Essential books to have while making horn bows?

Kviljo · Post by **Kviljo** » Fri Nov 19, 2010 11:39 pm

Some books give more technical information about bows than others.

The best expample is probably Adam Karpowicz's book on Ottoman Turkish bows, but perhaps there are other books that are useful when trying to make composite bows of various types? Books that have good photos, perhaps with scales, or even with given measurements or explain other important constructional elements.

Perhaps you would share the references of some of the good bits in your archery library?

Stephen Selby · Post by **Stephen Selby** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:39 am

Adam Karpowicz's book and the Traditional Bowyers' Bible 1-3.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:04 am

The book from Chengdu is useful too, but I am not sure if it is still available. Thomas Duvernay's DVDs and the older one on composite bow making from America, How to Construct the Asiatic Composite Bow by Schmidt and McPherson are also useful.

I would rely on Adam and Thomas if there was a conflict.

Kviljo · Post by **Kviljo** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:55 am

I found a reference to a book by Mcleod here on atarn that seems quite useful for making the angular egyptian bows: "Composite Bows from the Tomb of Tutankhamun" (1960)

What is the title of the book that you are refering to, Bede? Perhaps the library or antiquarian bookshop will be able to find it.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:46 pm

Reginal Laubin wrote a pretty good book including information on constructing American Indian horn and antler bows. You must forgive an error or two.

Hamilton has a section by Bill Holmes describing ten museum pieces. He made a later list of some 40 or 50 american hornbows. Grayson also contributes.

Ashbow · Post by **Ashbow** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 7:52 pm

Jack, my copy of Hamilton's book has the whole appendix on making sheep horn bows by Bill Holmes, I think it's the second edition of the book. Is the appendix present in your book too?
I haven't had a chance to go through Laubin completely yet so I can't really compare here.
Some Edward McEven's pitures of an old Koren composite are in the Hamilton's book as well, also some two interesting composites (somewhere south of Ural?), one with a wooden belly, now probably nonexistent or lost, are mentioned.

I would also recommend "T?rk Ok?uluğu" by Dr. ?nsal Y?cel, unfortunatley for most of us it's only in Turkish.

Japp's video "All tied up in bowmaking", displaying the Japanese rope and wedges technique, is also useful, some use the techinque with hornbows.

Holger Richter's book "Die Hornbogen Armbrust" is a great source of information for anyone interested in making comopsite laths for crossbows.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:07 am

Ash; My copy of Hamilton is the second edition, 1989. In the table of contents there is: Appendix IV Description of Ten Horn Bows in the U.S. National Museum.

But Holmes also gave out a list some years ago of all the known NA Sheep and Elk horn bows. I have met with him several times at conferences including one last year. He probably does not forget me because one year he was giving a talk on those bows and his reproductions. He told me he had made four of them total. One he broke, one he gave away, one a friend (?) had broken and the last one was in good condition and he had it with him.

I asked him if I could photograph it and he kindly agreed. Then I asked him if it could be strung and he did so. After several minutes it slowly worked itself into an asymmetric shape, became worse and worse and he could just barely get the string off in time to save it.

Ten minutes later he gave his presentation and I believe he was visibly shaken, as anyone would be. I brought my reproduction with me and it had sat strung on a display table most of the day. No reference was made of it.

He is a fine and honorable person; professor emeritus of art history.

Ashbow · Post by **Ashbow** » Sat Dec 04, 2010 9:21 pm

Jack, I'm not very much knowledgeable in the subject, my question was rather directed by couriousity whose advice on making a replica would you recommend more, Laubin's or Hamilton's.

Now, when you have disclosed the story, I would be very much courious to see pictures of your reproduction(s)

.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:52 pm

Try looking this up:
Investigative Report on Bow and Arrow Manufacture in Chengtu by T'an Tan-Chiung

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:45 am

Ash; Laubin is more hands on and Holmes is more scholarly. To my recollection, Laubin is the only one to make antler bows and publish. Apparently he was quite prodigious.

So the answer is both.

Here is one of my horn/sinew bows. #59 @ about 22 or so. 89 1/2 cm LOA, Mouflon horn. This is a good demo bow because it would be nearly impossible to break. A grand shooter.

Sorry to divert the thread.

Ashbow · Post by **Ashbow** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:19 pm

Didn't Charles Grayson make some antler and sinew bows as well? Weren't there any shown in the Hamilton's book or one of the Bowyer's Bible? I can't remember now.

Your bow and arrows appear to be very well made indeed, Jack.
Thanks for showing.

daryush · Post by **daryush** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:49 pm

Antler bows? Does antler have similar properties to horn then?

Jack, I really like that bow. I'm currently falling for Plains Indians bows, hope to have a go at building one soon, just shopping around for materials and looking at bows made by other bowyers/antiques now. They look easier to construct than Asian bows, would you say this is true?
I'd be interested in seeing more of your bows too, if you have photos to hand (thank you!)

Sorry to divert the thread. If it's any help, I've got the following books:
- Adam Karpowicz's book
- Jim Hamm, Bows and Arrows of the Native Americans
- Spotted Eagle, Making Indian Bows and Arrows

TTBB 1 - 4 is on my wish list

(I've also got translations of the Korean Muye Dobo Tongji, and the Mamluk Munyat-ul-Ghuzat and Kitab fi-Ilm an-Nushab).

Ashbow · Post by **Ashbow** » Tue Dec 07, 2010 10:16 pm

Daryush, when dealing with antler I think we are facing with a problem of getting straight and big enough pieces of it, of course, maybe there is a source which I'm not aware of.
I you are looking for something to make a North American horn composite replica of, then I think that Merino sheep horns would be easiest to get here, at least I got a pair and they seem to be very promising.
I'll open a new topic on sheep horn to not divert from the subject in this thread.

I like Jim Hamm's little book a lot, but as far as I'm concerned his composite bows incorporating wooden cores are not true replicas.

Bede · Post by **Bede** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:27 am

Dr Grayson made several bows using antler. He recommended using caribou (reindeer) antler because it was easier to cut out long pieces. Elk antlers required more work unless they were very large. I may have a picture of one somewhere. I remember drawing one that seemed smooth over its 26 inch draw.

In the Collection there is a prehistoric antler with a strip partially cut out. A groove had been scraped out of the surface of the antler with a stone tool.

jack farrell · Post by **jack farrell** » Thu Dec 09, 2010 1:37 pm

Elk is the correct material for a NA antler bow. It has a deep spongy interior which must be scooped out and filled with sinew after shaping. Some elk antlers are so big that they did not need splicing at the grip.

It is this material which gave rise to the myths about NAs (Native Americans) using whale jaw bone, long horn cattle and etc for their bows. It is an unlikely material but was what was used for their most prestigious bows.

Caribou does not generally occur in the range of plains Indians. Someone from Canada knowledgeable on these bows might comment. I have not seen an authentic NA caribou antler bow.