My first Warbow!

[bearded bowyer]

Hi all
Whilst Del is busy exploding warbows, I finally thought the time had come for me to have a go. I normally shoot 50lbs, but dream of the days of old. (oh, and a crazy Welshman has asked if I can make him one, and he has offered me money!!!) but the first one is for me.
I have very quickly discovered that this is WAY different from any other bow I have made.
I glued up a basic hickory and lemonwood stave, hoping this is most likely to survive my amateur approach, and set to work.
for those of you who havn't had a chance to play with lemonwood, it is looovely. It planes, spokeshaves and scrapes like butter.
I got the stave roughly how I wanted it over the weekend and put a long string on it. ( pictures to follow)
good sweeping curve evenly through both limbs.

Got it bending nicely to a fistmele, and tried to string it like I would normally string a 50lb bow, using the push pull method. I tried and tried to string it untill my back went ping! then cut a couple of extra nocks and made a stringer. ouch!

BUT I dont have a winch system so, hanging off the bottom of my tillering string (good traction for my back) I managed to weigh it at 76lbs at 24 inches, with a really even sweep in both limbs. I just couldn't get it any further!
I thought I would take it off and have a test shoot with it and ran into 2 problems:

1/ I could only draw it about 22 inches. ( I normally 30 inches to my drawing point at the corner of my mouth.)

2/ The string is no where near center handle. I could use it as a 'modified cut through' but really want the string center.


Sooooo......to address point 1/ I assume I just need to keep using it, trying to pull it further back, untill eventually I can achieve full draw.

And for 2/ I need to remove wood from the side I want the string to go towards.



BUT, how in the heck do I make a pulley to check it beyond 24 inches.

Over to all of you!

Bent double with sciatica.

Matt

 

[WillS]

Be careful removing wood to line up the string. Make sure you've exhausted the possibility of pushing the loops round the nocks until they're lining up. Doesn't matter if the string loops don't sit dead straight in the nock as that can all be adjusted later.

76#@24 should equate to close to 90#@30 so if you're used to 50# that will take you a while. Be certain you're using a proper warbow technique otherwise you'll quickly find that your back and shoulders don't want to stay attached to your body for very long. It's all about exaggerated rotation of the shoulder, pushing the bow forward away from you as much as pulling the string back. Your aim is to get inside the bow, using chest expansion to open your arms.

It's about as different from shooting upright Victorian target style as you can get!

As for the tillering tree, a sturdy wall will do, drill a big bolt through the wall and use it to attach a simple pulley system, which runs back to a boat winch where you can safely winch the bow down. I know that most pictures show bows being tillered string down, bow up but I find for a heavy bow it's far better the other way, the same way Steve Stratton or he-who-must-not-be-named does it. You get a more realistic feel by winching the bow itself down, and the curve is easier to see that way as well.

 

[bearded bowyer]

Ok
after finishing it off, Ive managed to hang off it to 28 inches. It comes in at 80 lbs. just cant get it to bend any further. Im going to take an inch off each end before putting on the horn nocks. That should allow for some settling.
Do the boat winches go both ways? ie controll the string back to fistmele from full draw?

 

[WillS]

Why are you piking it? You lose some length when fitting horn nocks anyway, and it's already a fairly high weight. Shortening will increase the drawweight further. How long is it at the moment?

Yep the boat winches have three settings - clockwise only, both directions, anticlockwise only.

 

[bearded bowyer]

Thanks
Am I right in thinking that it has be be 80lbs to technically be a warbow?
I assuming it will loose some draw weight initially so dont want it to drop below 80...
It's currently 76 inches.

 

[WillS]

80#@32 is the minimum weight to enter any EWBS society shoots. That's just a set of rules put in place by one group. To me, if it can shoot a heavy war arrow properly, it's a warbow.

I think you've got the right idea though. It will settle a bit, so piking if it's 76" isn't a bad plan. You may just struggle to make 80#@32 though once it's been shot in. Wouldnt have thought so though. Got any pics?

 

[Deleted member 7654]

DON'T SHORTEN IT!... (yet)
You can always do it later. IMO shortening bows to chase draw weight is usually a fools errand. Better havethe extra length and safety factor in a first try at a warbow.
Anyhow, don't chase other people's deffinition of 'warbow', a lower weight will allow you and your mate to build up slowly... most people over specify the weight they want.
Always leave the tips wide with temporary nocks to allow adjustment for sideways bend, string line probs.
Make small adjsutments and remove small amounts of wood. Always do half of what you think you should else it can all of a sudden run away with you.
A washing line pulley from B&Q or the internet, a foot or so from the bottom of the wall and a trailer/boat winch does the job.
.A good trick is to cut the winch handle down as they are a tad long and cumbersome.
Even without the winch, having a pulley allow you to really heave on the rope with both hands (wrapping it round a suitable stick (say a piece of exploded warbow helps)
Good luck
Del

 

[bearded bowyer]

Thanks chaps
I've glued some horn nocks onto it to day and will adjust the string alignment, and then shoot it in over the next few days. then weigh it.
Ive ordered a boat winch....should be interesting anchoring it somewhere. Is it possible to just bold it into the concrete floor? ( i havnt got it yet).
Ive already got a ground anchored pulley set up directly under the tillering jig. Ive just never needed it befor.

I think it should comfortably be over 80lbs at 32# Its just nice to know its official, is some anally jobs-worth asks. (funny how often they do).
Do you guys have any training/ technique tips to help me build up to it? is there any online info?

I will post pics when it looks half decent.
Thanks again

Matt

 

[WillS]

There is surprisingly little stuff online to help with warbow technique - it's almost a guarded secret!

My best advice is to watch as many videos on YouTube as you can find. Watch guys like Joe Gibbs, Steve Stratton, Mark Stretton, Glennan Carnie, Jake Fenwick and so on. Everybody has a different technique, but the overall idea is to use maximum rotation to wind the string back, while pushing the bow forward smoothly. If you try and pull the string of a warbow back 32" you'll never get there unless you're built like Tom Hardy in Bronson.

Always get the whole body into the bow, sit deep into the draw and roll the shoulder back while pushing forward.

Distance Shooting with an English Warbow - Video 6 - YouTube

Joe Gibbs, English Warbow Society, Quarter Pounder Record at Godington House - YouTube

There's two to get you started! G'luck!

 

[Deleted member 7654]

Thanks chaps
I've glued some horn nocks onto it to day and will adjust the string alignment, and then shoot it in over the next few days. then weigh it.
Ive ordered a boat winch....should be interesting anchoring it somewhere. Is it possible to just bold it into the concrete floor? ( i havnt got it yet).
Ive already got a ground anchored pulley set up directly under the tillering jig. Ive just never needed it befor.

I think it should comfortably be over 80lbs at 32# Its just nice to know its official, is some anally jobs-worth asks. (funny how often they do).
Do you guys have any training/ technique tips to help me build up to it? is there any online info?

I will post pics when it looks half decent.
Thanks again

Matt

If you've got a ground anchored pulley the winch can be free standing as the tension will pull it towards the floor and the wall.
Mine is bolted onto a wooden stand and as the tension increases it pulls it tight towards the pulley which is bolted to the wall.
I'll post a pic if you want.
Pulling a heavy bow:- Draw high in line with your eye and then bring the right elbow down and back in an arc like an 'over centre lever' the elbow moves say 8" in an arc but only draws an extra 2", that's effectively a 4:1 extra leverage compared with trying to pull straight back. Also once at you full draw, inflating your chest can gain some extra.
Del

 

[bearded bowyer]

Great advice on shooting Del!
I found start draw at 50-60 degrees and bring down, I can Get full 32" draw from it! Bit achy today though, but its a good ache of muscles adjusting and getting stronger. I shot about 70 arrows through it. Now just need to get the aim sorted out.
Just putting finishing touches to it, then will post a pic. Ground anchored winch is now up and running.....Why didn't I do it 2 years ago??? so much easier to see the bow bending etc. The winch is about 8 foot from my tiller so I get a really good view of the bow. Will still get some saftey glasses though...just in case.
I find the prospect of making increasingly powerful bows VERY exciting.....and trying to shoot them.
Who would have thought I would get into warbows.......

Will post pics as soon as the varnish has dried.

Thanks again chaps
Matt

 

[WillS]

Get yourself a yew stave. That's where the fun really starts

 

[Deleted member 7654]

Excellent! Well done that man.
What I found funny was the way my aim slowly came in on it's own. Initially the 32" draw felt like I was anchoring on my right armpit and I was spraying 'em everywhere! They slowly started zoning in onto my little white marker after a while without any conscious effort (I was just banging arrows through it to shoot it in)
Look forward to the pics.
Del

 

[bearded bowyer]

Thanks wills I've got a huge quarter trunk from a yew tree that someone gave me, but I daren't touch it just in case I ruin it!....
I was going to wait a year or so more until I really feel I won't wreck it... But I think the time may have come to....gasp.... To start looking at it.
my knees have just buckled....

 

[WillS]

When was it cut? If theres any wood that truly benefits from a good year or two of seasoning it's yew.

 

[bearded bowyer]

Here she is. weighing in at exactly 90lbs at 32". 76 "long. Just like the royals, I am her proud dad. Nick named 'Big Bertha, already!

I inlayed a piece of mahogany just to stop the arrows marking the handle, and bound the handle with a simple leather thong. I can feel an itch beginning to make a more powerful one.......Is this the beginnings of an obsession........

As to the yew, I dont know when it was cut. It just arrived home with my wife one day. I think its probably best to just let it sit for 2 years. I am in no hurry.

 

[WillS]

Looks really, really nice! Very good work mate. Have you got any pics of it at full draw, or on the tiller?

Welcome to the madness and addiction that is chasing the perfect warbow

 

[Deleted member 7654]

I wish my wife would do that
YOu could stick a moisture meter in it to give you some idea and take a year or so to mark it out.
Be sure to write the date on it now! Else you'll forget exactly when you got it.
Del

 

[bearded bowyer]

Here she is again.
On the tiller at 32" Ive turned the photo on its side, I find it easier to see it this way. Please excuse the bad shadowing under the limbs, I need to address lighting direction.

And here I am shooting her. My eyebrows are raised because I am grunting to my son " take the photo now....now....hurry up!"


A very sweet shooting bow indeed. Roll on 180lb bow:cheerful:

 

[WillS]

Very nice! If you don't mind me offering a quick tip for next time, try and get the outer limbs to move a tad more. It looks like the middle is bending quite a lot, and the tips are slightly hesitate to bend. It's not by much, and for some it's probably fine but my eyes are telling me those tips are a bit stiff.

Gorgeous bow though, and very impressive for a first warbow!