Green Man Longbows, Home Page, Makers of top quality Yew English Longbows in traditional and modern designs, War Bows, Laminated longbows,Traditional self wood bows and composites,Flemish strings and arrows.

	Welcome to Green Man Longbows, makers of fine English Longbows and war bows in traditional and modern designs. Our English longbows are hand made in West Yorkshire, England, They are made from top quality Pacific Yew, supplied by a long established company specialising in bow woods. This slow grown Yew has a beautiful strong colour, with a sharp, clear distinction between heart and sap wood. The bow staves are made from wood specially selected for being clean and straight and are air dried for up to six years. The grain is very tight and the wood is ideal for longbows of all weights. The nocks are made from hand carved and polished buffalo horn (or cow horn) and the supplied string is made from high quality B50 bow string material. Hand grips, (if included) are made from calf leather and solid sterling silver wire.












Last update 30-12-11

The draw length of our longbows is generally 28" and the draw weight is usually around 40 - 50lb though this can vary depending on the bow. Higher or lower draw weight bows can be made to order.

Each bow is made entirely using traditional hand tools such as the draw knife and spoke shave and takes many weeks to complete.

No two staves are the same and each stave has a unique and changing structure along its length along with different proportions of heart and sap wood. An initial examination of each stave decides on the style and draw weight of the finished bow though this can change during construction as the deeper character and feel of the wood is revealed.

Unless particularly specified our longbows are not meant to be historical reproductions, yet they do fall loosely into two generally recognised styles. Firstly the English medieval war bow and secondly the Victorian target longbow. Longbows with a particular style, requirement or decoration can be made to order.

The length of our longbows is usually about 6 ft (between the nocks) and generally they have a physical weight of about 1 1/2 pounds.

The wood of our longbows is finished with three coats of Danish oil. This is a blend of natural oils that dries to a hard finish and provides good protection against dirt and moisture while revealing the beauty of the wood.

An alternative to Danish oil is polyurethane varnish, which provides complete protection against moisture and is available if required.

We also make other types of self wood bows and laminated longbows using a variety of woods. Check our bows in stock for current availability or contact us with your particular requirements.

Web site created by Varin Smith 10-11-07 Last update 30-12-11