[English Longbow] DIY longbow stand

Ruscombe Archer

New member
I have looked at a number of homemade longbow stands with great interest as the modern alloy stand that I bought for my first recurve bow just didnt seem right. I bought one of these from Ebay and was impressed with the quality



However, my precious bow seemed awfully low to the ground causing me great anxiety when off down the field collecting (or looking for) my arrows.

I experimented with a few upright designs but wasnt really happy with the vertical approach so looked to see how I could improve on the low level one Id bought quickly and cheaply.

I spotted a similar low level stand on ebay and bought it for under ?10. Next I saw a small fold up wooden stool in a DIY shop for ?5. I sawed the sides of the stool and screwed the stand to the top then gave the whole thing a few coates of varnish. A cheapo leather belt pouch to keep tabs/bowstringer etc in completed the project.



Folds up nice and small but unfolds to hold the bow at a nice safe height



Theres enough room to stand a glass of sherry on the side to!

Just thought that I would share that with you on this rainy Saturday afternoon

RA
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
It looks very nice, though out of interest how does it cope in strong winds and uneven ground? Or is that test yet to come?
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
It looks very nice, though out of interest how does it cope in strong winds and uneven ground? Or is that test yet to come?
Good question!

Its mainly for use behind the shooting line at my club - which is a graveled area. The legs sink down a little into the gravel so its pretty stable. I suspect that it wouldnt be so on grass - especially if its long. It wouldnt be very suitable for field archery (which I hope to try in due course) but I guess that there are lots of things to rest your bow against in the woods!

RA
 

BillM

Member
A longbow archer at Skye had a stand which was merely a 4' length of broom handle with an old chisel fixed to one end (handle removed and glued to the stick). That end pushed into the ground at a slight angle. About 3" from the bottom of the stick there were small leather cups screwed on each side and near the top there were small cup hooks. The bow sat into the cups and the string slotted into the cup hooks. The bow just hung at a slight angle and was easy to get when needed.

BillM
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
Just asking because I like the look of it (might borrow the idea), but it looks a little top heavy so in a strong wind it might topple, which if its got the bow on I don't think I have to tell you about the panic when watching it fall. If it is stable at your clubs gravel then thats good, just if you took it to other clubs where it would sit on grass it might need some tent pins or something kept in the leather pouch for extra strength.
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
Just asking because I like the look of it (might borrow the idea), but it looks a little top heavy so in a strong wind it might topple, which if its got the bow on I don't think I have to tell you about the panic when watching it fall. If it is stable at your clubs gravel then thats good, just if you took it to other clubs where it would sit on grass it might need some tent pins or something kept in the leather pouch for extra strength.
Good point

I might experiment and drill two holes through the legs at one end - at an angle to allow 2 thin tent pegs to be pushed through. The holes wouldnt need to be very large.

RA
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
A longbow archer at Skye had a stand which was merely a 4' length of broom handle with an old chisel fixed to one end (handle removed and glued to the stick). That end pushed into the ground at a slight angle. About 3" from the bottom of the stick there were small leather cups screwed on each side and near the top there were small cup hooks. The bow sat into the cups and the string slotted into the cup hooks. The bow just hung at a slight angle and was easy to get when needed.

BillM
This is on my list of projects!

I have a nice bit of Hazel in the garage that I am going to varnish and add a spike to for this purpose. The top forms a nice 'V' which I will add some felt to. I will figure out an appropraite holder for the bottom. I stripped the bark off it and sanded it down a couple of weeks ago so it wont take much more work.

RA
 
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