On Wed, 27 May 2009 03:54:38 GMT, Jerry Wass
wrote:



Surely you've seen some native Indian bows (old ones) the wood is split
from a tree so that the heart (dark wood) and the lighter (outside,sap
wood ) both appear in the bow..The dark is placed on the inside of the
curve because it is much higher in compressive strength..The back side
is the sap wood which is much higher in tensile strength.

Pore old uneducated indians--didn't know much did they G --also
Bois= wood d'Arc= of the arc or bow. Jerry--(used to live on
Bois d'Arc in ElPaso.)

the actual examples of english longbows that remain were recovered
from the holds of the Mary Rose. no other *actual* medieval english
longbows existed. the making of them was pretty well lost to hearsay.
they are made from Yew wood exactly as you describe for the american
indians.
most are apparently roughly shaped but I think that that was so that
the wood behaved as needed.
Stealth Pilot