LONGBOW MAKING WEEKEND
Learn how to thrive, not just survive, whilst living in harmony with your surroundings.
Archery is an ancient skill practised both today and historically for over 10,000 years and quite possibly a lot longer.
Nothing epitomises the skill of traditional woodworking more than taking a log and turning it into a moving “living” bow with which you can have a lot of fun, or if necessity required you could feed and defend yourself with.
LONGBOW MAKING COURSE OVERVIEW
You will learn how to identify and select a suitable stave, and begin to turn it into a bow suitable for your own strength, size and draw length.
You will learn how to make the best use of the natural properties of the wood grain, to first rough out, then shape, tiller and finally finish your choice of either a traditional English Longbow, a flatbow bow, or a Mesolithic style bow based on the famous 9000 year old Holmguard and Mollegabet bows from Denmark, with arrows to match.
You will be taught how to make your own bowstring, and straighten shape, fletch, nock and haft your arrows.
Finally you will have the opportunity to shoot your finished bow on our range under the supervision of an experienced Archery instructor, providing guidance and tuition for those who have never shot with a longbow before.
All materials and tools required to produce your bow and arrows are provided. Our base is deep within ancient mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodland, with an expedition-style teaching environment and eco-friendly composting toilet. Under cover, the communal camp fire area has a hot kettle constantly over the fire with coffee, tea, squash, and water freely available at all times. The course is self-catering, with the ability to cook over a fire or gas stove.
TIME SCHEUDLE
Arrival is 1900 on Friday evening giving you time to settle in, set up camp and meet your fellow students. There will also be a briefing from your instructor's.
On Saturday and Sunday your instruction will start at 9am learning and practicing a range of skills all day Saturday, and until 1600 on Sunday.
COURSE CONTENT
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Learn to identify suitable species of wood for bow making
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Learn what makes a suitable bow stave and how to extract one from a log
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Carve your stave with suitable tools to shape your bow.
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Learn about bow tillering, and why this is important.
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Make a bow string and how this is attached to your bow and cared for.
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Produce natural arrows, including fletching, hafting and nocking to ensure straight flight.
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Advice on finishing, preserving and caring for your bow.
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Learn how to correctly use your bow with an Archery session with your qualified and experienced instructor.
