Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › The blunt truth, or: The more things change, the more they stay the same

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    • Charles Ek
      Moderator
        December 9, 2013 at 2:04 am
        Post count: 566
        #6793

        I’ve been researching bow types as I contemplate building a takedown (quoth She Who Endures: “I’ll support you in this, just so long as it’s not another boat.”) Along the way I’ve taken a look at the ancient Holmegaard design, the archetype of which dates back some 8000+/- years and was found in a bog in Denmark in the mid 1940s.

        I’ve found the 1945 article by a Danish archaeologist describing the find. The article includes the image below of some arrowheads that will be instantly familiar. As the archaeologist wrote, “Arrows of similar shapes are known among many indigenous people, where they are preferred for hunting birds and small furbearers, not wanting to damage the skins by shooting through them.” The one on the left could very easily be sold today to those of us with similar proclivities:

      • Stephen Graf
        Moderator
          December 9, 2013 at 10:50 am
          Post count: 2429
          #55300

          Nice! Give my regards to the one who endures… And have fun making bows. Are you looking at making all wood bows, or glass backed?

          I made a glass backed version of the holmegaard and was not too impressed with it’s get-up-and-go. Just a wall hanger. But I imagine an all wood version would be better.

          Boats and bows… Maybe you should get into bowfishing. Then you could make a boat customized for that endeavor 😀

        • David Petersen
          Member
            December 9, 2013 at 9:03 pm
            Post count: 2749
            #55778

            Thanks, Charles, that’s cool. I’ve done a bit of poking around on google re the Holmegaard bows myself and not seen these before.

            On that topic, does anyone know of anyone who makes replica Holmgaard bows, preferably of elm as were the originals, no glass, for sale? And/or, does anyone know of any plans or directions for making one? When the weather warms so I can work outside (no workshop) I’m about ready to return to bow building and that would be a great project, since one of my distant Danish ancestors may have made the original bows 8 millennia ago. 😀

          • Charles Ek
            Moderator
            Moderator
              December 9, 2013 at 10:09 pm
              Post count: 566
              #55825

              Steve, I’m going to use only wood. And a bowfishing boat sounds like it would be fun to build and use … “OOPS! I did it again.” 🙂

              Dave, I’ll organize some of the info regarding your questions that I have found and post it here within the next day or so.

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