long bow styles

[Frosty the Bowman]

OK, so I need some input.
What are the various styles of long Bows one can build.

What are the differences, and benifits or advantages of each?

Also what id the simplest style for a beginer to work on?

I have read some, but maybe you guys can describe or even show me pictures so it all make smore sense to me.

Thanks

[psychmonky]

Do you mean the differences between a hill style and a R/D and mild R/D and a string follow bow?

Or do you mean the difference between glass bows and self bows and laminated wood bows?

You pose a very open ended question. My suggestion is to READ all you can here and wherever else you can. A lot of this info will make itself known to you as your understanding increases.

Oh and I would definitely suggest a couple of board bows first. The materials are easy to find and pretty inexpensive.

[So-Mo Archer]

For a first timer, the cheapest and easiest is a pyramid board bow. 4est Trekker had a great build along on the how to page here for this style. FWIW.

Other styles include the English Longbow (ELB) which bends through the handle and is skinny. There are flatbows, Hill style (straight limb with a riser applied), and what I call American Longbows that seem to combine the ELB with a flatbow (wide limbs with a narrow riser).

Just my two cents, but I know a lot of the more experienced bowyers on here would know more styles and have pics and better descriptions than I.

Good luck to you, brother, and keep us posted.

[Frosty the Bowman]

What I am referning to is the former stated by Pyshcmonky, the differnence between an american style, a hill style, one with verying amounts of R/D.

Some pics would be great, or suggestions on where to look to see comparison shots like that.

This is not an area i have done my homework in yet.

Matt, I have read that thread multiple times, and that will probably be my first. after being advised to lay off the longbows for now.

Now just down to wood choice, what price difference is.

I was aking for future projects, always gotta be learning something new.

Thanks

[Black Mockingbird]

Alright..ill say it...stop worrying about a bazillion different bow possibilities and just start making one already...asking questions and readings answers and books is great and recommended to get a basic understanding of things...but you can read and ask questions till your blue in the face and won't truly understand until you get your feet wet and jump on in and make bows. This is an endeavor that doing is how you are gonna learn...and the rest will come with time and more experience.....focus on the one thing and forget the rest and go do it...so go get started on that pyramid. I'm not trying to be a jerk,just trying to impart what I have learned and seen many many people just starting out who have so many questions and wanna know it all,all at once...well.sorry but its not gonna happen till you start making and trying them all...then you'll understand.

[timbermoose]

Black Mockingbird said it. just jump in and go from there. i started with red oak from homedepot, flatbow, pyramid and elb all at the same time. couldn't decide what to work on so i spent a little time on each. 2 blew at tillering and one is still being shot, the pyramid has lived for 6 years now being shot by a stumper in bc. regardless, start with one style and go from there.

[Frosty the Bowman]

Black Mockingbird,

You are not a jerk by a long shot.

So no worries.

Thanks for the advice, I will do the best to head it. But please forgive me if I slip up now and again as other then 2 books, you guys are the only place I can ask my questions to, or at least the only place that would have an answer. My dog listens, but never comes up with an answer, just kinda truns his head and stares or rests it on my leg.

Thanks

[Roy from Pa]

Black Mockingbird,

You are not a jerk by a long shot.

WRONG Frosty Boy. I know the jerk, he has been to my shop 2 or 3 times now. He doesn't know nuffen bout maken bows either:) LOL

Well I feel better now, and I will say that Black Birdy knows his stuff on bows and I have learned a few things from him.

[LittleBen]

Kevin, I think we're all dying to see what your first bow looks like. Time to get some blisters on your palms and give those fingertips a break from typing.
I'm obviously just joking around, but just go for it man. Get in there and scrape some wood. Bows are like potato chips and youll have ton before you know it. Dont worry about grabbing the perfect chip from the bag first.

[Black Mockingbird]

Na...Roy's right..he called me out...I don't know nuffen  

[jsweka]

Frosty - To your original question...below is this artist's rendition of some longbow types as judged by looking at their unstrung profiles.  I'm talking glass laminated bows here.

 

Fastest = r/d
Most stable = deflex
Easiest to build = straight (but often ends up with a touch of deflex by the time your done)

[Frosty the Bowman]

Roy my boy, thanks for comeing to my aid     That is what I needed, a drawing that looks like its done in crayons, right up my alley    

Seriouslly, someone asked when I talked about what I wanted to do for my first build what style longbow I was shooting to make.
I had no idea, as I had not investigated or studied them enough to know something so simple.

Now I have the info to compare these styles, not just a name.
In regards to the R/D Hybrid, the Reflex, and the Deflex/String follow, where is the belly and back on each so I properly orient this in my mind as I look at this.
If I am understanding this right on the R/D when unstrung (as in pic) the limbs like a recurve curve away from the shooter, is that right?
Same with the Reflex?
Oppisite with the Deflex?

Please let me know if I got it right, if not straighten me out please.

Thanks

[jsweka]

Yep - You got it right.  The belly is down in my drawing above.

[So-Mo Archer]

Now you've got it, brother! Sorry that I didn't understand you before. But I will add that Roy, Black Mockingbird, and the rest are right:  you just need to do it, and learn a you go. Good luck bud, and let us know how it goes.

[k-hat]

Yup, ditto all the above.  A Meare-Heath style is a great first start, or a pyramid ala 4estrekker's buildalong.  Something overbuilt and simple will teach you a great deal your first go-round.  Red oak is prime for both of these.  Ferret's board bow build along is a good one as well (don't know if it's on this site, google it though and you'll find it.)

Don't worry so much about profiles and performance right now, just make a shooter.  The buildalong's above will result in the necessary profile if you follow'm.

After you make your first shooter is the time to evaluate your work and see where you could have done better with that particular style, and then you'll also have something to compare when contemplating other styles.

I've made a meare-heath, a bendy american flat/longbow, a couple of simple stiff-handled flatbows, a couple of what you might call "performance" american flatbows, a couple pyramid bows, a recurve, and now an ELB (not to mention a few experiments just for fun).  Learned a ton from each one from beginning to end.  Each one shows me how much more i have to learn.  

Think i'm out of air and my fingers are tired.  Pick one and run with it.  Learn all you can about that style while you build it, post on TG for input, rinse, repeat  

[Frosty the Bowman]

K-Hat,

Thanks for the encouragment.

What is the "Meare-Heath" style you mentioned, I deffinatlly have not run accross that one before.

Thanks,

Kevin

[k-hat]

It is a historical primitive bow that is quite overbuilt (that is, it is understrained, could actually handle a longer draw that it is intended for.)  it is long, has a narrow handle with wide limbs that are parallel for most of the length, and tapers in width the last 6 inches or so.  I'm sure there are some on here if you searched.  It's not a fast bow but it can be powerful, smooth, easy to shoot, and is very durable.  It's a good introduction to bowmaking in my opinion.  Here is a link to another site with a really good pic of one:

 http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/39768/Meare-Heath-Bow?page=2#.UPbrG1IvBRo

I think it was elaborated upon in one of the Traditional Bowyers Bible editions.

[LittleBen]

In my humble, and generally misled opinion, the pyramid style bow is the easiest, best, fastest, quickest to make, generally bestest longbow style around.

Cant go wrong, it's easy as it gets to tiller, and it works. I think a long and fairly narrow pyramid bow looks pretty cool too.

[k-hat]

Mmm, i wouldn't say can't go wrong!!  Either one properly overbuilt will almost guarantee a durable shooter, but there's plenty of pyramids i've seen go wrong.  Pyramids are good for a "quick" bow, but an "easy to tiller bow" won't teach as much about tillering.  It just depends on what ya want.  

The key is just get in there and do it, even breaking one teaches a lot.

[Frosty the Bowman]

That is very cool looking, not sure about all the rawhide wrapping, but I like the style. It appears very similar to the pyrimid style, what would the actual differences be?

Thanks for sharing about something new.