Making historical replicas
In this part I will describe making bow according to fragments of Great Moravia Bow. The photo of founded fragments is below.
The material of the bow was probably white wood. I started with ash, especially choosen from young tree. The row shape of the stave is on the photo.
What make this bow different are the nocks, which are high and narrow together. For this reason must be enough wood for nocks – some year-rings more in nock position.
The tillering process is similar like when making any other bow (see part Handcrafts – Making bows). Now I can not exactly follow the dimensions of replica on the picture, because other wood has it´s own mechanical property. Good tiler is the most important.
There is no description of surface finish and heating. I use the same methods as by other bows – polishing, heating and linen oil protection against moisture. This makes the best result when shooting – feeling top surface quality with ancient times together.
The original bow string was not survived. We suppose string either from animal or plant material. I use string from linen, Flemish type twisted.
This bow can be used e.g. with sinew wrapped arrows (see part Catalogue – Arrows – Arrows-Antiquity period)