The act of shooting over
fields and woodland with no particular target-stumps, trees, bunches of leaves,
etc., being the marks.
Run-When one of the strands in a
bowstring lets go the string is said to have a run.
Sap Wood-The wood right under the
bark. It is white in yew, about the same color as the heartwood in both osage
and lemonwood. Self Arrou-An arrow of only one piece of wood.
Self Bo@A bow made of one piece of
wood; a single stave.
Serving-Whipping or winding with
thread.
Shaft-The arrow.
Shaftment-That portion of the arrow
to which the feathers are glued.
Shake-A crack in a bowstave running
lengthwise with the grain.
Shooting Glove-A glove so made that
the three shooting fingers have protection across the tips.
Spine-That quality in an arrow that
permits it to get around the bow and straighten itself efficiently. Spine is
not stiffness alone, but some other elusive quality.
Steele-The shaft of an arrow; the
body of the arrow.
Tackle--All the equipment of an
archer-his bow, arrows, arm- guard, finger guards, quiver, etc.
Tiller-See Plate 7.
Toxophilite-One who loves, studies
and practices archery.
Turn-A bow is turned when it has a
twist to right or left of the string.
Underbowed-Too weak a bow for the
archer.
Upshot-A final round or return end.
A reckoning.
Vane-A piece of a feather.
Wand-A stick set up as a mark to
shoot at.
Weight-In actual grains, the weight
of an arrow. The number of pounds pull a bow has.
Whip Ended-A bow is said to be whip
ended when it is too thin or weak at the tips.
Whipping-A
wrapping with thread to protect the loop and middle of a bowstring.
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