An English longbow is one of the most traditional archery styles in existence. It was originally designed as a more conservative weapon to be used in medieval times, but nowadays it is very popular amongst everyone.
The longbow is named because of its long surface area, which allows for more power when shooting. The short length of thebow makes it easier to store when not in use!
This article will go into detail about how to make an English longbow. An English longbow has five parts: the blade, grip, nocks, supporting limb and string. This article will only talk about the blade and nock for now, but we will return to those soon.
The other parts can be changed as well, depending on what you want your bow to look like.
Contents:
Obtain a yew tree
A yew tree is very rare, and only a few archers in the world have the skill to make an English longbow from one. It takes years to learn how to use the yew tree, and even then it is very hard to create a longbow that is 100% English!
However, by using a yew tree as your longbow source, you can make an amazing English longbow!
The process is as follows: start with a short-longbow, then lengthen the bow by using thick leathers and finally adding wood. The final product can be just as impressive as making a short-longbow, but with more length.
When making this process work for you, consider what length of bow you want to start with. If you want to start with a longer bow, then buy a shorter one to hold your hand on. Then get the hang of making them longer by cutting away excess leather on the stringer.
Start cutting the wood to length
Once you’ve chosen your style of bow, it is time to start cutting the wood. Cut the wood to length, and then measure your desired length!
Once you have measured your desired length, cut the wood at a slight angle to the board, creating two equal sides. Then, measure your width and cut one end slightly longer than the other. This will create a curve in the wood!
Now that you have made an English longbow, try shooting an arrow! You can use any kind of wood or glueing method for building the bow. Just make sure you have adequate strength for your arrow before taking it down to size!
If you want to make a more traditional longbow, start with same process as above, just start with shorter sticks! General rule of thumb is that taller sticks need stronger bows to shoot them properly.
Dry the wood and keep it dry
When making an English longbow, two points must be kept in mind. First, the user must make sure the wood is dry before attempting to assemble the bow. Second, and most importantly, the user should make sure to maintenance the bow when it is completed.
As stated earlier, making an English longbow requires working with seasoned wood. We recommend using white oak as it is considered a beginner wood to work with! Once users become more experienced, they can use darker woods such as black or ash.
As stated earlier, working with dry wood requires effort. We suggest using enough seasoned wood to make your bow tall but short overall. This keeps the effort lower on each person who makes their bow! Keeping the board and arrow dry will also prevent any water from being taken up and shooting down.
Make the grip
Before making the rest of your longbow, you must make the grip. A grip can be made out of wood, leather, or polymer clay. We suggest using polymer clay for your grip because it can be shaped and transferred to different surfaces.
Making the grip requires two steps. First, you must cut a round hole in the middle of the middle of your longbow. Then, you must wrap some material around the hole and form a ring. This is how you tie your longbow in place.
To make a unshearable longbow, do not cut a round hole in the middle of your bow until after wrapping the material around it and forming a ring. Then cut a round hole to shear off the end! This way, your unshearable bow will not break when shooting it.
Make the tip
When making the longbow, the first step is to make the tip. The tip is where the wood is stacked and crowned at the end of the bow.
There are a couple of ways to make the tip. One way is to use a bandage or piece of fabric and wrap it around the stick until it is level. Then, add some more wood and leave it! This method requires some training as you must take extra steps to wrap it completely around the stick.
The other method is to use an ordinary pencil. Make sure it is sharpened very well or you will be spending some time looking for an eraser! You may have to shape and stack some of the wood a little bit to fit in between them, but either way, this method works just as well!
These two tips can be combined for your longbow.
Lay out the bow and put tension on it
When making an English longbow, first make sure you have a good understanding of how to make a standard longbow. You need to lay out the bow and put tension on it.
A longbow has a longer overall length than a standard bow. This overall length is called the draw length! As with all bows, drawing the arrow from the center of the string to the top of the bow can be wrong at times.
To make an English longbow, you must have a minimum of four steps: determining how tall you want your target to be, laying out your piece of wood for the frame, creating and using the nocking device, and finally firing it.
Step one: determining how tall you want your target To make an English archery longbow, you must determine how tall you want your target to be. You can do this by using traditional measure or by using modern measurement. Traditional measure states that your Draw Length is equal to Your Chest Size in Inch/LifetimeEnglish Longbows have a typical draw length of around 56 inches meaning that an archer who is 5 feet 9 inches tall would measure around 56 inches in draw length and .5 inch inaisepleasereadthebackofyourlong-swordcourseforyourfirstlong-swordcourseof instructionsto learnabouthowtosmakethelongbow.
Finish shaping the bow
Once the bow is completed, it is time to finish shaping the bow. This means adding more iron to complete the curve of the bow and adding a bit more string to complete the length of the bow.
To do this, place some seasoned leather over one end of the bow and wrap several times with leather until both ends are covered. Then, add some additional leather until you have enough length in your arrow.
Now it is time to add some string! Use two lengths of heavy string: one long enough to wrap around your wrist twice, and the other shorter but thicker. Pull these together and then wrap them around your wrist two more times. You are finished!
This process may sound complicated, but it really is not if done correctly.
Finish making the bow and its parts
Once the riser is done, it is time to make the rest of the bow. Make sure to write your name on the riser as a reminder!
Starting in a parallel line to where you end at on the bow, draw a line down the middle of the bow. This line represents your wrist and thumb joining together to make a arrow-firing shape.
Draw two lines out from this point, one for the string and one for your arrow. The string should go through a hole in the back of the shape, with an optional loop at the other end. The arrow should go through another hole in back of shape, with an optional loop at other end.