Spine in the middle ages

Craftsman

New member
I was just wondering how much consideration would have been given to 'spine' back in the days when arrows actually meant life or death, eating or starving.
Has anyone done any research into this, considering home made for hunting, or mass production for war?

In the war situation I assume it was, " They are coming from that direction,,,everyone shoot that way!"
At least until it got up close and personal!
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
I've been told that spine wasn't measured for the longbow's arrows mainly because they are being mass produced and expected to only be used once. You have to remember that the warbow wasn't designed as an accurate weapon it was basically artillary where its main power came from having hundred of archers all collectively shooting a mass of arrows at a concentrated area. With arrows being churned out for the war effort I don't think spine was considered much at all just as long as they were the right length, fletched well and with a decent point (which I might point out is one of the factors for the arguements about the bows armour penertration power, whether the point was good steel or cheap iron)
 

DavidH

New member
I'm guessing they just took a shaft, bent it a bit and graded it just by feel, but who knows?
 

lbp121

Member
I expect they used to bare shaft tune!
Seriously though, it isn't impossible they had some idea about this. If for example they had a trial shot of a shaft size without fletching and it flew well, then it would be worth them making a few hundred up out of the same diameter shafts. They clearly wouldn't waste time making shafts which may break on release or career off to one side.
Shoot me down on this idea by all means but please wait for the whistle!
 

DavidH

New member
wouldn't it be wonderful to travel back in time and find out the true facts and whether those war bows really were that heavy;) I just hope the Tadis lands me on the English lines though...
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
the main reason I doubt arrows were spined is the fact that archers to begin with were basic milita, troops levied from the general populus. Who have been 'trained' by laws demanding they practice, and by equiped again by law depending on what income you had you must have a certain number of bows made from certain materials.
So basically you were called up and took your bow and whatever weapons/armour you could lay your hands on, you would probably take a bundle of arrows but after the first battle those would have been long spent so you would have been issued with more made mass production from all over the country. In battle you aren't going to umm and ahh on what spine your arrows are you'll be going "give me some more arrows". So you could probably get one guy shooting an 80lb longbow using the same arrows as another shooting 120lb bow.
True there probably were some people who took their archery very seriously as like with jousting/swordsmanship etc you could probably win money at archery torniments, but those archers would probably make their own arrows and pick adn choose their best ones to work with their bows, for competition and others for general hunting
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I expect they used to bare shaft tune!
Seriously though, it isn't impossible they had some idea about this. If for example they had a trial shot of a shaft size without fletching and it flew well, then it would be worth them making a few hundred up out of the same diameter shafts. They clearly wouldn't waste time making shafts which may break on release or career off to one side.
Shoot me down on this idea by all means but please wait for the whistle!
I know very little about the history of longbow, but i guess you are right. I have a feeling that these people knew far more than we give them credit for. Perhaps they didn't know "why" some things happened as they did; but I would bet that they used what they did know, to their advantage.
When life is hard, costly mistakes are just too serious.
 

GoneBad

Member
I reckon that a fifth generation fletcher who has been making arrows 18 hours a day for twenty years could smell which branch would give which spine
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I reckon that a fifth generation fletcher who has been making arrows 18 hours a day for twenty years could smell which branch would give which spine
I would say something similar." A fifth generation fletcher who has been making arrows 18 hours a day for twenty years could smell which pine."
 
Heavy bow shooting a stiff arrow, spine starts to get easier to tune to the bow I've found, so they were in luck unless anyone on the lines was shooting a 30 pounder..

But similarly, why are we leaving spine with the fletchers, the archers may not have all been professional soldiers but the bow and arrow was a part of their life, if there are crates of arrows to choose from, why wouldn't they have selected what they wanted, or traded between themselves when issued, like swapping your rat-packs today because you don't like the stew and dumplings..
 
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