Just goes to show when you want to learn how to do something the traditional way you must go to where the tradition began.here in America things are made so complicated,or hard to understand (needlessly) that even Albert Einstein with all the knowledge that the good lord bestowed upon him would have a hard time trying to understand but not this this by it's sheer simplicity and ease is what I call traditional and the very reason I found it, good job sir and God bless
Yes three as a matter of fact the first one wasn't tight enough on the twists (in the loop) but still usable the last two one for a recurve and another for an American fiberglass laminate bow came out perfect.
11:07 the; (A-Ha!) moment when I realized why the need to cut all strands 1/2" less than previous. Normally, I'm sleeping or so lost any time there's knitting, crochet, sewing, in shows but you've kept me knot' only awake but I've followed & learned! Amazing teacher!
For over 25 years I have been making strings, Arrows, Bracers, Tabs, and anything else that I needed for archery. Every one of this channels videos that I watch ups my game in almost immeasurable ways. Richard and Phillip, keep up the incredible work, the incredible dedication to your craft and the betterment of the Archery community.
Wow, that's very kind of you to say! I am glad we could help. We would love to carry on with the channel, sadly it hasn't grown to become `self-sufficient` so it's hard to warrant the amount of time it takes, we will do what we can. Thanks again.
@@longbows Well sirs I sincerely hope it turns around for you, there is not a better Archery Education channel on this platform, and it would be a real shame to lose your extensive experience and knowledge. Ps. The Big Jig needs to come back in stock.
Excellent in every way! I never wanted to make my own string until I saw this video. Thank you so much for making this available to amateur beginners like me.
@longbows no but I will check it out, thank you. I have recently cut a lovely piece of viburnum, not huge , about 2" thick so hopefully I can get a light weight bough stave bow out of it .
Thanks you for everything, i've just finished my first English longbow, crafted my string and Served it! 80# @ 28'' for my first one. It's a warrior bow. Will try a 60# now! Its going to be a growing passion! Such an Epic feel to craft those!
Fantastic! You have made my day, I am so glad we were able to help! If you are able to help the channel keep going or grow we would appreciate it. Let me know how you get on with the next bow.
OK I've just finished my FIRST bow string...alright it's not 'perfection' like yours but it's MINE ;-) but will do for me and I now fully appreciate Richards dexterity and experience! Well done Sir! So you've both inspired me to do some more. I did use B50 which didn't need any more wax, but perhaps I didn't need any more cider whilst doing it either...Hic ;-) ;-) On to the serving... in the cold light of day! Cheers All.
@@longbows You're welcome. It's also nice to hear positive feedback in these days of Covid and uncertainties. My wife is English and can't travel back to the UK to see her Elderly mother, which needless to say worries her a lot. Take care and keep up the good work, we appreciate. From a fellow bowyer.
WOW you guys are good together :-) Most easiest way to watch a how to make a bow string I've seen! and all in one take, brill. Just goes to show how you're experience can demystify a task and be a joy to watch. Well done both as I'm off to make mine (and a few more) and then check out the serving vid :-)
Excellent tutorial. Thanks 👍. By the way, for cutting tough threads a pair of "Braid Blades" can be cheaply aquired from most fishing tackle outlets. They're a small pair of scissors, very sharp and with tiny serrations. They're designed to cut dyneema fishing braid which is very tough being made of Kevlar.
I use this as a reminder, I don’t make enough for it to sink in ! Just one difference, I lay the strings 1/2 inch down, not cut them. Then feed the difference to the other end before cutting it into two bunches.
glad someone is using the videos, glad you have also found your own way to do things! Any help with the continuation of the channel is greatly appreciated.
Excellent video, would have been nice if you put the completed string on the bow, to give an idea of the brace height, and if you needed to make any adjustments. And how it looked fully completed from the other end, instead of on your thumb.
Modern materials don't really 'require' it, it's up to you, in 30 plus years of making strings I have not felt the need, the string often wears out, looses performance etc, so you will be replacing it one a year anyway.
Never thought possible to be able to make a string like this between two chairs, without a jig. Could you talk a bit more about strand count if you please? I always shoot 55# bows and I always use 16-18 strand for my strings, is it ok? Have a nice day and take care.
Thanks, as long as you make the string longer than the bow you will be OK, when you brace the bow the string is shorter that the bow. The bowyers knot placement will be determined by the bracing height, do you know about bracing height?
@@longbows I understand that a bow being will be built it will have a desired braceheight, measured from back of handle to string. I have just completed a 54" horsebow, I had a string with a loop on one end and enough length to tie a bowyers knot, I got it right eventually but kept getting the knot either to long or short for the 5" braceheight I wanted! Looks like I'm just not getting something here!
Ah, that thing you are not getting is called practice, it can take a long time to get used to where to place the knot to get the desired brace height, I never get it right first time either.
Why do you cut both ends whilst the strands are on the chairs only to join them again? Could you get the fixed loop from one end that is around the chair already? Thanks for another interesting video.
@@longbows do you have a video on making the other loop? I got the twist and everything right thanks to this video. I just need to figure the other loop out. Thanks!
You need to know the breaking strain of the string material you are using and allow a factor of safety of approx 7 for the breaking strain of your finished string . For example if have a 150 Lb bow the string should have a breaking strain of 150 x 7 = 1050 Lb and if the breaking strain of your string material is 50 Lb then 1050 divided by 50 = 21 ( therefore string should have 21 or 22 strands )
I tried for hours.. couldn't even form a loop. My fingers were as waxed as the string, I couldn't even twist the strands together and it never got off the ground. Gave up. This didn't work for me. Update: I finally got it to work. Realised I was twisting the string i the wrong direction. I needed to twist the strings away from myself to get it to work.. living and learning.
Thank you for the video. It's really simple to follow, but I'm far from perfection. ;) But I have one question. You are mention to twist the string 1 twist per inch (ua-cam.com/video/ybUlpULzpOc/v-deo.html). What exactly do you mean by that? A number of twists per string length? Sorry for the dumb question... ;)
Glad you like the video, practice makes perfect, yes, you are right, 1 twist for every inch of overall string length, just a rule of thumb. Let me know how you get on.
@@longbows thank you very much for your reply. That are much more twists than I thought. I made a couple of linen strings. My sixth is pretty neat, but has much less twists. Around 25 for a 69 inch string. Btw I made linen strings, because I like to shoot some prehistoric tournaments. So only natural materials are allowed. 😉
@@longbows a status update. It worked very well. At the end I made a pretty neat string from 7 linen thread strands (Hoogen 20/6s) and twisted it around 65 times. The string is for my 39# selfbow, which survived my test shooting. ;) The breaking strength of the linen thread is around 150N (~35 Pounds), but it's thicker than modern string materials. Thanks again for the video. Much appreciated and one of the best explanations on youtube.
Here is the video on how to serve your string as mentioned above ua-cam.com/video/J8KZrcV5C2M/v-deo.html
Just goes to show when you want to learn how to do something the traditional way you must go to where the tradition began.here in America things are made so complicated,or hard to understand (needlessly) that even Albert Einstein with all the knowledge that the good lord bestowed upon him would have a hard time trying to understand but not this this by it's sheer simplicity and ease is what I call traditional and the very reason I found it, good job sir and God bless
Thanks for the kind words, I am glad you found the video useful, have you had a go at making a string yet?
Yes three as a matter of fact the first one wasn't tight enough on the twists (in the loop) but still usable the last two one for a recurve and another for an American fiberglass laminate bow came out perfect.
That's great, well done. Appreciate you leaving a comment, each comment and like on a video really helps the channel keep going.
11:07 the; (A-Ha!) moment when I realized why the need to cut all strands 1/2" less than previous. Normally, I'm sleeping or so lost any time there's knitting, crochet, sewing, in shows but you've kept me knot' only awake but I've followed & learned! Amazing teacher!
Naww, shucks, you made me blush! Glad it came in handy, any help with the channel gladly accepted.
Thats a lot easier than Ive been showed before by others . Thanks ⚔️⚔️⚔️👍
Glad to help, I hope you fidn the rest of the channel useful, have you seen my website www.howtomakealongbow.co.uk
For over 25 years I have been making strings, Arrows, Bracers, Tabs, and anything else that I needed for archery.
Every one of this channels videos that I watch ups my game in almost immeasurable ways.
Richard and Phillip, keep up the incredible work, the incredible dedication to your craft and the betterment of the Archery community.
Wow, that's very kind of you to say! I am glad we could help. We would love to carry on with the channel, sadly it hasn't grown to become `self-sufficient` so it's hard to warrant the amount of time it takes, we will do what we can. Thanks again.
@@longbows Well sirs I sincerely hope it turns around for you, there is not a better Archery Education channel on this platform, and it would be a real shame to lose your extensive experience and knowledge.
Ps. The Big Jig needs to come back in stock.
Excellent in every way! I never wanted to make my own string until I saw this video. Thank you so much for making this available to amateur beginners like me.
Glad it helped! We have plenty of other videos, I hope they all come in handy and inspire you!
This is the easiest too understand string making video out there . Well done and thank you for making such an enjoyable video 😊
Glad it was helpful! Have you seen my bow making website www.howtomakealongbow.co.uk
@longbows no but I will check it out, thank you. I have recently cut a lovely piece of viburnum, not huge , about 2" thick so hopefully I can get a light weight bough stave bow out of it .
great, keep me posted on your progress
@longbows will do , just the waiting game for it too season now .
As always I enjoy seeing you crafting. Please go on with your takes, so we all can learn much more about, how bows are made! Stay in good health!
Thanks!
Thanks you for everything, i've just finished my first English longbow, crafted my string and Served it! 80# @ 28'' for my first one. It's a warrior bow. Will try a 60# now! Its going to be a growing passion! Such an Epic feel to craft those!
Fantastic! You have made my day, I am so glad we were able to help! If you are able to help the channel keep going or grow we would appreciate it. Let me know how you get on with the next bow.
Thanks big fella!!, speed of video is good for those dim like me....
Glad to help
Thanks for your explanation!
No worries! Did you manage to make a string?
Thank you for these tutorials. I just finished two bow strings for my 76 inch longbow. Your videos are well done and easy to follow.
Wonderful! Glad we could help. If you can help with the channel we would appreciate it.
Well done sir you made that look very easy was a bit apprehensive of having a go but now let’s do it
I am so pleased to be able to help give you the confidence, thats all it takes and a bit of practice, let me know how you get on.
Great work, thankyou. Hi camera operator!
Thank you too!
Terrific job for making Longbow string. 👍👏
Glad we could help.
Very well presented, sir. Grateful for your sharing. Can’t wait to give it a go.
Hope you enjoy
Great Video well explained and not to fast .
Thank you! Maybe you will like the rest of the info on my bow making website www.howtomakealongbow.co.uk
Thank you I will take a look follow you on utube already 👍
Let me know what you think
Do you ever make 3 ply( bundle) bowstrings?
no, 2 ply
OK I've just finished my FIRST bow string...alright it's not 'perfection' like yours but it's MINE ;-) but will do for me and I now fully appreciate Richards dexterity and experience! Well done Sir!
So you've both inspired me to do some more.
I did use B50 which didn't need any more wax, but perhaps I didn't need any more cider whilst doing it either...Hic ;-) ;-)
On to the serving... in the cold light of day!
Cheers All.
Wonderful! Glad you are having some success, keep it up.
Makes it look so easy, all you need is some patience and try it , result looks great, also good tips . Thank You.
Glad you found it useful
Well explained, in fact, possibly the best i've ever seen. Take care in the UK, from Canada
Wow! That's some compliment! Can't wait to read your comments on my other videos, you made my day, take care.
@@longbows You're welcome. It's also nice to hear positive feedback in these days of Covid and uncertainties. My wife is English and can't travel back to the UK to see her Elderly mother, which needless to say worries her a lot. Take care and keep up the good work, we appreciate. From a fellow bowyer.
thanks for the video
You're welcome, are you getting on ok with it?
@@longbows havent tried yet, but valuable information and neatly explained nontheless. i just started archery tbh.
let me know how you get on, we have lots of other instructional videos that should help, just shout if you have any problems.
@@longbows will do, thanks a lot 👌
WOW you guys are good together :-)
Most easiest way to watch a how to make a bow string I've seen! and all in one take, brill.
Just goes to show how you're experience can demystify a task and be a joy to watch.
Well done both as I'm off to make mine (and a few more) and then check out the serving vid :-)
Our pleasure!
Thank you
You're welcome
Excellent tutorial. Thanks 👍.
By the way, for cutting tough threads a pair of "Braid Blades" can be cheaply aquired from most fishing tackle outlets. They're a small pair of scissors, very sharp and with tiny serrations. They're designed to cut dyneema fishing braid which is very tough being made of Kevlar.
Thanks for the info!
I'm guessing fastflyte strings are based on Kevlar? I think dynaflyte sounds kinda like dyneema.
Thanks for the video! Gonna give it a try!
Have fun!
I use this as a reminder, I don’t make enough for it to sink in ! Just one difference, I lay the strings 1/2 inch down, not cut them. Then feed the difference to the other end before cutting it into two bunches.
glad someone is using the videos, glad you have also found your own way to do things! Any help with the continuation of the channel is greatly appreciated.
b55 is awesome! i use it too
great
Yes, this low stretch polyester b55 is very nice. I use it too.
Our club is called B55, short for Bourne55. It’s because the maximum distance we can shoot in the college hall is 55 feet !
Excellent video, would have been nice if you put the completed string on the bow, to give an idea of the brace height, and if you needed to make any adjustments. And how it looked fully completed from the other end, instead of on your thumb.
We have many videos on the set up of the english longbow whic includes brace height, we didnt want to repaeat everything again.
the strands depends on string u get b50 or b55 byc x 99 fastflight i use 12 strands on 50 lb bow works great never had problem
great
Beware of not back twisting! Must back twist peeps
Old archery books say to add extra loose strands to the knock ends to make them stronger as you do the flemmish twist loop. Why not do this?
Modern materials don't really 'require' it, it's up to you, in 30 plus years of making strings I have not felt the need, the string often wears out, looses performance etc, so you will be replacing it one a year anyway.
Never thought possible to be able to make a string like this between two chairs, without a jig. Could you talk a bit more about strand count if you please? I always shoot 55# bows and I always use 16-18 strand for my strings, is it ok?
Have a nice day and take care.
Glad to have shown you something new, details you are after is in the description box below the video.
@@longbows Oops! stupid me, I totally forgot to click this tab. Thanks !
hello it's dacron for the rope, ? what size of the dacron to make the rope, thank you ..Dom
Hi, we use B55, it's on our shop www.richardheadlongbows.com
Great video, am going to try this, just can't quite understand how you determine the length of the string and exactly where the bowyers knot will be?
Thanks, as long as you make the string longer than the bow you will be OK, when you brace the bow the string is shorter that the bow. The bowyers knot placement will be determined by the bracing height, do you know about bracing height?
@@longbows I understand that a bow being will be built it will have a desired braceheight, measured from back of handle to string. I have just completed a 54" horsebow, I had a string with a loop on one end and enough length to tie a bowyers knot, I got it right eventually but kept getting the knot either to long or short for the 5" braceheight I wanted! Looks like I'm just not getting something here!
Ah, that thing you are not getting is called practice, it can take a long time to get used to where to place the knot to get the desired brace height, I never get it right first time either.
@@longbows Thanks, so there is a bit of guesswork involved, thats ok I can handle that, might be a good video topic for future!
Why do you cut both ends whilst the strands are on the chairs only to join them again? Could you get the fixed loop from one end that is around the chair already? Thanks for another interesting video.
Hi, you wouldent be able to do the `laying in` rope formation to make the loop strong enough. Glad you liked the video.
Can I use this string for a recurve bow?
ideally you would make one with layed in loops each end
@@longbows do you have a video on making the other loop? I got the twist and everything right thanks to this video. I just need to figure the other loop out. Thanks!
How long should the strands be for a 71” long bow? I have a 71” ELB made of hickory, it’s about 45lbs @ 28”.
Check the description box below the video
how many strands do i use for a 45 kg bow
Details for how many strands are in the description box below the video.
@@longbows thank u
Glad I could help
What if the bow is 150-180 lbs? will require 18 strands?
You need to know the breaking strain of the string material you are using and allow a factor of safety of approx 7 for the breaking strain of your finished string . For example if have a 150 Lb bow the string should have a breaking strain of 150 x 7 = 1050 Lb and if the breaking strain of your string material is 50 Lb then 1050 divided by 50 = 21 ( therefore string should have 21 or 22 strands )
@@longbows Thank you very much.
welcome
I tried for hours.. couldn't even form a loop. My fingers were as waxed as the string, I couldn't even twist the strands together and it never got off the ground. Gave up. This didn't work for me.
Update: I finally got it to work. Realised I was twisting the string i the wrong direction. I needed to twist the strings away from myself to get it to work.. living and learning.
Glad you got there in the end.
Thank you for the video. It's really simple to follow, but I'm far from perfection. ;) But I have one question. You are mention to twist the string 1 twist per inch (ua-cam.com/video/ybUlpULzpOc/v-deo.html). What exactly do you mean by that? A number of twists per string length? Sorry for the dumb question... ;)
Glad you like the video, practice makes perfect, yes, you are right, 1 twist for every inch of overall string length, just a rule of thumb. Let me know how you get on.
@@longbows thank you very much for your reply. That are much more twists than I thought. I made a couple of linen strings. My sixth is pretty neat, but has much less twists. Around 25 for a 69 inch string. Btw I made linen strings, because I like to shoot some prehistoric tournaments. So only natural materials are allowed. 😉
@@longbows a status update. It worked very well. At the end I made a pretty neat string from 7 linen thread strands (Hoogen 20/6s) and twisted it around 65 times. The string is for my 39# selfbow, which survived my test shooting. ;) The breaking strength of the linen thread is around 150N (~35 Pounds), but it's thicker than modern string materials.
Thanks again for the video. Much appreciated and one of the best explanations on youtube.