Purpose of string follow bow?

[mickeys4]

I see that Howard Hill is selling a special Robin Hood commemorative bow.It will be a string follow bow and I am curious as to the reasons behind a string follow bow.Does it have something to do with reducing hand shock or making the bow more forgiving?

[Rob DiStefano]

i think the reason for the string follow of the new hh 'robin hood' longbow is historical.  

to each their own, but to me it's something to be avoided.

follow through is a result of wood limbs taking a set, typically after a bunch of shooting.  some folk think it adds stability, but there's nothing good for me about backset or dead straight limbs.  they shoot hard on release and have no advantage that reflexed, or better yet r/d limbs, can offer.

jmho and ymmv.  

[Ben Maher]

This where my guitar playing mate and i disagree.

In straight limb bows I prefer string follow ... its less "thumpy" and just seems a bit smoother and more forgiving.

I'll qualify that by saying that I'm talking about glassed backed bows and Hills style at that.

I don't shoot r/d bows anymore but would suggest that they carry these positive  qualities anyway.

I guess i'm just a glutton for punishment ! I also need as many  excuses as I can get .....

[hvac tech]

mostly a string follow bow will shoot a lot slower and have a some what softer pull if you know what i mean .you do not get that real hard stiff pull of all the  straight limb bows i built no refelex no deflex they were fair shooters but were a lot more forgiving if you know what i mean . less critical on release etc . i personally think it is not a bad thing most guys want speed and power somthing lacking in sring following bow .

[Bjorn]

Some of my self bows end up with a bit, never deliberate. I don't think I'd pay any extra for that 'feature'.      

[Ricker]

The term "string follow" when referring to glass bows is generally only used to describe that it is deflexed....built that way intentionally.  Bows made of all wood develop string follow or "set" from being strung and shot, and is a permanent compression of the wood fibers.  They can feel spongy or soft at early draw and lose some of their efficiency as a result.
A glass bow made that way purposely is not a lot slower being slightly deflexed, yet the shooting qualities are that they feel softer in the hand, seem to be more accurate as well.

I can understand that one would want a less shocky bow, but, if a bow has a slight and arching reflex or r/d shape and still bends into a D when strung it would have the same forgiveness if one could eliminate the shock. If such a bow has very little shock with  a standard string and virtually none with a fast flight, would one not get the best of both worlds, so to speak?  I suppose the novelty of it all is worth something.  There is that old thing about trigger time and how a jump of hand shock can affect accuracy, but that also is a part of good form.

[Bent Rig]

See back in the old times when the bows were made all of wood and probabaly closer to selfbows and elb's , a bow with 1 1/2" of string follow was desirable because they were a smooth and delightful bow to shoot . It is documented in alot of literature pertaining to selfbows today if you have set , it's a good thing .

[Don Stokes]

A bow with some set has less preload on the string, which smooths out the bow both in drawing and shooting.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
i think the reason for the string follow of the new hh 'robin hood' longbow is historical.  
...

i'm gonna change 'historical' to 'hysterical'.  :D

[Bent Rig]

Rob with all due respect , string follow serves a purpose like Don mentioned .  Also you can have a bow with reflex in the tips and after being strung it isn't in the "D" shape and they may not have as much speed as a full r/d bow but they aren't far off . Hill may have built a modern version  for this limited  bow with set to copy most bows back then with string follow that were made of a single piece of wood like I mentioned  earlier .

[Bent Rig]

Northern Mist has desidned a longbow with string follow called the "Shelton" . It has a forgiving release(no hand shock) and no comprimise in speed or cast by comparison .

[Bjorn]

Yep, and didn't Plymouth have those gigantic fins? Or was it Pontiac? Who can remember anymore.        

[Lonala]

Hey guys with a stringfollow bow Its dead silent accurate so I find no need for blistering speeds.If your bow is silent they wont know its coming.So why not enjoy the moment,cut her loose and let the arrow do it"s thing.I love mine and would'nt trade her for nothing.With a heavy arrow its like getting hit by a train at 25 miles an hour.Ive shot pigs at 15 yards and knock them off there feet.Just my .02 cents have a great day and to each his own,if you dig what you shoot ,thats all that matters.Aloha

[Doc Nock]

Lonala,

I like what you wrote... however, I'm also of the mind that an arrow can have more "flight noise" than others, depending on fletch & head.

Given that, there have been some good articles posted here in the past year or 18 mos that speaks to the fact that game often reacts to incoming arrow flight noise vs. the bow release sound.

Trad archery is simpler, but doesn't mean it's devoid of complex issues and realities of physics and such...

[Red Tailed Hawk]

I agree with hvac tech about the softer pull which I  like, but you do lose cast with a string follow bow.

[hvac tech]

the bows i am talking about are maple core straight  and glass backed .     straight of the form . the form was straight as i coud make it .after shooting only a short time it followed the string at least  one inch. now this is called glue made several of them and after final limb shaping and tillering if you lay the bow on the form you  would swear it was not made on that form again slip its a term i was told buy a bowyer that i had worked with some .

[Thumper Dunker]

I still do not know what we are taliking about.lol   Think I learned somthing today. I think.How about some pictures.

[ErikT]

Originally posted by Thumper Dunker:
I still do not know what we are taliking about.lol   Think I learned somthing today. I think.How about some pictures.

This may help.  Here is a pic from the Northern Mist website showing his Shelton bow with string follow.  Note that the limb tips are deflexed, or bent back slightly as though it were strung too long and left in a hot car