Flatbow
A bow with flat, wide limbs and a rectangular cross-section.
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Good flatbows can be made from a wide variety of timbers, unlike longbows which often require specific woods like yew.[1] Unlike the American longbow, which has narrow limbs and a handle of similar width, a flatbow is characterized by wide limbs and a narrow handle section.[2]
Quick Facts
- Typical length flatbow
- 68–70 in / 1.73–1.78 m
- Typical length english longbow
- 70–72 in / 1.78–1.83 m
- Materials
- elm
- maple
- sycamore
- hazel
- ash
- hickory
- osage orange
- fiberglass (modern)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Flatbows were used by Native American tribes such as the Hupa, Karok, and Wampanoag, as well as prehistoric ancient Europeans and some Inuit tribes.[1] They were also used by Finno-Ugric nations and other pre-gunpowder societies for hunting and warfare.[1] The American longbow, sometimes incorrectly called the American flatbow, was developed in the 1930s.[3] After the Mesolithic period, flatbows lost popularity in Europe as yew longbows took their place.[1]
The extensive trade of yew wood for English longbows caused a severe reduction in yew stocks across a vast region.[1] The Sentinelese people of the Andaman Islands still employ flatbows today.[1] Contrary to expectations that the English longbow's D-section would prove best, the research determined that a simple rectangular cross-section was optimal.[3] Howard Hill popularized the American longbow, which soon replaced the English longbow as the dominant choice for target archery.[4]
What the cited sources add
The 1947 compilation "Archery: The Technical Side" documents that the American longbow was developed from research into the best cross-sectional shape for a bow limb.[3] A 1941 Popular Mechanics article notes that the flatbow has wide limbs and a narrow handle section, distinguishing it from the American longbow.[2] Howard Hill's book "Hunting the Hard Way" records that he popularised the American longbow and referred to it as a semi-longbow.[4] The IFAA, ABA, and TAA rulebooks specify that modern longbows are not recognised as American longbows and must be shot in different divisions.[5]
According to those sources, the investigation aimed to confirm the superiority of the English longbow's D-section, but it revealed that a plain rectangle was actually the best shape.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Flatbow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yew: A History. Hageneder F. Sutton Publishing, 2007. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Flatbow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: From Popular Mechanics March 1941, page 439; Outdoor Sports publication page 49 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Flatbow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hickman, C. N.; Nagler, Forrest; Klopsteg, Paul E. (1947), Archery: The Technical Side. A compilation of scientific and technical articles on theory, constructi (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Flatbow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hunting the Hard Way by Howard Hill (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Flatbow" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: IFAA Book of Rules, page 37; ABA National Book of Rules page 16; TAA Equipment Guidelines page 3 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Flatbow (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Flatbow (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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