Split Bamboo longbow??

Since being pulled back into the Hill style longbows here on TG, I have read many comments about the craft and sport...learned a lot!  

During these past few weeks a concept has been haunting me tho... that being something David Miller wrote about his bow building technique which is to "pursue a path of making bows the old fashioned way, Howard's way."...  

He was referring to the "split bamboo" method.

Any personal experience with these bows here?  Who can make 'em?  I'd like to know about the personality of the bow.  Even without knowing I feel drawn to own one some day.

[East Coast archer]

Tony

The simple answer to who can make 'em is David Miller.  Don't know about others.  Give him a call.  One of his bows is on my wish list.

[Dick in Seattle]

Tony...  it would be an interesting build, and I think Dave is the only one playing with it.   I'd keep in mind though that as soon as glass hit the scene, Howard tried it and the rest is history!    

I'm blessed with having one of Howard's own glass bows, and he did have his own ideas about building with glass, too.  I've built a number of mine as copies of his techniques with glass.  I was once offered one of his really old bows, 1930's, in yew, but it was way too much for me to pay for a bow I wouldn't shoot.  

If you get someone to do a real split bamboo for you, I'd be interested in the outcome.

[Mudd]

I have an all bamboo bow made by Mike of Maddog archery.

It was the very 1st bow to ever have the Maddog name put on it.

I loved the bow and shot up to the point the bow started to lose it's tiller. Re-tillering would have left an extremely light weight bow without any guarantee the new tiller would hold up.

After talking with Mike I decided to retire it to a wall hanger.

That's the down side of using all natural materials, things can give up and go south.

It's no ones fault, just the nature of the beast.

God bless,Mudd

I wondered why I have heard nothing about it, especially if it was Howard's preferred method.  

Did he use that method when he began to use glass?  I don't even know if the Miller bow is all natural or glass backed.  Guess I need to ask him.

Thanks guys!

[Wannabe1]

Tony, PM sent with a link. I think you'll find it interesting as Miller states that Howard used this method whether backed, glassed or string follow.

[Stone Knife]

Hey can you send me the link  

[Wannabe1]

James, PM sent.  

Jerry Hill built his bamboo special Howard's way.  That is, he glued up the bamboo flat and then tillered the stave of flat bamboo lams, then added the back set and the glass.  Schulz and Miller use a similar technique using tapered lams. My experience is with the Jerry Hill, Pete George and the Schulz bows is that it makes a smoother shooting and faster bow.  Their profiles are slimmer as well with a deeper core, that also will smooth out the recoil and speed up the bow.

[flint kemper]

Tony, David Miller builds all bamboo no glass bows, glass bows and also the original type that Howard shot which is the Concave/Convex. There is a formula the way David builds his bows. He builds them exactly the way John Schulz did which John learned from Howard. There are many steps to them, and as far as I know no one builds them the way David does. Those early years when Howard was building bows they tried alot of stuff, and when John learned to build them as well. There is a art to building them the way Howard did and that is why David is a master at it. He follows those techniques to a T, and it shows. I will not go into all of the steps involved to build them as I do not know, but I will tell you this that people would fall over if they built them that way today, lots of steps and time involved. Hope I have not confused you more. As far as I know there is only 2 people still building bows that was taught by John Schulz. David is one and the other is from Missouri. John's boy started to build them again last year but ran into some peronal issues and I have heard he will be back shortly. David is the only one doing it full time though. Flint

[Mudd]

Dang it!

Now there's another style that is on my "gotta try" list...lol

I guess it could be worse...lol

God bless,Mudd

Well, now you know how this grabbed my attention.  It is interesting indeed!  

Even tho I am from Michigan I must have a bit of MO in me because I like to hear of first-hand experience.  

Thanks again y'all.  Great info for sure.  If you know of anybody that can adequately compare the split bamboo with our typical Hills please let me know.  I'd like to swap emails a bit to help form an opinion.

Thanks again gang!

[Sam McMichael]

Mudd, I don't think there is a longbow out there that is not on your "gotta try" list. If I had the money, I would be in that same category. Ain't it great that there are so many cool bows available?

[capt eddie]

How about the all bamboo bow that 3Rivers is selling.  Is this a split bamboo?

[flint kemper]

Tony, I have shot several of David's bows over a few years period. I own a glass Old Tom. If  Iwas to buy one from David it would be the Concave/Convex no glass model as that is what Howard first shot, but the glass ones are a fine bow as well and really put a arrow down range. I have had the privelege of shooting the very first Concav/Convex David built and he built it all by hand. SWEET for sure. If you want you can PM me with any questions and we can swap e-mail addy's. I am fortunate to call David a friend. Flint

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
Mudd, I don't think there is a longbow out there that is not on your "gotta try" list.

Mudd, my friend, you can run but you can't hide.    

[Mudd]

I'm not sure I need to hide as much as I need to quit reading about bows that just sound so enticing.

I don't really have such an extensive collection as some may think.

I have to rotate bows through(selling/trading) in order to give myself the chances to shoot some bows that have caught my attention.

What else can I say, I am a "bowaholic".

God bless,Mudd

[WESTBROOK]

Flint,  Your the first one I've heard of that has shot the Concave/Convex limb Miller bow. Dave had one at K'zoo, but I think it already had an owner. He said it makes a sweet bow but takes a tremndous amount of time fitting the lams together, as they are not flat.

Eric

Mud my man - I would do exactly what you do given the opportunity.  Just keep 'em moving and you can touch 'em all.  

[SpankyNeal]

I've owned two of David's split bamboo bows, one of which was a concave/convex, as well as an Old Tom. You can email me and we'll discuss my opinions if you would like.