Course
Longbow Building: Advanced Techniques
Course Overview
This course goes beyond the basics of a primitive longbow as we take bow construction a step further by building a composite bow. We will look at the history of composite bows which dates back thousands of years. Essentially, a composite bow is a primitive bow built from two materials fused together. The goal of the project for this course is to make a stronger more versatile bow by using bamboo for our backing material and bamboo or hickory for our belly wood. We will also build the basic forms used in the gluing-up process and give you the option of a straight or reflexed bow. The same basic techniques of bow building will be covered (including the tillering process) as we move on to designing and building a composite bow. If you enjoyed Rick's first course, you will love this one. It will be more challenging and take you further in your journey toward becoming a bowyer!