Who is the wooden bow for?

Yew-osage orange? Other types of wood? Why do we use osage oranges? What kind of wooden bows do we make? English longbow, Viking, Pyramid, Selfbow, Native American bow. And what are you up to?

The wooden bow is one of the greatest traditional bows. There is no more natural and simple bow.

The best-known wood suitable for bow making is yew (Taxus Baccata). However, not all yew is suitable for bows. It is important that it grows slowly and this is only ensured at a suitable height, in the forests of high mountains. There is an opinion that a straight yew log harvested above 900 m is only suitable for this purpose. You can see how difficult it is to get, besides the fact that every part of it is poisonous.

Many years ago, our workshop completely switched over to the osage orange tree.

The osage orange (Latin: Maclura Pomifera) is native to North America, but it is also widespread in the Carpathian Basin. It grows faster than the yew tree and is therefore more available. It has a nice yellowish color, which ripens over time, i.e. it turns brown and produces beautiful bows. Its processing requires expertise, but it is somewhat easier than that of yew.

As with all trees, it is best to harvest in the winter. The logs must then be split, otherwise they will split on their own during drying, but probably not where the bowyer wants them to. The ends of the split logs must be sealed with wax or varnish, and then patiently wait until the wood dries sufficiently. It is best to keep in the open air, but in a covered place, in the shade. It must be protected from sunlight, because the expensive raw material will deteriorate.

An experienced bow maker can see the bows in the log. We make English longbows or Viking bows from the nice long, 2-meter, regular, straight osage orange. The slightly shorter, but still completely straight log produces the Pyramid type bows, while the so-called selfbows are also suitable for pieces that are not completely straight and with branches. There are archers who specifically ask for a snaky, a bow with a hole. There is a hole in the bow arm if the branch could’ve been removed. It can be surprising how well a snaky selfbow works. At the same time, we recommend wooden bows only to those customers who accept the uniqueness and specialness of wood. They like natural things and are aware that wood changes. It is possible that the bow will become stronger during use, while the value shown when drawing the bow is not the same as when the archery session is finished. After the bow warms up, it can be a little weaker. Speaking of warming up! It is very important not to draw the wooden bow completely straight away, but train it with shorter draws and definitely wait until it warms up to the ambient temperature, only then draw it up.

Our entry wooden bow is the Native American bow. This is a shorter version, a very simple 150 cm long, 28” draw length bow reinforced with a horn nock, modelled after the bows of the native peoples of North America. The price of this is much more favourable than that of longer bows.

Wooden bows must be handled and maintained. With a little oiling, we use linseed oil; we can protect it from the ravages of time for a long time.

There are bow makers who also use blackberry and acacia for making bows, these are also easier to access. If someone is flirting with making a wooden bow and is looking for orange wood, we regularly offer raw materials in the Flagella Dei workshop, but we cannot provide instructions for use, help, or guarantees. One thing is for sure, we offer the most beautiful materials for sale, from which you can certainly cut out enough parts for several bows. Good luck and patience, it's sure to be an adventure!