Tom Mills

This review is in process..not finished

Volume Four of the Traditional Bowyer's Bible (TBB) is a fascinating and welcome addition to the series.

This volume contains 14 articles, two other articles in the first appendix, and a second appendix with conversion tables, glossary, bibliography, a listing of the contents of all four volumes, and a good index.

Some of the articles refer to articles in previous volumes. TBB represents the ongoing love of learning to make bows and arrows well in the traditional ways. Those who are new to bowyering might want to start with TBB vol. 1. But in case they start with this volume, Tim Baker's article "Your First Wooden Bow" in Appendix I can give the first-timer enough guidance to make a decent bow.

The Articles:
1. "Out of the Shadows" by Paul Comstock

Comstock describes the decline of traditional archery and bowyering to the modern, the resurgence of interest in traditional archery and bowyering, and the genesis of TBB.

2. "Bow Wood" by Tim Baker

Baker builds upon, expands, and -at points- corrects the studies he and others have done on this topic in previous TBB volumes. The article covers the nature and composition of wood and the variance between types; moisture content, equilibrium moisture content; drying, and the relation of specific gravity of the wood to performance. Lists lots of woods with characteristics.

3. "Heat-Treating Bows" by Marc St. Louis

An empirical study on the effects/benefits/methods of heat treating bows, in particular the belly of the stick bow. How heat treating impacts performance.

4. "A Copper Age Bow" by Tom Mills

A detailed study and build-along of a Copper Age style bow with Copper Age tools. Mills lists archaeologically recovered bows and sources about them. The build-along is detailed and clear.

5. "The Mass Principle" by Steve Gardner

Building upon TBB 1 "Bow Design and Performance," Gardner delineates one of the most useful and significant observations about bow making to date. After carefully explaining the Mass Principle, Gardner demonstrates the utility, benefits, and methods of the principle.

6. "Turtle Bow" by Jim Hamm

Hamm's negative proof of concept for the Mass Principle. The concept, winner would be a 50# bow at 28", which shot slowest through the chronograph. Doing the opposite of the Mass Principle secured victory.

7. "Design and Performance Revisited" by Tim Baker

Baker also returns to TBB 1 "Bow Design and Performance" to make advances and corrections on previous thought. Density, specific gravity, layout, wood type, section types, and the Mass Principle, backings applied to enhanced Andaman-Holmegaard designs (see TBB 3), combined Ishi-pyramid style, and other style bows. Baker then looks at ways to measure efficiency followed by other observations and items of advice.

8. "Flight Bows" by Dan Perry

Perry takes the reader through the practical mechanics of engineering a good flight bow: from mass ratios, limb design, moisture, arrow design, string, and the basics of leverage in the bow. The article applies to a broader audience than flight archers.

9. "Laminated Wood Bows" by Mike Westvang

Westvang gives a brief history of the laminated bow. He then provides a detailed illustrated build-along with discussions about materials, methods, design, and safety.

10. "Character Bows" by Jim Welch

This article focuses upon using twisted "character" wood to make good bows. Jim Hamm's article "Tillering" (TBB 1) touched on some aspects of character bows. This article provides useful detail on how to deal with the many different features of character wood to make beautiful and unique bows.

11. "Arrows of the World" by Mickey Lotz
12. "Lessons from Target Archery" by Jim Hamm
13. "Ishi's Archery Tackle" by Steve Allely
14. "Bulls on a Stick" by Jim Hamm

The two articles in the first appendix are:
"Awakenings" by Tom Mills
"Your First Wooden Bow" by Tim Baker… (altro)