holmegaard bows

[jerv]

she's a beauty! how does she shoot?
I have access to wild turkey feathers let me know if you want some they are full flight feathers and are pretty pricey. They are sold in a native american "craft" shop near me. I am going to use them on the otzi arrows I am making but would be reluctant to use them for normal use arrows as they are really well camouflaged and would be a total pain to find.
I use 5" white shields with a bit of whipping they look wild enough. being white you can pass them off as goose or swan. I have started using black feathers on my atlatl darts (thanx bent stick!) as i can pass them off as crow or some such. I think crow flights would make pretty good fletchings.

 

[chrisanson]

very, very nice bow jojo
i hope to make one similar one ov the days.
again very nice
Chris

 

[jojo]

Hi Jerv. Thank you. I would love a few wild turkey feathers! Perhaps you could PM and let me know if there is anything you want for them I am not sure I would dare use them and risk loosing them!!
Do you live in the uk? I can't think were we would get them here Although I am not an archery expert, I was quite chuffed with this bow. It my second one and I think its quite good. It kicks a bit, I think I did not balance the two limbs perfectely, and it has taken a couple of inches of string follow. I also think the arrows I have used did not have big enough fletchings, I was using precut one and they were too small

also I think some heavier arrows would be better. I have made a few shafts of some hickory that I will fletch with bigger feather. Someone has a small holding and I should hopefully get some turkey flight feather, I think there are white. I have also found some red deer sinew and want to use that to tie the feathers. I still have a lot to learn

 

[jerv]

PM sent. Otzi used two human hairs to bind the feathers on his arrows. To me (and maybe him) sinew is too precious to be used in such a way. neolithic people seem to have been addicted (maybe literaly) to using birch tar as an adhesive. Pine and bluebell maybe simpler and easier but remember the ancestors lived and died by the equipment they made and used.

 

[jojo]

Thanks Chris. When I say heavier arrows would be better I mean I think they would be a better match to this bow. It's quite slow compared to other bows I have made. I have a semi-longbow and that's much better matched to light arrows and smaller fletchings.
The tips of the Meare heath are quite wide and therefore heavier and slower. Although I have a bandsaw and all sorts of tools, I am more interested these days in using the minimum of hand tools. I have a couple of bows in the making (why ho why do we have to spend so much time working ) the next one will be made with just an axe and knife. . but they are all experience under the belt.

I'll have to take some more pictures of the other bows and post these!

I think people of the past would have used whatever they considered the best for their purpose, within what was available to them. Native American used sinew for binding fletchings on their arrows. But then they probably were not as good as I am at loosing my arrows in the long grass

 

[Dave Budd]

The thing to remember about most of the modern repros of the mere heath bow is that they are made by modern bowyers, with modern techniques.

For example the original was:

- entirely heartwood of yew
- knots were carved flush to the bow with no extra 'meat' around them
- thinner than many repros
- the tree wasn't large enough to get the flat abck that it has (ie the crown was
carved away)
- backed with rawhide (maybe sinew, but think rawhide) to aid cast and add strength

All these factors make it very different to those made using normal techniques

I wish I could find the photocopy of the article where his results were published. He had speeds for various bows of his as well as construction details :notworthy

if anybody knows of a competant bowyer who would be interested in running a course in my woods, please let me know! I'll contact the SPTA soon and see if anybdy there remembers me!

 

[jerv]

i'd be intersted to see the article as well. but who is he?
i'd be interested to know how well a rawhide or sinew backed bow would work in our wet country.