Hill coined the term American semi-logbow. The following passage is taken from Hunting the hard Way p. 91.
"There are three distinct types of bows, the straight-end longbow, the short flat bow, and the composite or self recurve bow. Besides these main types there are many bastard designs that may have some feature of one or all of the other types. Of all the varying designs and combinations of features there has been only one bow developed in modern times that makes a better bunting bow than the conventional English longbow, and that is the American semi-longbow.
This modern type is not quite so long as its English prototype, but is a little wider and considerably flatter. At that, the American semi-long is not so flat as the American Indian short bow, and many times bowyers make the semi-long bow with recurved ends. However, the recurved ends make it too sensitive for a good hunting weapon."
yup, checked my copy, yer absolutely right! howard labeled it as an ASL. a dubious name because there's nothing "semi" about it with regards to its parentage, the ELB.
it was l.e. stemmler and others that called it what it really is, a flat longbow. the differences 'tween an AFL and an ELB is the flat limb versus the "D" shaped ELB belly, and that the AFL has a cut in sight window. it's all good.
on second thought, no, it's not all that good with me.
in deference to ol' howard, the ASL moniker does the bow, his creation, his interpretation of the ELB, an injustice. there's nothing at all "semi" about a howard hill longbow. "semi" indicates "half" and there's nothing that's half about an AFL. it's just a flattened ELB with a sight window, no more or less, and certainly not half of an ELB in any way of thinking. and without the tonkin cane lam backing, it's not what he spent years in designing, for it was that marriage of hardwood and flattened special cane that made the sought-after bow it is today. nor could the bow have any other limb configuration other than backset (string follow), straight, or forward set (reflex). there, now at least i for one feel better, and YMMV.
anyhoo, some real nice bows i'm seeing in this thread!
Topic: Show me your ASL’s! (Read 5882 times)
