Self Bow terminology

[Phil]

I've just read this on another forum....
"just finished my second selfbow, a bamboo backed hickory,"
Does the term self bow have a different meaning in the U.S. My understanding of the term SELFBOW, as used in England is a bow made from a single stave of timber with no spliced centre and no adhered or glued backing??

BTW if the person who posted this on the other site sees this....bamboo backed hickory sounds a real nice combination :cheers:

[Carbon Caster]

Phil,

It has the same meaning here. A lot of times we Composite wood and grass bowyers simply use the term self bow to say that it is not a Glass Bow. A true self bow is as you stated from a single stave of wood. Composite bow would be a better term. I haven't tried Bamboo Backed Hickory, but I have had success with Bamboo backed Bamboo flooring and Bamboo backed Massaruba(Bulletwood). I have some osage slats that are soon going to become the belly of a COMPOSITE bow!

Some of the true primitive bowyers blow a gasket when they hear bamboo backed anything refered to as a SELF BOW!!!!! I don't care what they call them, I just like to build and shoot them.

Brian

[BLACK WOLF]

I like to use the term primitive bow in reference to any hand held bow that isn't made out of materials such as glass or carbon laminates.

I care what they call 'em because I don't want there to be any confusion ;)

You both are correct. I also believe a selfbow is still a self bow if something is added such as a handle or a decorative backing that doesn't add to the performance of the limbs.

Ray ;)

[Phil]

There's a fashion in English gardening at the moment to build decking and garden structures from large diameter bamboo poles. This has led to alot of good quality bamboo becoming available at garden centers and of course it's being snapped up by bowyers. As a consequence we're seeing alot of bamboo backed English Long Bows appearing on the shooting line. Now I haven't shot one myself, but I spoken to alot of guy's who's opinion I respect, and they're saying bamboo backed bows out perform bows made with traditional backing woods such as Hickory

[mwc]

I'm in the middle of building a hickory "self" bow myself, but have considered backing it with something (it's my second bow and the first blew apart in my hands). I was thinking about raw hide but bamboo sounds like it might be the ticket. Any ideas about where to get some? Unfortunately, i haven't been seeing any at the home center.

MWC

[BLACK WOLF]

Here ya go MWC

http://www.3riversarchery.com/ListProduct.asp?offset=1

Ray ;)

[asharrow]

[QUOTE=Phil]I've just read this on another forum....
"just finished my second selfbow, a bamboo backed hickory,"
Does the term self bow have a different meaning in the U.S. My understanding of the term SELFBOW, as used in England is a bow made from a single stave of timber with no spliced centre and no adhered or glued backing??

I'm sorry to say that, at least in America, the language grows from the bottom. The definition in England is correct. Here, we have people who are not interested in learning correct terms, though they are willing to learn skills. So, we have folks who think a self bow is one that you "made yourself" or one that is all wood, even if laminated of different woods.

They do the same thing with arrow terms. Lots of American archers think a self nock means the nock is made of wood. One guy even sells wooden nocks to be spliced into the arrow shaft and they call the glued combination a self nocked arrow. Maybe we need to use Latin as the taxonomists do.

We're a nation of marketers, not linguists. I guess neither is of great value for health and happiness. We seem to have more than our fair share of idiomatic expressions and multi-use buzz words. Most of the 40 and under age group also seem to think classical allusion means quoting from movies.

We could use more inventors and makers. We do have lots of those in traditional archery, so all is not lost--it just sounds like it!

Jim (Reparrow man)

[mwc]

Thanks Ray for the link. I found the backing and the glue to use.

As to the rest......thanks for the education.

Much to learn.

MWC

[Carbon Caster]

I would use rawhide for a backing on the bow you are working on right now. Bamboo is great to work with, but you really need to build it from the get go with that in mind. It can be done like you are considering, but it is not the easiest way to do your first Bamboo backed bow. If you do not already have it, I would highly recommed Hunting the Bamboo Backed Bow Video by Dean Torges. 3 Rivers sells rawhide too.

Good Luck,

Brian

[mwc]

Thanks for the tip. Bamboo was and after thought. The bow is based on a design from one of Murray Gaskins videos, flat limbs with a non-working handle. Since I broke the first, I was hoping to strength up the second.

Thanks,

MWC

[Esquire]

Jim,

I thought a classical allusion was Houdini making an elephant vanish!

Mike

[George Tsoukalas]

You could make a selfbow yourself from 1 piece of wood or 2 billets spliced at the handle.