[English Longbow] DIY Longbow stand - where do I get one of these?

Ruscombe Archer

New member
Evening all

Flushed with success from my DIY portable field stand I am now working on my next one. More traditional this time and made of hazel with a nice 'v' in the top. Im stuck on where to source a spike from though (see what I did there?)

Anyway, Im after a spike like this to install into the bottom of my timber



Ive been on Google, looked at Screw Fix and asked then maintenance chap at work but am none the wiser

Any ideas?

Thanks

RA
 

Chidokan

New member
couple of ways you could make one up.... get the biggest nail you can find, drill wood to suit, then epoxy it in. I note people like B&Q are starting to stock odd bits of steel rod and sheet metal... get a short piece, stick it in a vice, file up a point leave the other end blunt and then glue blunt end into wood as above...
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
Cant see any nails longer than 6" and I reckon that I need something at least 8" at least

I reckon your right, its a case of getting a hold of some steel rod and fashioning one end into a spike

RA
 
M

Moose

Guest
Got one of these stands and is is a 6" nail

courtesy of moose on the loose
 

Bald Eagle

New member
I made one of these for a guy with an antler on the top, he had 3 longbows. The base had a 10" piece of steel rod,sharpened and Araldited into the base of the stick, then I fitted a thick brass ferrule to stop the stick from cracking at the base.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Watch out for the Old Bill, a long wooden stick with a 6" spike would certainly count as an offensive weapon, unless used for prodding CEOs of the big banks.
Del
 

moo rat

New member
I made mine using a section of a rod rest(the cheap kind) almost all fishing tackle shops have them.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
How about making the stand in two parts? One pole and one spike. When in transit, the spike fits down inside the pole. In use, drop out the spike, and fit it onto the pole.
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
Thanks folks

I think that I will install a steel rod sharpened at one end into a hole drilled into the wood

In the meantime I have made a freestanding one out of a similar 4' length of hazel. The base was ?1 from the local garden centre and had a large hole in the middle (for a Christmas tree I believe). I screwed the hazel into place from underneath and then packed out the space left around it in the hole with fillets of hazel before poring araldite into the gaps to make everything solid. A 1/2" hole towards the edge of the base accomodates one end of the bow. The whole thing needs sanding and varnishing. Its pretty stable on a hard surface or gravel but less so on grass - though a couple of long steel tent pegs place at the sides make it pretty solid.




All in all Im quite please, time for a pint I reckon



RA
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
When I made mine, I aquired the rod from one of those galvanized fences. It was broken and have a few rods on teh ground which after a bit of work with a dremil was cut to the right size. unfortunatly at my club I discoverd it has a hard base layer not far under the grass, so needs some prodding now and again to find a deep enough bit of turf.
 

Shropshire Lad

New member
Hi R.A
Food for thought, the first one I made was a two handed sword with the hand crossguard forming the bow rest, the one I use now is a war hammer with the head forming the bow rest, both from hardwood and in keeping with the longbow.

Regards
S.L
 

cccc

New member
Mine use a 9 inch nail that I cut the head of and stick with e-poxy resin to the shaft of the stand.

Easy to do - pics here

They dig in well even in wet ( like we have at present ) soil and are easy to make. I have just completed a new stand but I havent photographed it yet :) Shout if you want "plans".
 

cccc

New member
Mine use a 9 inch nail that I cut the head of and stick with e-poxy resin to the shaft of the stand.

Easy to do - pics here

They dig in well even in wet ( like we have at present ) soil and are easy to make. I have just completed a new stand but I havent photographed it yet :) Shout if you want "plans".
 

Ruscombe Archer

New member
Mine use a 9 inch nail that I cut the head of and stick with e-poxy resin to the shaft of the stand.

Easy to do - pics here

They dig in well even in wet ( like we have at present ) soil and are easy to make. I have just completed a new stand but I havent photographed it yet :) Shout if you want "plans".
Looks good Chris - its given me a few ideas. I didnt know that you could buy 9" nails - must track some down! Following some intensive gardening the other week I have a good supply of hazel branches to experiment with

RA
 

cccc

New member
Sounds good RA, I will have to measure the nails to check them, but I think they were just the longest ones I could find at B&Q. I have seen tent pegs used as well as thick steel tube / wire.

Good luck and post the work on here !!!! There always seems to be an interest in these stands :)
 

philhoney

New member
Hi,
Is there a car breakers anywhere near you? If so, see if they'll give you a non working hatchback or estate car strut. The central rod is perfect for what you want and if it's u/s they will be glad to get rid of it.
Phil
 
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