A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal
to the height of a person who uses it); this will allow its
user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw (the average
length of the Mary Rose arrowshafts is 30 in). A longbow is
not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow
so that they are circular or D-shaped in cross section.
Longbows have been used for hunting and warfare, by many
cultures around the world, a famous example being the
English longbow, as used at the battle of Agincourt. Amateur
bowyers today can craft a longbow in about ten to twenty
hours, while highly skilled bowyers, such as those who
produced medieval English Longbows, can craft wooden
longbows in just a few hours. Many bows to day are made of
laminated wood, to take advantage of the properties found in
hard and soft woods, traditionally these were achieved by
using a section of wood that had heartwood and younger outer
wood. Mary Rose Bows were up to 185lbs in Draw Weight |
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