Make your own bow - a rare workshop opportunity at Academie Duello May 22-24

I asked him to write up a post that described a bit about himself and the journey of bow making. I've included it below along with information about the upcoming workshop.  I think this is a rare and excellent opportunity to learn a craft few have the opportunity to experience, and at the end of it you get to shoot a bow you made yourself.

Space is limited, so if you are as keen about this as I am, I recommend you sign-up right away.

Reconnecting to the wooden bow - care of Jamie MacDonald

Through the wooden bow we can reconnect to our history no matter where we are from.  The oldest bows ever recovered are from Danish bogs and date back 9000 years.  The yew wood longbow was the military might of the medieval ages for over 400 years.  Every corner of the earth has bows which are specialized to their wood sources and needs.

Virtually all of our ancestors used wooden bows for survival and in many cultures they developed them into works of art as well. The wooden bow all but disappeared with the invention of fibreglass in the 1930s, and much of the knowledge that had been developed was lost. Thankfully there were enough individuals to keep the tradition alive and pass it along.

I started building bows six years ago when I found the perfect piece of yew wood. I have always been a carver and had been working with yew wood for a few months. While walking one day I found a 6 inch diameter tree which had its top broken off by a large blown down fir tree. What was left standing beside the trail was six feet tall, perfectly straight and had few knots. Instantly I knew that this was going to be my hunting bow. I had heard of a book series called the traditional bowyers bibles so I hunted them down and began my research. I learned to split the tree rather than saw it, and so it began. I built a lovely 55 pound, at 28 inch, flatbow named Sam. Before the bow was even completed I was already planning what I would do differently on the next one. I have been hooked ever since.

Pacific Yew "taxus brevifolia" is closely related to the european yew "taxus baccata". It is also known by the Haida as the bow tree. The wood has a very distinct heartwood and sapwood cross section. The sapwood being strong under tension, and the heartwood being strong under compression. It's like a self-laminated wood. Perfect for bows.

"By building a wooden bow by hand you will join a band of brothers (and sisters) stretching back in an unbroken line to your 500th grandfather."  unknown author

I enjoyed stopping into Academie Duello and meeting some of the folks there. And we're looking forward to the upcoming workshop in May. Hope to see you there.

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