Bows of this shape were popular from around 1400 through to the early 16thC, though usually with composite bows and spanned using a cranequin. Cranequins are expensive so I often make these bows with a goats foot lever and they sometimes came with steel bows or had them as after sales changes. This is 300lb bow.

I love the curvaceous forms of these bows, they are always a pleasure to make and are beautiful to look at and hold and lend themselves so well to applied decoration.

The top plate (usually) of bone serves as a low friction surface and the cut outs just in front of the nut also serve this purpose. There is no groove, again to minimise friction and so the bolt is supported and guided at the front using a small bone insert. The nut is usually antler (though not in this case) and has a lower moment of inertia than steel or bronze. The nut is lashed into the socket and due to the method of manufacture this area of the bow is weakened drastically, so it must be strengthened again and this is done using the scalloped horn plates that also form the sides of the nut recess.

Basically all the lovely bits that look like whimsy are in fact required for the sucessfull operation of the bow and are designed to keep it together or make it shoot faster.

These bows are the classic embodiment of Ferdinand Porches maim of 'form follows function' and I love that.

I hope you like it. This bow, complete with goats foot and bolts is for sale at £1350

Regards

Tod

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Beautiful work, I am sorry it didn't sell at Pontoise but selfishly glad that we get to see more photos. Thanks.

A really lovely piece of work mate. :-)

Sorry we didn't have our usual chance to talk at TORM.....wife was down with flu and stayed at the cottage all weekend, so us who were not ill had to muck in in her absence. Perhaps we can catch up at Kenilworth or Kelmarsh in July?

Cheers,

Jeff

Leo I love these bows you make. Since I will probably never get around to making one.. one of these days I'm going to have to order one. They are just superb.

Thanks guys.

Jeffrey Hedgecock wrote

Quote:

Sorry we didn't have our usual chance to talk at TORM.....wife was down with flu and stayed at the cottage all weekend, so us who were not ill had to muck in in her absence. Perhaps we can catch up at Kenilworth or Kelmarsh in July?

Shame we passéd, but send my best to Gwen and see you in July - my favourite event of the year.

Scott - thank you.

Tod