2026 - What I did today.

I have became a tree spotter.  I can't afford a longbow (£400 upwards to £1000's) so I would eventually like to make my own. On kato's walks I am always on the lookout for a straight hazel sapling with a 2.5 inch diameter. to shave down to make bow.
For the time being I will have to make do with a laminated flatbow which is a lot cheaper, once I have mastered the borrowed left hand recurve bow I use at the club I atttend.
I did spot a coppiced sapling that i don't think would be missed this morning.

Hazels are easy to spot at the moment with all the catkins. What length do you need? Just curious - not planning on posting you one!

Hazels are easy to spot at the moment with all the catkins. What length do you need? Just curious - not planning on posting you one!

It's more the straight,consistant thickness of  about 2.5 inches for about 7 foot of it's length!

OK. Next time the rain stops (in about a week) I'll see what I can find - out of curiosity.
I thought that archer's bows were made from Yew?

OK. Next time the rain stops (in about a week) I'll see what I can find - out of curiosity.
I thought that archer's bows were made from Yew?

They are , but straight yew branches are in short supply as it's so slow to grow. According to youtube you can still make a decent bow from a number of woods, with Hazel being the favourite in the UK because ther is so much of the stuff? It could turn out to be a 'pipedream' like so many of my plans, but I would like to give it a go!

OK. Next time the rain stops (in about a week) I'll see what I can find - out of curiosity.
I thought that archer's bows were made from Yew?

They are , but straight yew branches are in short supply as it's so slow to grow. According to youtube you can still make a decent bow from a number of woods, with Hazel being the favourite in the UK because ther is so much of the stuff? It could turn out to be a 'pipedream' like so many of my plans, but I would like to give it a go!

Am I imagining it, or, could you make a bow with a piece of  plastic pipe?

OK. Next time the rain stops (in about a week) I'll see what I can find - out of curiosity.
I thought that archer's bows were made from Yew?

They are , but straight yew branches are in short supply as it's so slow to grow. According to youtube you can still make a decent bow from a number of woods, with Hazel being the favourite in the UK because ther is so much of the stuff? It could turn out to be a 'pipedream' like so many of my plans, but I would like to give it a go!

Am I imagining it, or, could you make a bow with a piece of  plastic pipe?

Yeah, if you wanted to shoot arrows with a sucker on the end!

..........or be the Sucker on the other end of the bow.

OK. Next time the rain stops (in about a week) I'll see what I can find - out of curiosity.
I thought that archer's bows were made from Yew?

They are , but straight yew branches are in short supply as it's so slow to grow. According to youtube you can still make a decent bow from a number of woods, with Hazel being the favourite in the UK because ther is so much of the stuff? It could turn out to be a 'pipedream' like so many of my plans, but I would like to give it a go!

Am I imagining it, or, could you make a bow with a piece of  plastic pipe?

Yeah, if you wanted to shoot arrows with a sucker on the end!

I nearly choked on  my tea