You've got some awesome skills Mick. Well done with the long Bow, she's a beauty. Outstandingly filmed and edited like always. I so need arrow cam haha. Take care my friend

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Andy! Thank you, hope you are well. Stay safe - and get your video camera working soon! Mick

@ClanGunnBushcraft

6 жыл бұрын

I'm great thanks Mick. Crackin video. Had to watch it again. I got back on monday from recording a camp / hunt video with my son. I'll have it posted within the week. I don't want to spoil it, but we had sticky bbq squirrel thanks to my boy 🐿😋 Take care bud

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

OMG! Sticky BBQ squirrel - and with your son too. That's something I'll never experience. Looking forward to the video. Best. Mick

@ClanGunnBushcraft

6 жыл бұрын

I do cook up a mean bbq squirrel haha. You don't have a son? That's a shame. Your welcome to come with us anytime buddy

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

No we have no children Andy. Sometimes choices made long ago turn out to be wrong. I like the idea of joining you one day. Thank you. You can cook the squirrel!

Amazing camera work , you are a joy to watch 👍.

Classic vidio.your the true king of England, a simple D.N.A. test Would show the true line of sucession to Mick Grewcock and a test of battle must occure on the field of honnor to reavele the winner! The sword must again be pulled from the stone.God bless and keep our Queen..untill we meet again! Chiers Mick great vidio,and if you can ...make a bow!...and mines comeing along nicely! Thank you.

great movie. great bow. thank yew mick.

@MickGrewcock

5 жыл бұрын

Thank yew Gary

great pleasure to watch your films, excellent chanell !

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

" Happy is the man who knows how to learn"... Someone must have said that , just can't find it. So, be happy, still a sweet little bow there Mick.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Yes, if someone else hasn't said, claim it for yourself! Thanks, it's a pleasant bow and was interesting to make. I'll have another go sometime soon!

That was sweet Mick. 60 is plenty. Very nice Be proud

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great educational video Mick. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks so much for these videos, Sir. When I was a small child in the '70's, there was a TV show called Country Crafts, hosted by Jack Hargreaves - you would have surely earned a place on it. It's also good to see all your asides , making a cup of tea in the woods etc - It's a wonder you haven't featured on a Ray Mears special, or two. Thanks again - I will be 'having a go at making a bow or two.

@MickGrewcock

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I remember Jack Hargreaves. Good luck with the bows.

I cannot believe that I only just now discovered this channel. Amazing! Your presentation is very reminiscent of the BBC documentaries I watched growing up.

@MickGrewcock

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoy! Thanks for watching.

Love your videos. Please keep making them.

That arrow GoPro Mount was really cool 👍

Thank you so much for the video....Can't think of a better way to start a mourning.....Watching your video....Then off to harvest some sugar maple and white oak staves....After watching your video makes me wonder about the American elm i have in the garage...Thanks again for your inspiring videos....

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Good luck with your harvest and thank you for watching. Mick

absolutely love you're videos mick, it's a shame you can't shoot anymore. I have similar health issues also which stem from too much hard physical work and intense sports. I did scaffolding as a job for years as well as labour work whilst in my spare time i was powerlifting and doing boxing. at the heaviest i was dead lifting 152kg but as a result of this i am now in constant discomfort with tennis and golfers elbow in both arms and arthritis in both shoulders. so now i still make bows but i can only loose a light bow of 20lbs from time to time. Any more than this leaves me in terrific pain for months on end. suffered with my elbows since 2005 but now I'm pushing 40 it's become a issue day to day. All this aside though i absolutely love the videos both on the British countryside and warbows and to be honest they are probably the best and most informative i have seen. and easily the most enjoyable. hope to see more inspiring videos from you soon.

Mick, l like your bowyer advice, especially on how to deal with failure and building a bow design that's best for the wood harvested. I've been building bows for six years now. Your advice has been valuable. Thanks.

Thank you! Your videos are inspiring and quite relexing to watch! :)

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Fantastic video. Thanks Mick

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Stefan!

I like those shots with camera on arrows. Love watching your videos. Thanks for your efforts.

Amazing video Mick. Wonderfully shot ATB

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

It’s alright my bow year ended in a failure as well I’m only 14 years old I tried 3 different elm staves and they all had knots, kinks, twists I didn’t even get to the tiller, so I’m back making arrows in my basement something I’m quite good at o well you are a huge inspiration for me Mick

Mick, your attitude about learning and taking the good with the bad is a pleasure to watch. It is inspirational, I am excited that the weather here is finally starting to look spring like so I too can start trying to make a bow. Your video's are always of good quality. Your are a man of many skills. Keep them coming!!!!

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Richard! Well it's raining (again) here but there are signs of spring everywhere. Glad you're seeing them too. Good luck with the bow!

Great videos very interesting

Glad to see you tamed the beast on one of those elm staves. And glad to hear it wasn’t too rough on the tools. The bow looks like a beaut, better to have a nice target bow and miss your target weight then to not have a bow at all in my humble opinion. Elm is one of the species I still want to do some experimenting with myself so it was nice to watch you make a few out of it. I just got some good purpleheart on sale that I plan on making some laminated out of. That stuff is gorgeous but boy do the splinters suck lol.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Ouch, splinters! Got one in my palm yesterday. I still want success with elm but may have to look for some wytch elm. That said, I got plenty of (what we call) English elm so, being a bit stubborn, I'll have another plug at one or two! Thanks for watching. Mick

Thanks Mick 'I learned a lot from that one' as well, And a nice bushcrafty cup o tea into the bargain, always great. ATB Pete

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Cheers Pete! Stay safe. Mick

cracking upload buddy ,love the flight footage ;)

Nice one Mick.

Look forward to these vids each week mick 🤙 great work as always , very informative and entertaining

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Another brilliant film , thanks for all the effort you put into making them

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris!

@chriscant1618

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock hope you don’t mind but have shared this on Facebook you deserve way more subscribers

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Not at all. I can't say I chase subs but they are nice to have - so share away! Thank you.

That arrow cam was pretty cool. Another great video.

You are developing such great video style.

Love the video Mick

Great camera angles

Mick, you are a true artist with your videos. Thanks for bringing a bit of class to us stick benders/breakers.😁

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Keith!

Nice video

Your series on Longbows &The English Countryside is a joy to watch as an Ex Pat these are the type of treasures that never leave ones heart Your Filming is Excellent, As a beginner we will always will make mistakes But that is the Experience of Life , Things can only improve by trial & error Keep it coming mate You have inspired me to build a Bow, Regards from NZ

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Lez. Delighted that I have contributed in a small way to encouraging you to have go at making a bow. Good luck. Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated - I'm self-learning not only bow-making but filming/editing too - so it's nice to get some feedback on both. Mick

Great video :-)

Filming was awesome too by the way 👍

Fabulous filming, Mick! I have never seen the earth from an arrow’s point of view 🤣

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Lars!

We can easily become obsessed with figures. Draw weight, speed of arrow flight, distance we can fire an arrow. But, crikey, that's a beauty Mick. I'd be more than happy with that!

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Yes you are right Malcolm. Many archers and bowyers strive for ever better numbers and accuracy. I find that very laudable but it's not the field I like playing in. I may be foolish, but I just enjoy the act of crafting a bow and the pleasure of using it in the environment that produced the wood. I like the art of it all, the heritage, the link to the past and to those who came before. I have great admiration for the hitters of targets, the drawers of heavy bows, the crafters of magnificent examples of the bowyer's skill, the brilliant fletchers, the bow-backers and distance reachers but do not strive to join them. Me, my wood, my tools, the wind, rain, fire and dog do me nicely instead.

@malcolmsmith9232

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock Beautifully put. Couldn’t agree more. I prefer the art to the mechanics of archery. You’ve produced a few beauties on your bowyers journey. Well done.

Cracking video mick. The arrow cam shots a great even though they made me feel dizzy haha.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

I get that way Shane - but often not due to arrows spinning!

It is amazing! Wood seems to have a wisdom of its own. That's why i try to avoid working with it! :)

Hi mick, elm is a relatively soft wood. So when you make bows out of it, flat and broad designs tends to make better bows then thicker, narrower designs. To go safe give it a flat back so the stress is not distributed over a small amount of space

@johnjriggsarchery2457

6 жыл бұрын

Yep, There's a mystique about elm and that probably comes from our Rock Elm and your Wych Elm, which are both in the "hard elm" group. I could look up stats of the ulnus that you used, but I suspect that it would be similar to our American elm, which is actually relatively soft and not willing to make heavy, narrow, thick bows without gaining bunches of string follow. Like Luuk said, the stuff you had would be good for wider, flatter 50/60 pound flat bows.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Luuk. I am surprised how soft elm is. Thank you for your guidance - much appreciated. Mick

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi John, yes I've learned a lesson! Thank you for the assistance. Mick

@Bullseyearchery

6 жыл бұрын

Luuk Van Kesteren Totally agree Luuk. Elm is for flat bows.

@fredflintstone7986

6 жыл бұрын

Sorry I disagree, the back should be rounded as Elm is tension strong so the back should be rounded not flat so it does not overwhelm the belly. Elm is naturally weaker in compression...

You got a nice bow. Love to have a self english longbow. With horn nocks. Ive had two in the past they welchmens. Finest groove fingered sister oreagon yew longbows i ever owned. But im a hunter and you got to shoot them english longbows at 60 to 70 pounds to get that speed. Real forgiving bows though. I shot 55 lb spine shafts tapered on feather end to 5/16 diameter. 28" inches long. Like darts.

Mick, love the video. Filming and commentary brilliant, as a fledgling bowyer have made my first flatbow, but handshock horrendous. Have my eye on a sycamore growing in my garden as my next project. Keep up the good work.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Well, if you got hand-shock then at least you've got a working bow. Can't be bad, eh? Many try to make a bow and, sadly, fail; you've succeeded so well done! Never tried sycamore - I have loads of sycamore around me and should have a go I guess. Thanks for watching and good luck with bow number two!

Beautiful bow Mick! As I so have learned, bows often don't want to be warbows. I have a 70lb hickory and a 80lb yew that were intended to be warbows, and they have been better than my 100lb yew bow that broke! Lighter bows sometimes are just as amazing.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Blake! Yes, that's so true for me - interesting to hear I'm not the only one. Thanks fro watching. Mick

As always, Like!

mick you just made me cringe lol you silly use the back of that knife for your ferrous rod or a piece of glass or scraper ohhhhhhh my spine shivered lol lol lol awesome video my friend

If 60ld draw is a toy you must be ripped lol

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Fordman 1991 The only thing ripped about me are my jeans!!

@skylerslack12

3 жыл бұрын

exactly! 60 pounds is still enough power to kill anything on the planet with the right shot placement

@doggonemess1

3 жыл бұрын

@@skylerslack12 Blue whale? :) Oh, wait, you said ON the planet...

Well it may have fallen short of the desired power Mick, but you still made a very shootable bow 🤗. Dont give up trying though as i'm sure you will find a suitably strong piece of elm sooner or later ☺👍

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

I hope so Dave, I love the look of elm. I can see why some bowyers prefer it - I just need to find the secret of building them!

Looks like a superb camera launcher.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

A very crude set up but it works!

I guess finding bow wood in the UK is slim pickings.... keep up the videos Mick we love' em here in Texas! maybe try and get you one from America.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

We don't do too bad here for bow wood but yew is not always readily available so it's mainly the secondary woods that I (and others) have to use whilst we learn. Thanks for watching in Texas!

If u can make a reliable 60lb longbow or Bush bow youre a true bowman

I really enjoy your educational and entertaining videos. I live in northern New York, near Canada. We have 10s of thousands of acres of beautiful hardwoods. One tree that is unique to the northeast US is the sugar maple. It's very hard and strong. What are your thoughts on trying it for a bow? I also have a bit of white ash which is beautifully straight and strong.

Hey Mick, another great video and a beautiful bow. I'm beginning my journey into bowmaking with a straight piece of eucalyptus and I'd love those 60 pounds if I can get them, haha. I know, missing a target can be a pain, but that's the journey with each piece of wood having its own story to tell. Seems like your bow took a bit of set as some of the fibers in the wood adjusted to the compression. But it's still a beautiful bow and it'll do many a great shooting experiences :) And it looks remarkable.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Good luck with your eucalyptus! Thanks for watching, appreciate your comment!

@LaserSharkPhotoablations

6 жыл бұрын

Pretty much only spotted gum is worth trying, from all reports eucalypts in general take a lot of set.(both long and short term) Have a go with most of the wattles that produce a straight stave, Black and Hickory are my local varieties, but either split them green, or if smaller staves work them roughly to shape first while still green or they split like crazy in the drying, even with bark on and painted ends,(but dont tiller till dry or you will make a bow, but with a lot of set) Also very good and perhaps the best aus wood going on stats from www.wood-database.com/ is sheoak , desert is reputedly best, but i have a working river sheoak bow

give you a fun exercise go out shooting in an open field my friend put six arrows in your quiver shoot the first 3 with your eyes open then the next 3 with them closed you will feel what im talking about and notice the pattern on the closed eyed ones they will be a tighter group

Yes , thats it , a nice Elm Longbow ! Oh yes , elm Will take an early set and lose some draw Weight , but will stabilize pretty well after that . Its not an English warbow , but a 60 pounder would go nicely trough chainmail with a needle bodkin , and they did just that back in the day . Congrats and cheers Mick.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Rasmus Lykke Thanks Rasmus. I have to say, it seems to have settled a bit already. But I still hanker to get elm to a heavier weight - just to say I’d done it! Thanks for watching. Mick

@Spiritof48

6 жыл бұрын

I am still trying to persuade you to steam bend a bit of recurve into the tips , haha ( ; ( you wont regret it )

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Okay, okay 😀 I’ll do it for you before too long!

@LaserSharkPhotoablations

6 жыл бұрын

waiting for that vid mick...

@iceblueeyes9455

2 жыл бұрын

I dont get it. I shoot 70 pound longbow and if some body shot me with my bow and field point and me wherein chain mail i don't believe your going to feel good the next day the impact would send you to scoottin . And penatrstion would probably be slow death.

Fantastico video come sempre!! Sorry, i speaked italian, no english😂

@micicioamore

3 жыл бұрын

Tanks🤩

The music choice and the editing make for an extremely statisfying video, amazing as always Mick. Do you edit and shoot everything yourself? How much time do you put into a video on average? Personally I like when bows are rather large in size because it makes them look more impressive. All the best to you and dont lose your passion!

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi there. Thanks for that! Yes, everything is filmed and edited by me. A ten minute video like that might take 4-5 hours to film and between four and six hours to edit depending on how complicated the edit. I’ll keep at it! Thanks for watching. Mick

we will make you an expert my friend most of all have fun

awesome video my friend have fun or go out for pizza best of wishes to you and yours

Just reverse draw it and dry it under since reverse draw.... Once it's dry thoroughly while it's hot coat it with either a very good shellac or wax applied hot while the view is warm.... Moisture can be destructive to draw weight and of course you could apply sinew to the back and or belly before drying and sealing..... Good way to dry is to put it in a box similar to a steam box but with a inlet abs Chimney outlet raise the heat slowly and let smoke go thru and over the bow.... You can also wrap in cloth or paper and then wrap it with white ashes.... The ashes will draw moisture but can't be in contact as is where you very lye from.... Ashes work as a desicant guy could also surround the wrapped bow with dried rice or other grains and the heat will dry the rice or ash which will in turn dry the bow as soon as its dry you have to seal it very well.... It sounds like you did not season the wood before building... It will still season and take a heavier draw over time as long as you do not leave it strung very long.... And if you counter string it lightly when it sits.... Bows are best kept over the fireplace or heater when not in use.... If you use finish cure epoxy 24 hour type you could put a light weight glass on the back and if you do it right it will be invisible.... But personally 60 lbs is just fine 100 you will be shaking like a dog shitting a peach seed and less accurate..... As long as you don't crush the cells in the belly as it dries it will get stronger

@MickGrewcock

5 жыл бұрын

jolllyroger1 Thank you, great advice. Appreciated.

Hey mick love the videos. I'm after a bit of advice. If I'm taking a piece of Ash, what sort of diameter should I look for and how long to wait for it to season before I can get to work on it. My first attempt years ago broke under tillering and I haven't tried since but your videos inspire me to have another bash. Many thanks

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Richard, thanks for watching my videos. Depends on what you want from your bow. If, like me 18 months or so ago, you just want to self-learn and would be happy to make a bow irrespective of draw weight, then I think ash is a good choice. You can work ash whilst wet and green if you wish. Have you seen my recent video "Shane's re-enactment Bow"? That is made from ash, worked whilst green and then dried before tillering. It took just a few weeks start to finish. That stave was an ash sapling about 2 inch diameter. My very first bow (see video "Traditional Longbow") was from a similar size stave and was wet when worked. I suggest you cut several if you can, around 2"-3" diameter and straight as possible with as few side branches as possible. Seal the ends of one of them with paint, varnish, wax or PVA and put it somewhere dry. You could strip the bark if you want first. Another one could be shaped with an axe or similar so that you get a squarish blank 75-77 inches long and around 35mm x 35mm - leave one face untouched - this will be the bow's back. You can de-bark later. Draw on that blank the shape of the bow (I mark on the belly) and work it down to your guidelines. Don't bend it, put it somewhere dry in a draught and if you feel there is risk of twisting, clamp it to a post or similar. It should be dry enough to work in about ten days if you keep in the right conditions. Then start tillering carefully. Your other ash stave should dry over the summer months and be ready to make your second bow. These staves should easily make 40lb bows, more with care. Try to make a good bow first, before worrying about draw weight. Good luck!

@richardhuggett2350

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock wow... Thank you sir for such a comprehensive reply. I have a few laminate longbows by recognised bowyers (pip etc) but really wanted to try something made by my own hands. As a field archer I'm always making my own arrows but now I'm tempted to aim higher... Thanks

Yet another cracking video Mick, nice one! Out of interest have you ever read the Bowyers bible series of books?

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi there. Yes I have looked at one of them - must get round to getting them all. I hear they are very useful. Thank you. Mick

@benspeedschannel888

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock I've had the set for about 15 years, not cheap to by new but a worthwhile investment

I have read that English elms are poor choices for bows as far as elm species are concerned. I made an American elm bow which is about 40 inches long and pulls 50 pounds at 17 inches. It is a short bow for sure, and took about 2 or 3 inches of set, but it is a pretty strong shooter at close ranges. total distance shot is about 300 feet. It is so short like that because the straight section on the small juvinile tree was only that long. it's about 42 inches long (or it was when flat), about 1/2 to 5/8 thick and 1 1/2 wide through the lenght, tapering at the tip ends to about 1/2 inch tips. bends in the handle. the finish is quite rough with dig outs on the belly and along the sides because of the wood, slightly snakey at parts and a slight twist at one of the tips. Its a pretty forgiving and tough wood which when broken doesnt explode or snap but rather kinda folds and pulls apart.

@MickGrewcock

2 жыл бұрын

English elm will make a superb bow - but not all trees are equal! Mine had grown rapidly with wide growth rings. Thanks for watching.

@ndubstar

2 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock hi, just wondering what type of camera did you use for attaching to your arrows when shot? that was pretty cool. thanks

@MickGrewcock

2 жыл бұрын

@@ndubstar I used a Go pro - the cube shaped one.

Hi Mick can you make video about back of bow (remove bark,grinding,finish protection) ? i want to make bow from ash and dont know how on it right (sorry for my english im from europe) :)

Another excellent video Mick, is there anything special your doing with your small patch of woodland to help keep it healthy? or just letting it get on with it maturing naturally.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

It's a young woodland in the UK's National Forest with two substantial areas of water, open glades and three blocks of 20+ year old plantation of native, mixed trees. It is land re-generated from open cast mining. We are not overbearing on it but we thin trees regularly in the winter, keep watersides open from too may willows, rotation mow certain glade areas (we have thousands of orchids and try to maintain suitable areas to encourage and maintain them), have planted 1200+ hedging plants to replace a fence and occasionally introduce native flowering plants. Most years we have to control grey squirrels because they attack and ring-bark young oaks and sliver birch. Quite often we go there and drink beer and have BBQs - not sure if that helps the wood but it helps us!!

@oldgold5848

5 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock sounds great Mick. Re elm......there is the old saying that elm hateth man and waiteth, hinting at its fondness for shedding big limbs. It loves to crack, and will always be a challenge for bows.

Many people hunt big game with 40 to 50 lb. bows in N. America. 60 lbs. is getting into the shaky draw range for many, especially smaller younger or female archers. 60 lbs is more than enough to take Elk, Moose , or Bear.

and put a slight bend in the bow arm it stops the slapping on the wrist and relax as you release let the bow fall out of your hand

Great video im a begginer and im trying to find a type of wood in my area that is good for making my first bow. The only type of wood that ive found so far is oak and types of olives do you know if olives can make a bow? I might have seen all of your videos in just one week huge fan of yours!!!

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, possibly olive but I haven’t tried it myself. Oak can be okay but I haven’t used it but I hear that some types are okay but most not. Sorry I can’t help more. Good luck.

@katsikaasprh6146

4 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock okay ill try both thank you so much for awnsering my question once again! If you want try in the future making a bow of theese kinds of woods. Once again thanks a lot!

Hello again....Can you tell me if more or less growth rings are better when selecting staves? Reason i ask....Harvested a yellow birch today and it was 9.5 cm across.....But it had 35 growth rings! I had to get my hand lens out to count after sanding it smooth....So is dens better?

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

In my experience (which is of course limited) the more growth rings the better. Good luck with it!

Is sad when that bow is not what we thought at the beginning, (I broke my first self bow in the tillering) however that is a great bow

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you Eliud!

@eliudmartinez7897

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock thank you to you, before your posts on instagram I didn't know how to make a bow, but in my area are no forest (is the Mexican semi desert) so is no easy to get good wood

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Eliud Martinez Keep trying Eliud! Thanks for the message. Mick

@eliudmartinez7897

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock I'll try again with a citric.

Wych Elm and Rock elm have a much higher Janka hardness than English elm. The mistake a lot of people make is thinking all elms, all maples, all oaks... are the same.

@MickGrewcock

2 жыл бұрын

Hello John. Good to hear from you. I hope you are well.

Lovely bow all the same. Is there any particular reason you make a small loop for a slip knot at one end of your string, as opposed to a loop to just fit the nock? I never thought of doing it that way. Is the other end a timber hitch?

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Iron Pirate I’ve found that a fixed loop on a sidenock tends to slip to one side of the bow limb. A running loop lies more centrally. I struggled a bit with this on my first side nocked bow and Will Sherman of Medieval Arrows told me that a running loop works better. He’s right! Yes, opposite end is tied with a bowyer’s/timber hitch but with the addition of a stopper knot to prevent the slippery Fast Flight gradually sliding through the knot and becoming loose. Thanks for watching. Mick

Love the vid Mick! whats the song title please!

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

'Cause I am coming home (Ahlstrom re-mix) instrumental version'. I use Epidemic Sound for all my KZread Music licensing and this song song is from Epidemic's web site. Mick

@czaczaja

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the reply! You're a legend, love your vids!

Love your videos. Which camera did you use on the arrow? (And how did you secure it?) Its fantastic footage!

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

Go Pro session5 using a modified GoPro housing. Moves centre of gravity and impairs arrow flight but with tweaking enables some interesting videography.

@angryredcom

4 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock im not risking my hero 4 and Ive only got a 35lb bow atm, so Id expect the camera weight to severely impact arrow flight. Ive ordered an SQ11 micro camera though, so will experiment with that 😄 Great content, I think Ive binge watched all your archery videos twice now!

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

6mythBullet Crikey! That’s dedication watching them twice. Good luck with the camera. Yes, 35lbs draw will not give all that weight much velocity. I was using 80+ lbs. Beware though, high draw weight and a front mounted camera causes incredible inertia on loose. My first two experiments smashed arrows into fragments. Be very careful that the arrow doesn’t shatter and pierce your bow hand. I found modest success with half inch diameter arrow shafts loosed from bows 80-100 lbs. I did try a 50lb bow with success but not distance. Take care.

Still looks good, even though it came out to be underweight. What dimensions are in cross section? Regarding different woods and different outcomes, here is a short story of mine. Last year I decided to make my first warbow, a 100 pound one from hazel. I roughed out hazel to dimensions that were supposed to give me enough room for tillering and at the end have the result of 100 pound bow. What happened is that I got on the tiller tree 100 pound at 18 inches or so of draw! Completely ridiculous. I couldn't even brace it before I made a stringer of super strong belt. At the end I got 100 pounds at 28 inches. Now the interesting thing is that Joe Gibbs made a hazel warbow of 150 pounds and overall dimensions of his bow are much larger than mine. Probably the result is different environment where both hazels grew. I collected mine from hilly terrain with lots of rocks around. It also had tighter rings. Regarding rings, I have just next to me an ash flatbow. It was made from 10 cm diameter sapling which had so many rings that I violated at least few of them when debarking it. Now I am looking for backing material as it might break during tillering.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Wow, a 100lb hazel. Excellent! Yes, interesting this subject of how a tree goes and the effect it has upon the wood. I believe that the best yew grows in tough conditions, underlining your comment about yours and Joe's hazel bows. I broke the rings on the back of a hazel Meare Heath and it snapped right at that spot. Learned another lesson that day! Cheers for now. Mick

@haraldbearclaw1856

6 жыл бұрын

You can even see on the bark, the weight of stave/sapling and environment where you cut it with what will you deal later on when you rough out the bow. Two days ago I picked a deflexed 5 cm in diameter hazel sapling to make a reflex deflex longbow. It will be 66" ntn. This hazel is only about 7 years old (according to ring count) and I noticed when I roughed it out today, that I will get at most 60 pounds at the end. It seemed too bendy and light. 60 pounds is what I am aiming for actually, but still, someone could easily mistake himself and expect a warbow out of it.

Just curious, do you think the Elm took set as you had it on the tiller and it took set and therefore the poundage dropped because the belly was not wide enough to handle the compression? Just wondering what your thoughts would have been if the belly had been perhaps wider, would it have managed the compression better and take less set and therefore drop in weight? Or was it truely a spongey less dense piece of wood? Either way looks like a nice bow, well done! Like the authentic side knocks.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi there. I'm still not 100% sure. I made it wide (about 40mm) along the central 12 inches then tapered to about 6 inches from tips then rapid taper to half inch at the start of the cone. At one point it seemed massively powerful but quickly lost weight. On balance, I'd say the wood was spongy - certainly the sap growth rings were very wide and I chose to not chase down the rings to the heartwood, which may have been a mistake. I have more elm though and haven't given up on it so I'll see what happens next. Overall it does look purposeful and I like the appearance of side nocks on a bow like this. It seems to have settled now and is quite snappy so I'm fairly happy with the outcome. I'll stick it in the corner and see what it does in a month or two!

@fredflintstone7986

6 жыл бұрын

Nice one. Any chance you would try and make a holmegaard with some of that elm with 2 inch wide limbs coming out of the riser and off a stiff handle. Really want to see how you manage on a bow like that about 68" in length with small stiff tips and see what you think in the difference in shooting it to a longbow. In no rush but love your videos and would be nice to see my favourite design made by someone who makes such amazing videos. Here's wishing! :) If ever in doubt how dense wood is, you could use the specific gravity test described in the bowyers bible due to the variations of tree density? I have to say once I got my ahead around it and how it impacted design and draw weight target the amount of set my white wood bows had reduced dramatically as I knew how to adjust the width of my bow to match the density of the particular tree I had felled.

Mick, that's my favorite draw weight, and I've always wanted an Elm longbow! Do you still have that one? Do you want to keep it, or would you consider selling it? Keep up the great videos!

@MickGrewcock

5 жыл бұрын

I still have it but I don't sell my bows I'm afraid - but thank you for asking. Mick

@eternalstudent11

5 жыл бұрын

No worries! Thanks for the reply!

Long bows Discovery Channel..

Why do you use the edge of your knife for the firesteel??? :(

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

I use two knives Diego. One for rough stuff including use with the steel, one kept sharp!

As I have split over 200 elms in my life I can a sure you that over 85% of those elms split as the Japanese chase sticks.

to make this longbow you also used heartwood as in a yew longbow?

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

Megadethized Megadave Yes 👍

@megadethizedmegadave7652

4 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock strange because I don't see a color difference in the belly, you could tell me more, thanks

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

Hazel does not display different colours like other woods. It does not have much ‘character’ like other woods - but the bark, sapwood and older ‘heartwood’ are all present.

@megadethizedmegadave7652

4 жыл бұрын

@@MickGrewcock but this bow is not of elm?

@MickGrewcock

4 жыл бұрын

Megadethized Megadave Apologies, yes it is elm. Elm does have heartwood which displays a chestnut colour sometimes but the tree from which this bow was made was pale and only a little remained on the bow. To use much more of the older (darker) heartwood would have required me to chase a ring on the back.

So what is the density of that piece of elm?

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

I’ve got a little piece in the shed which I’ll test. I have enough elm cut for probably six bows so I’d like to figure it out. En route north just now and out of action for a week and a bit.

@rodparsons521

6 жыл бұрын

If you've got enough you might do a bend/break test as well. What kind of SG has Will S been looking for in the Elm he's been using? Pretty wet hereabouts lately (the beck is brimful where it comes off the heath). I've been using cotton buds to dab aniline dye onto the bark on the back of my floor-tillered Hazel stick and waiting for the blossoms to begin to show before going back into the woods looking for Blackthorn).

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

I'll ask Will, never thought of that. Hope you find some good and straight blackthorn. BT blossom well open on the early bloomers around here (so much difference between one hedge and another, one blackthorn to another. I guess some are hybrids of blackthorn and wild plums, some trees with massive thorns but others showing only tiny spikes - almost vestigial in appearance). Good luck.

@rodparsons521

6 жыл бұрын

Maybe a couple of weeks or more for the Blackthorn to be out around here, seems a little late this year. I'm wondering about the ring count on your Elm as well, but I think maybe it has more to do with the condition of the tree you cut it from.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Rod Parsons It was about 23/25 years old with a diameter of approx 6.5 inches. Growing straight on a fertile, south facing bank in our wood protected from wind by several acres of alder. The sap rings were very wide. There is good heartwood but I didn’t use any - I used the natural back and the sapwood layers - maybe I should use heartwood by working down the sap rings until I got some sap and darker heartwood. Maybe next time.

That bow its slinging arrows 🏹 enough pounds to knock down a deer i just made a elm longbow

elm=great flat bows , not stick bows ,not elwbs holmgaard pattern with elm. and it works ..

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Got it Robert, thank you.

I'm still a proud "rotter" .

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

And I'm still here.

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hmm.

60lbs a toy? thats still deadly, did you mean it is a toy to you personally?

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

Hi there. Well, a toy in the sense of it being a 'small' version of the real thing - like a toy fighter aircraft is a smaller version of a real fighter aircraft. Admittedly, my bow is not physically smaller than the real thing but in the sense I was trying - simplistically - to convey it is 'toy-like' in its power. Yes, 60lbs is a deadly bow and still powerful (arrow cam is mounted on a heavy, half-inch shafted bodkin tipped arrow 30" long) but in comparison to a 100lb warbow it feels rather weak! Thanks for watching. Mick

@eddard9442

6 жыл бұрын

Mick Grewcock oh ok, thanks for replying I enjoyed the video, thank you.

mick do you miss more to the left meaning your arrow hits more left im gonna help you with ease to robin hood an arrow. you second pull meaning you pull harder just before release (don't) and you pull your string arm off your face watch this video you stop both those and you will be a happier man

60lbs is hardly a toy bow

@MickGrewcock

6 жыл бұрын

It is when you wanted 100lbs!! Thanks for watching. Mick

Dude is he being sarcastic 🙄

@MickGrewcock

3 жыл бұрын

No

Many people hunt big game with 40 to 50 lb. bows in N. America. 60 lbs. is getting into the shaky draw range for many, especially smaller younger or female archers. 60 lbs is more than enough to take Elk, Moose , or Bear.