| A longbow is a type of bow that is tall | | | | quiet shooting bows than shorter recurves and |
| (roughly equal to or greater than the height | | | | crossbows. |
| of a person), is not recurved and has | | | | |
| relatively narrow limbs, that are circular or | | | | Design and construction |
| D-shaped in cross section. The traditional | | | | |
| English longbow is made so that its thickness | | | | Because the longbow can be made from a single |
| is at least 5/8 of its width. If the | | | | piece of wood, it can be crafted relatively |
| thickness is less than 5/8 of its width then | | | | easily and quickly. Amateur bowyers today can |
| the bow would be considered a flatbow. | | | | craft a longbow in about ten to twenty hours, |
| Typically a longbow is widest at the handle. | | | | while highly skilled bowyers, such as those |
| Longbows have been used for hunting and | | | | who produced medieval English Longbows, can |
| warfare, by many cultures around the world, a | | | | craft wooden longbows in just a few hours. |
| famous example being the English longbow, | | | | |
| during the Middle Ages. | | | | One of the simpler longbow designs is known |
| | | | as the selfbow. By definition, a selfbow is |
| History | | | | made from a single piece of wood. Truly |
| | | | traditional English longbows are selfbows, |
| Traditional longbows are made entirely from | | | | made from yew wood. The bowstave is cut from |
| wood and have been used for hundreds or | | | | the radius of the tree so that the sapwood |
| thousands of years, for hunting and warfare | | | | (on the outside of the tree) becomes the back |
| by, among others, the ancient Nubians, Native | | | | and the heartwood becomes the belly. Yew |
| American tribes such as the Cherokee, South | | | | sapwood is good only in tension, while the |
| American tribes like the Bari, African tribes | | | | heartwood is good in compression. However, |
| such as the Bassa, Neolithic Europeans, and | | | | one must make compromises when making a yew |
| medieval Europeans. As a hunting weapon, | | | | longbow, as it is difficult to find perfect |
| longbows are simple, reliable and capable of | | | | unblemished yew. |
| taking game as large as African elephants. As | | | | |
| a weapon of war the longbow has been | | | | Longbows, because of their narrow limbs and |
| instrumental to several cultures. World wide | | | | rounded cross-section (which does not spread |
| the average power for bows of all designs is | | | | out stress within the wood as evenly as a |
| about 50 pounds (220 newtons) at 28 inches | | | | flatbow’s rectangular cross section), |
| (70 cm) of draw which is suitable for most | | | | need to be either less powerful, longer or of |
| hunting applications. Bows for warfare tend | | | | more elastic wood than an equivalent flatbow. |
| to be much more powerful, with the most | | | | In Europe the latter approach was used, with |
| powerful bows being the English longbow and | | | | yew being the wood of choice, because of its |
| the African elephant bow, both of which | | | | high compressive strength, light weight and |
| topped the 200-pound (900 N) mark. It may | | | | elasticity. |
| seem unlikely that, compared with modern day | | | | |
| poundage bows shot in archery, so many men in | | | | Hard woods, like elm, oak, ash or maple are |
| medieval warfare were capable of shooting | | | | good for flatbows but yew is the only common |
| bows from 150-200 pounds (670–900 N). | | | | European wood that will make good self |
| However, these men would train often weekly | | | | longbows. A narrow longbow with high |
| from a very young age and over time would be | | | | draw-weight can be made from these woods, but |
| able to shoot such strong bows. There are | | | | it is likely to take a permanent bend (known |
| modern day examples of men who are quite | | | | as "set" or "following the string") and would |
| capable of shooting these bows so we know it | | | | likely be outshot by an equivalent made of |
| is possible. Mark Stretton currently holds | | | | yew. |
| the world record for shooting a 200 pound | | | | |
| (900 N) longbow. | | | | Wooden composite longbows can be made by |
| | | | gluing together two or more different pieces |
| In ancient Japan, very distinctive bamboo and | | | | of wood. Usually this is done to take |
| wood composite longbows, known as Yumi, | | | | advantage of the inherent properties of |
| became important to mounted samurai warfare. | | | | different woods: some woods can better |
| Modern Japanese archery (called kyudo or | | | | withstand compression while others are better |
| kyujutsu) still uses this style of longbow. | | | | at withstanding tension. Examples include |
| Modern yumi can be made of fiberglass or | | | | hickory and lemonwood or bamboo and yew |
| carbon-fiber, as well as of the traditional | | | | longbows: hickory or bamboo is used on the |
| wood/bamboo laminate. Yumi are recurved bows, | | | | back of the bow (the part facing away from |
| and have the unique characteristic of being | | | | the archer when shooting) and so is in |
| off-center. That is, the lower arm of the bow | | | | tension, while the belly (the part facing the |
| is shorter than the upper arm; this is useful | | | | archer when shooting) is made of lemonwood or |
| when the bow is used from horseback, so that | | | | yew and undergoes compression (see bending |
| the archer can turn without the bottom of the | | | | for a further explanation of stresses in a |
| bow hitting the horse. | | | | bending beam). Traditionally made Japanese |
| | | | Yumi are also composite longbows, made from |
| In the Middle Ages the English were famous | | | | laminated strips of wood: the core of the bow |
| for their very heavy, long-ranged English | | | | is bamboo, the back and belly are bamboo or |
| longbows, used to great effect against the | | | | hardwood and hardwood strips are laminated to |
| French in the Hundred Years' War (notably at | | | | the bows sides to prevent twisting. |
| the battles of Crécy (1346), Poitiers | | | | |
| (1356) and Agincourt (1415)). | | | | Today, good composite longbows may be made of |
| | | | wood or can be purchased commercially. Any |
| Although firearms supplanted bows in warfare, | | | | wooden bow must have gentle treatment and be |
| wooden or fiberglass composite longbows | | | | protected from excessive damp or dryness. |
| continue to be used by traditional archers | | | | Wooden bows may shoot as well as fiberglass, |
| and some tribal societies, for recreation and | | | | but they are more easily dented or broken by |
| hunting. Longbows are much more stable and | | | | abuse. |