Jack Farrell's Subeixi Bow Reconstruction

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Sun May 30, 2010 10:44 am

Jack,
I am sure I have seen bows this shape on Greek vases. Good luck when you draw it.

Outlaw · Post by **Outlaw** » Sun May 30, 2010 11:25 am

Dear Jack
Excellent craft!!!!,
wonder if you could provide some dimensions (about the wood core thickness and width (regarding the buckling stability problem, i had recently failures in an ash bow that reversed every now and then!)).

Thank you Jack, keep us posted please!

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Sun May 30, 2010 1:48 pm

Outlaw; see this page for the plans.

http://atarn.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... c&start=90

I have to chuckle wondering if there is a mathematical formula which can describe this bow's workings.

JJ · Post by JJ » Sun May 30, 2010 6:50 pm

Good looking bow, Jack!! What about the tiller? Are the limbs somehow equal? The photograph seems to be taken from an angle.

JJ

Dusan · Post by **Dusan** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:24 pm

Looks gooood, Jack. I hope , this endid sucesfull .

Orda Khan · Post by **Orda Khan** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:50 am

Far more delicious than any fantasy bow. What a beautiful job you've done, Jack.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:19 pm

Of course I have begun shooting this bow but with a very short draw. The place where I have gripped feels like a sweet spot, but the main grip lays below this spot. And since I (probably erroneously) made the lower limb similar in dimensions as the upper, and gave it a head start with the extra grip material below, it seems like the upper limb is doing most of the bending.

Since then, I have induced some small amount more bend to the lower limb.

The overall bow is a bit unstable but probably needs more curing. It is also very easy to correct, like a piece of wire. All the parts do bend but mostly in the grip and deflexed part of the limbs.

It will be too strong for me to draw fully. The exhilaration is blissful. Advice?

Adam Karpowicz · Post by **Adam Karpowicz** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:36 pm

Great job Jack, congratulations. The bow looks a bit unbalanced, but I am sure the originals could be as well. I noticed in the originals the lower limb was more bent than the upper, so I gave the lower limb more deflex in my replica from the start. I think your bow may come a little lighter weight than mine, because the outer limbs are straighter, which effectively lengthens the bow for less draw weight (at the same cross-sectional dimensions of limbs). Plus the humidity and heat do not help (how can you survive there?!). 70% humidity is near-borderline for horn bows...

What is the mass of the bow?

Adam

scemdonmez · Post by **scemdonmez** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:47 pm

Congratulations Jack, is it stable?

Cem

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:18 pm

Adam; The winter is very nice here. In the summer, a vacation helps, to a cool place, like Canada! 556 grams weight. Is that heavy? How about yours?

Cem; I would say it is not stable, but there is time yet. It is hard to keep straight. Interestingly enough, the string absolutely will not fall off because of the deep grooves.

JJ; the picture is at 90 degrees. Looks like an illusion but is true.

In a way it is successful because I am able to shoot it and can learn about the feel and maintenance. I would prefer the lower limb bent more.

Adam Karpowicz · Post by **Adam Karpowicz** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 8:36 pm

Mine is 540 grams - pretty close, or maybe even near identical, considering yours has more moisture in it. Humidity here at the time I checked was in 40-50% range.
Adam

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 12:56 am

Jack,
You have a very good shape in the bow as you draw it. There are so many Greek depictions of this type of bow on vases that looked poorly drawn until you see a bow like yours and realise that they really look that way.

Your comment about the security of the string is very important because many later artistic depictions of bows show the strings in all kinds of positions. Your reconstruction shows that these artists had probably never saw a strung bow unlike the Greek vase painters.

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 3:21 am

Adam: your bow is with me and has not left the dry room! It hasn't stopped raining here since it arrived. Maybe this is the curse of the Taklamakan desert come to haunt me. But I'm getting proper, deerskin rawhide strings of the correct length made for it and all my other close-reproduction bows.

BTW, folks, I have located a good maker of rawhide (deer skin) strings with loops for those who want them. He will make them to your spec (total length and loop size.) The loops are spliced, not knotted. Jack: if you want one for yours, send me an email or PM asap with the measurement, because I can get it mid-June when my wife is in Peking. Would not be expensive; but I haven't got a price.

S

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 6:51 am

Stephen,
Are these made in the same way of the Qing rawhide strings? I have now made gut, linen and silk strings for one of my bows and was going to test them, but a rawhide string would be an interesting addition to the group.

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:24 am

No, Bede. These strings are like the strings I have on Yuan and Han bows. They are finer in grain than the Qing strings. They are most like the strings on the Qinghai Tibetan bows before they changed to Fastflight. I think the Qing strings were made of cattle hide: these are made of deer skin.