String Follow Long bow ?

[RRock]

What exactly is string follow? Why would somebody want that design or why would they not. What are some examples of string follow bows.

Thanks

[JRY309]

A string follow longbow the limbs are slightly deflexed toward the shooter.An example is a Northern Mist Shelton and Craig at Howard Hill archery will build one also.I believe David Miller of Miller longbows builds them as well as John Schulz used to build some.Some believe it is the most forgiving design but is most likely not as fast.

[Andrew Wesley]

from what i know, sting follow keeps hand shock down but you loose arrow speed as well, not sure it does anything else.
 
i have a bow that shoots beautifully with about 3/4 inch of follow. and it shoots smooth to.

like most thing's "good in moderation"
to much and your going to be able to walk faster than your arrow flys...

[john fletch]

From my understanding string follow is the natural tendency of wood to beak down in cellular structure and weaken over time.  That will cause the limbs to take an increasing bend towards the shooter and weaken the draw weight.  Bowyers of old learned to use some elements of reflecx and deflex to overcome this.  They also used various natural backing materials (sinew, horn, other woods - both wrapped and glued) to help overcome this.  With the advent and use of fiberglass, which is much more resiliant, the problem large;y goes away.

I would think that a bowyer who use a reflex or deflex design in their modern longbow would call it just that.  String follow to me is a derogatory term.

I seem to be getting behind based on a lot of terminaolgy I see on this site.  Is there a dictionary or index that is available to see if I am completely out of touch?

I learned my terms about 45 years ago and never really changed what I understood.

[Chuck Hoopes]

I could be wrong, but Iam fairly sure it was H. Hill who said "a bow which follows the string, is the most accerate."  I figure,he's a guy who likely knew something about shooting bows etc. Ive made a doz. self-bows--   all wound up w, 1-3" of string follow.  They're all fine bows, not rockets mind you, but I have no reservations about hunting w them.  Iam just as accerate w/  them as my production glass recurve, target shooting up to 25-30yds. In hunting  situations I perfer these string following selfbows--just seem to go where you look. Also, Ive always found STRAIGHT( zero reflex) PRODUCTION bows to be more forgiving --They're just more straight foward and to the point. Better limb stability, more forgiving than any of the reflexed Longbows I have owned.  Some string follow is not a bad thing IMO--- Martin use to make a Straight limbed 68" longbow, that looked like a bow that had string follow when it was strung.  It was not fast, but it was absolutely the best hunting bow I have ever owned over the last 40yrs.  You probably can find a used one- it was called the ML 17 or 18.  Pretty sure ML18, 68".   Seems like everybody has gone,speed reflex crazy-Bowyers hardily ever make these straight bows anymore. Can't blame them - these 68-70" straight longbows are a tough sell in the archery community today.

[SpankyNeal]

Selfbows take a certain amount of "set" while string follow is designed into the bow, at least that is the way I understand the terminology these days. I believe Howard prefered reflex (limbs bent away from the archer) on his big game bows, but prefered string follow bows for shooting under 25 yards. I have bows with heavy reflex, straight, and varying degrees of string follow and they do shoot differently. The string follow bows are the softest in the hand, and are a little more accurate for me anyways, but the amount of cast lost depends upon the design of the bow. I currently have a Pete George and a David Miller with string follow, and I previously owned a Northern Mist Shelton and I can honestly say that the speed difference is negligable at hunting ranges. I will gladly trade a couple of fps for the sweet shooting qualities of these bows anyday! The builders I know of who currently build string follow bows are Craig at Howard Hill, Sunset Hill, David Miller, and Northern Mist but there may be a few others. I also have a St. Charles Yew selfbow that has some set, and it is one sweet shooter as well. Regards...Ken