Showing posts with label warbow string. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warbow string. Show all posts

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Warbow Strings vs. Draw Weight

There is a school of thought within the English Warbow community that the warbows rarely, if ever, went over #100lbs in draw weight.  The argument is made using evidence from the artifacts recovered from the sunken Tudor ship the Mary Rose.  Since no bowstrings have in fact survived the centuries under water, scholars and enthusiast have looked to other aspects of the medieval archer's aresenal for support of this theory.  The evidence they use comes from arrow shafts recovered from the shipwreck.  Scholars and enthusiasts have looked at the nock (the portion of the arrow that is mounted upon the string) to determine that many so called "warbows" were probably less than #100lbs.  The nocks on the recovered arrows were only 1/8 of an inch wide, therefore, only able to accomodate a string 1/8" thick or less.  They theorize that it is unlikely a string of 1/8" thickness can support more #100lbs of draw weight.

Looking at the string of my warbow, I measured the thickness of my string at the nock point.  The thickness was exactly 1/8".  At the nock point there is and extra layer of cordage know as the serving, so I measured a portion of the string without the serving and it was less than 1/8".  The string material I use is called FastFlight and is a modern manmade material.  Warbow archers of medieval and Tudor times would have used natural linen or hemp fiber bowstrings.  I have a linen string for one of my #55lb bows.  Upon measuring that string, it too is less than 1/8" thick.  No doubt that a #55lb bow is going to require a less intense string than that of a #100lb+ warbow.  However, Myself and other warbow archers believe that warbow of draw weights greater than #100lbs could indeed have strings no more than 1/8" thick.  Here is a link to a forum thread on this very topic...
http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/39555

As the topic is still in debate, I believe that warbows of the medieval and Tudor times were often over #100lbs in draw weight.  Please add your thoughs and comments...