Bow arrows

[agg221]

a compound bow then?

 

will that not shatter wooden arrows? especially if they are not straight?

 

You wouldn't normally match a compound bow with wooden arrows as the bow is as accurate as they get, while the arrows are as inconsistent as they get! However, the energy transfer is smoother on a compound and although the peak force is higher than a simple recurve it's still nothing compared with a traditional longbow. From memory, compound is usually up to about 50lb while a longbow is usually over 90lb and up to 150lb, and of course originally always wooden shafted arrows. So I can't see any fundamental problem.

 

Alec

[RobArb]

cheers alec:thumbup:

[agg221]

I dug out Ascham's notes on selection of wood for arrow shafts. My efforts at interpreting into modern English are in square brackets:

 

Of arrow wood. Steles [shafts] be made of divers woodes: as,

 

Brasell [?Caesalpinia sappan]

Turkie Woode [turkey oak]

Fusticke [smokebush aka Cotinus coggygria or Rhus cotinus]

Sugercheste [sweet chestnut]

Hardbeame [hornbeam]

Byrche

Asche

Oake

Servicetree

Hulder[?]

Beche

Elder

Aspe

Salowe

 

Brasell, Turkie Woode, Fusticke, Sugar Cheste and such like, make dead, heavye, lumpishe, hobbling shaftes. Again Hulder, Black thorne, Servestree, Beache, Elder, Aspe and Salowe, eyther for theyr weakness or lightnesse, make holow, starting, scudding, gaddinge shaftes. But Birche, Hardbeame, some Oake and some Ashe, being both stronge enoughe to stande in a bowe, and also light enoughe to fly farre, are best for a meane [balance], which is to be sought out in every thinge.

Of Cornus (dogwood) this wodde is as harde as horne, and verye fitte for shaftes.

[Rich2484]

Nice one. A lot i need to read up on. I will post pics of any progress I get. And any failures I have aswell.

[agrimog]

if its a compound bow, forget wooden arrows, theyll either shatter when you release them, or break when they hit the target, even the ally shafted ones for compound bows are a heavier wall than normal ones, tell him to get the ally ones, or the carbon composite ones.

The blanks for arrow building are not expensive, check the web for suppliers, normally buy all the bits and asemble them yourself. as for the force on a compound being smoother, it depends on the cam profiles and release profiles, some of the hunting compounds are very fast on release, imparting almost all there energy in the first few inches of release, whearase a traditional bow slowly accelerates it initial release

[Crazy Cutter]

I dug out Ascham's notes on selection of wood for arrow shafts. My efforts at interpreting into modern English are in square brackets:

 

Of arrow wood. Steles [shafts] be made of divers woodes: as,

 

Brasell [?Caesalpinia sappan]

Turkie Woode [turkey oak]

Fusticke [smokebush aka Cotinus coggygria or Rhus cotinus]

Sugercheste [sweet chestnut]

Hardbeame [hornbeam]

Byrche

Asche

Oake

Servicetree

Hulder[?]

Beche

Elder

Aspe

Salowe

 

Brasell, Turkie Woode, Fusticke, Sugar Cheste and such like, make dead, heavye, lumpishe, hobbling shaftes. Again Hulder, Black thorne, Servestree, Beache, Elder, Aspe and Salowe, eyther for theyr weakness or lightnesse, make holow, starting, scudding, gaddinge shaftes. But Birche, Hardbeame, some Oake and some Ashe, being both stronge enoughe to stande in a bowe, and also light enoughe to fly farre, are best for a meane [balance], which is to be sought out in every thinge.

Of Cornus (dogwood) this wodde is as harde as horne, and verye fitte for shaftes.

 

Good info. It would seem they used what ever they had! My sources state alder, aspen and poplar as were quick growing in the coppice and were only used once! Deal and ash seem to be prefered today.

[Goaty]

As kids we bought cheap split green garden canes. Sand them smooth if fussy to get rid of splitters. sharpen tip with pencil sharpener. Fix a nut (nut and bolt type) on tip end with elastic band wrapped around many times.

Fill old ici fert bag (giving away my age) with grass cuttings. Tie baler twine round neck of bag and suspend from tree.

The "thwack" noise was authentic hollywood style. Many school holiday hours went this way at little cost and no hospital visits.

Probably not the answer you are after but a quick way to get going and establish lengths weights etc.

[EddieJ]

if its a compound bow, forget wooden arrows, theyll either shatter when you release them, or break when they hit the target, even the ally shafted ones for compound bows are a heavier wall than normal ones, tell him to get the ally ones, or the carbon composite ones.

 

As above.

 

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near someone using a compound bow with wooden arrows. It is an accident waiting to happen.

 

 

I don't think that using a lathe to make the arrows is going to be that easy either.

 

If you get stuck, I have a dowel maker and can produce any size from square stock from 1/4" up to 1"

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2012 by EddieJ

[agg221]

I don't get why people are worried about using wooden arrows with a compound bow. The peak load is still only about 50lb, compared with a traditional yew longbow of up to 100lb (more for the ones found on the Mary Rose). It's also delivered much more smoothly.

 

Had a play with a yew longbow today - a modest 70lb draw weight but still felt it!

 

Alec

[Crazy Cutter]

I don't get why people are worried about using wooden arrows with a compound bow. The peak load is still only about 50lb, compared with a traditional yew longbow of up to 100lb (more for the ones found on the Mary Rose). It's also delivered much more smoothly.

 

Had a play with a yew longbow today - a modest 70lb draw weight but still felt it!

 

Alec

 

Alec was it really true that the archers right arm was far bigger than the left due to the pulling effort? If so then the forces were truly large and the men super human.