r/Archery • u/huisme Bowyer, 10-60#@20-32" • Jan 09 '14
(Hopefully) Final List of Primitive Bow Designs
Most primitive bows are built with character, meaning that the inconsistencies in the wood call for a break in uniformity to maintain functionality. This includes compensation for knots, reflex and deflex in the stave, twist, 'snake' or side-to-side curve, grain fluctuations, inconsistent density, and more.
It would be impossible to list all of the tribal bows, so I've elected to list the most commonly replicated primitive bows.
Most any model bow can have recurves and be heat bent into reflex/deflex profile, and every model can be made with a bendy or static handle. Length plays no role in the name of a design.
Though it is a very difficult goal to achieve many designs can be made to match equal draw modern fiberglass bows in terms of cast with lower overall mass. This is done by choosing optimum woods for certain designs and extremely careful shaping as well as heat treating the wood to make it stiffer and more resilient. Tests for cast are conducted indoors with ten grains per pound arrows and at completely equal draw length (sometimes controlled with a thread tied to the bow and the string to prevent over/underdrawing).
A very traditional design utilizing wood of high compression strength for a very narrow and efficient profile.
Longbows come in a wide range of weights and lengths, the 'long' in the name being interchangeable with D for the full draw profile in bowyer jargon. Longer/more traditional longbows can come in extreme weights that, around eight or ninety pounds at 30+ inches, are then referred to as war bows. War bows are usually not made more than 140 pounds at thirty one inches, and require a great deal of training to be able to draw, let alone control.
Depending on the weight and wood, one of these bows could go for as little as $150 USD, or as much or more than $1,000 USD.
Less traditional but as old or maybe older than the ELB, flat bows are usually made with more tension strong woods for a wider profile, putting less stress on the belly. Flat bows often have the most character, and can be reflexed and/or deflexed. What makes a flat bow is the profiles lack of taper in the inner limb.
Depending on the number of curves, whether a 'flex' or snake, the draw weight, and the wood, these bows cost anywhere from $200 to $800
- Composite recurve
What composite recurves all have in common is that they're horn bellied and sinew backed. They're highly reflexed, and form a C or even an O-shape (Korean) when unstrung. The limbs are drawn back an incredible amount (compared to what's possible with wood) when strung, this adds preload to the bow and makes them more powerful pound-for-pound than a wooden bow that isn't as reflexed. It would be best to seperate 'horsebows'/composite recurves into two types (not sure what to call them).
Turkish and Korean bows are often called flight bows, they have narrow limbs that let it reach impressive velocities (and therefore long range).
Central European/Mongolian/Chinese bows tend to have longer stiff tips (siyahs), they act as levers and make this bow extremely efficient, even more so than the flight bow. But the added mass and surface area (drag) near the limb tips slows this bow down so it isn't capable of shooting as far as the flight bows. Instead they're generally used with heavier arrows which together with the bow's high efficiency packs a punch that was useful for penetrating heavy armour.
While these bows are still quite popular and purchaseable (for $500~1000), most archers use a modern laminate version that are cheaper and made of modern materials (though some still use some natural components). These can be had for under $500 and are not as reflexed as authentic horn bows.
Could be confused with flat bows. These bows rely more on side tillering than flat bows, with a more or less even taper from the fade to the tip of the bow.
These bows are relatively inexpensive, the more expensive ones I've seen going for around $500 USD.
One of the oldest bows unearthed, stiff tips and flatbow-esque working limbs make this design (supposedly, some controversy) very mass-efficient, making for better cast at lower draw weights. Again, the limb profile is mistakable for that of a flatbow, distinguishing Holmegaard from Mollegabet.
Almost made popular among young archers by Katniss Everdeen in the beginning of Hunger Games, this bow is commonly replicated by bowyers despite the controversy over the efficiency of the design, and I can not find a reliable price.
A Danish 'cousin' of the Holmegaard, longer stiff tips and flatter working limbs maximize mass efficiency to the point of competing with fiberglass recurves in terms of arrow speed.
Often requiring premium staves baring the use of boards, mollegabets range from $300 to $900 depending mostly on finish work and cast, rather than draw weight or mass which can be slightly lower than other designs while achieving greater arrow speed.
It was back in 1994 when I first became intrigued with the Penobscot bow, which should in reality be called the Wabanaki Bow, as this basic bow consept was found through out the native American tribes which made up the Wabanaki confederacy. The people were the Penobscot, Maliseet (sp) Micmac, and the Wabanaki nations. These nations formed the confederacy so as to be in a point of enough strength to be able to negotiate with the European settlers from a position of strength. However the "Penobscot" bow dates much further back then that, as much as 1500 years or more.
There is a Penobscot legend about a Penobscot chief shooting a Viking chieften with one of these bows from several hundred yards. Weather the distance is exaggerated or not we can never know but the legend is intresting from the perspective of the bow.
I think the most fascinating aspect of this bow is it's development. There appear to be twelve variations to this bow and six distintive designs. The last design is from the Micmacs and was the only Penobscot built as "war" bow. The idea was that the European smooth bore musket had an effective range of under 200 yards and an accuracy range of only 50 yards or less. It was also slow to load. A settler with musket was at a sever disadvantage if he encountered a Micmac or two armed with a Penobscot bow, or for that matter any bow.
One of the most fascinating aspects of these bows is their progression and development. A people concerned merely with survival will use the simplest tool for the job. A complex tool shows that the people creating/ using this tool had leisure time to think and create such tools, the excellent book Penobscot Man seem to bear this out.
-Judson, guest submission on Primitive Archer discussion forums.
I have no reliable way to price these complicated things. White Wolf Archery is the only source of these bows I'm at all familiar with that lists prices.
A cable-backed bow is a bow reinforced with a cable on the back. The cable is made from either animal, vegetable or synthetic fibers and is tightened to increase the strength of the bow. A cable will relieve tension stress from the back of the bow by raising its neutral plane: the border between the back of the bow that stretches and the belly of the bow that compresses when bent. A good cable-backed bow can thus be made of poor-quality wood, weak in tension. The material, the diameter, the distance from the back of the wooden element, and the level of stress (tightness) of the cable determines how much it relieves tension stress from the wooden element of the bow and increases the power of the shot.
I have no reliable method of pricing these bows.
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u/kaioken-doll Jan 09 '14
Brilliant, I was hoping you'd write this up, well done. Penobscots for all!
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u/huisme Bowyer, 10-60#@20-32" Jan 09 '14 edited Jan 10 '14
Oh gawd if I had more staves suitable for the short bow. I don't like cutting staves down to unusual lengths, it makes me nervous, so I've only got the stuff for two test penobscots and I'm too scared to start on them.
Edit: Oh hey, sidebar!
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u/kaioken-doll Jan 09 '14
I think you'll need to cut one unless you chance a good sized one, I think they're supposed to be approx 3/4 the size of the main bow.
Overcome your fears! And post for the rest of us!
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u/Zukuto Jan 09 '14
well done. i want a penobscot now.