Magyar style bow - core wood

Jura From Underhill · Post by **Jura From Underhill** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 4:48 pm

Hi, I have Hickory, Elm and Black Locust(Robinia pseudoacacia).
Is something from my wood suitable for the core of Magyar(Hungarian) bow like this:

https://plus.google.com/photos/10503459 ... 1222845369

KenH · Post by **KenH** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:18 am

Not knowing which species of Elm and Hickory you have available, I would choose Black Locust.

MJuingong · Post by **MJuingong** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:08 am

Very impressive; and judging from table of statistics, real old-style composite.

Question-what is the reason for the extended distance of ear past the nocks? Was it to aid in hasty stringing in movement, darkness, stress?

I was under the impression that any material past the nock is deadweight.

Jura From Underhill · Post by **Jura From Underhill** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:34 am

KenH:
Elm is probably the Ulmus glabra. Because Ulmus glabra is the most common in our country (Czech republic).
And really do not know what kind of hickory i have. I'll try to find out.

MJuingong: Srr, but I do not understand your answer

MJuingong · Post by **MJuingong** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:55 pm

What I was referring to was that on several of the pictured bows, there is an extensive length of the ears from the nocking point of the string to the tip of the ear (end of the bow).

I have read that any material past the nocking point, going to the tip, is in effect deadweight that must be carried forward when the arrow is released, but does not contribute to the cast.

I wondered if such an extensive length of the ear might be to aid in hasty stringing in cases involving speed, such as battles, night shooting, etc.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 1:22 am

Two things may have convinced bowyers to give up some arrow speed by extending the tips of the bow. The first is to increase the robustness of the tips. I have seen many old composite bows broken at the tip on one limb where the tip down to the nock has sheared off. This is true of bows even with horn reinforced nocks. Usually, the nock and tip of these bows had antler or bone plates which were solid from the nock to the tip. The second is that perhaps grasping the tip was part of the bracing method to get more leverage. The bows these tips occur on are often carried in long thin bow cases in an unstrung condition. Bracing on horse back would require one tip to be hooked behind the foot in the stirrup and the other held in the hand.

Later bows with wooden ears do not have such long extensions beyond the nock. This might reflect a greater interest in bow efficiency. The wooden ears were lighter because of the material and the shorter tips.

Jura From Underhill · Post by **Jura From Underhill** » Mon Jan 12, 2015 5:23 pm

I wondered this long ears as well. I really like it, bow with long ears is so elegant

So I think it could have maybe decorative reason.

Anyone have experience with using trees mentioned above?please?

mikekeswick · Post by **mikekeswick** » Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:03 am

Do you have any diffuse porous woods growing near you? Maple ideally.
I have used elm once on my first attempt at a composite and it broke. The sinew stayed intact but the wood sheared along one of the early wood rings.

Jura From Underhill · Post by **Jura From Underhill** » Wed Jan 14, 2015 7:05 pm

I will cut down the Acer pseudoplatanus this winter. I asked on hickory, elm and b.locus because they are allready dried in my stock

I have used elm once on my first attempt at a composite and it broke

What a pity!
But i wanna try hungary bow, without steam bending the limbs, there are no such claims like turkish, MAYBE... you tried turkish bow i guess

fusizoli · Post by **fusizoli** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:53 am

Hickory and BL is not native wood in europe.

paku · Post by **paku** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:56 am

Use ash.
It is safe and easy to get.