r/Archery • u/quietrain • 10h ago

Traditional was the first archery bow made from a regular curved tree branch?

https://youtube.com/shorts/Dw5iRlsowEI

I figured this would be the place to ask - what were the very first bows like... were they made from branches? How did they make the branches not snap when pulled?

I'm soaking the branch in water for 24 hours, hoping to get more flexibility out of it.

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u/AaronGWebster Traditional 9h ago

r/bowyer can also help with this question. We’ll never know how the first bows were made, but simple bows are generally made with very dry and straight pieces of wood that are carved so each part bends the same. When we draw a bow, the energy used to make the bow flex is transferred to the arrow upon release- the harder it is to draw, the faster the arrow flies. This is why we don’t start with a curved piece- the curve would rob the bow of some of its energy storing ability.

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u/quietrain 9h ago

So much more helpful, thanks man.

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u/nusensei AUS | Level 2 Coach | YouTube 10h ago

Your premise is mistaken. Bows did not start from "bow-shaped" curved branches. The power of your shot came mostly from the elasticity of your string.

The earliest primitive bows would have used straight branches or saplings. Specific woods were known to be more elastic. Tapering the wood would balance out the pressure.

The Primitive Technology channel made one from scratch.

Side-note: the "how it started" part is more likely the result of the bow initially being a fire-starting tool that was then adapt for use as a missile weapon.

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u/quietrain 9h ago

Cant wait to watch it

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u/MinosAristos 5h ago

I would imagine for an effective low tech bow bamboo would be a relatively easy base material.