Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Rob DiStefano on February 22, 2020, 08:21:56 AM
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For years and years I keep seeing Everyone using the silly ASL reference that makes no sense. This is longbow identification terminology that was wrong from the get-go and really should change, but unfortunately it never ever will. I get it. But yet, I'll be absurd and fly in the face of "acceptance" ...
ASL = American Style Longbow - Yes, it's true that when Americans such as Howard Hill created self and backed longbows that were not ELB "D" shaped, it was an American innovation of sorts. But "style" is not a defining word. This ASL acronym makes little sense for such an important bow design.
ASL = American Semi Longbow - What's "semi" about it? Absolutely nothing! This makes no sense!
ASL = American Straight Longbow - NO longbow, even the highly touted ELB is "straight". Again, a nonsense meaning.
AFL = American Flat Longbow - THIS is what Howard Hill created. It's an ELB that has had its "D" belly FLATTENED. Both back AND belly are flat. The resulting stave is left plain or backed, Howard eventually went with glass fiber cloth. The limbs can be dead straight, or with string follow, or with slightly reflexed tips. THIS is an American Flat Longbow.
OK???
Well, I can tell by all of yer pissin' 'n' moanin' I guess not ... so rant over, sorry for the interruption, carry on folks, time for me to crawl back in my cave and take my meds ....
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Ahhh, a good rant is a beautiful thing! :thumbsup:
I have never, not once, used the ASL acronym, and won't, for reasons such as you stated. I'm not gonna use AFL either. Jes sayin' :nono:
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Cabin fever has different effects on different folks:)
I frequently need to lookup the meaning of ASL, seriously I do....
I make r/d longbows, or hybrid, or Roys style bows.
I never did pay attention in school or to what others were saying:)
Morning Rob, carry on...
:campfire:
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How about a forward handle longbow, Rob?
LOL
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We do need a better designation, I have people ask me what kind of bow I make and it gets confusing. I usually say an American all wood longbow like they made in the 30s or 40s, vastly different from the English longbow. Of course they probably don't know the difference between an English longbow. American longbow or a football bat but at least I gave them a correct answer..
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Yer all wet everbody knows it means Arm Shaking Longbow :laughing: :laughing:
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Unless you have better, more concise definitions for all the various styles that are included under the umbrella of "Longbow", what exactly are you complaining about?
If you do your homework and look thru the historical evolution of the "longbow" you will discover the terms we use evolved over a long span of time, parallel to the evolution of the Bow its self.
You are simplifying terminology, to suit your rant.
ASL is a semi Longbow because it is not as long as the ELB it evolved from.
"Flatbows" are wider and not as thick as an ASL, hence the term "Flat". Maybe we should call them "Widebows"
Straight means no curve; no reflex, no de-flex, no recurve
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Agree, Flem.
American Flat Bow suits me just fine and I've used that term but most people don't know what the h%*l I'm talking about. They understand ASL though. ASL also distinguishes from the R/D "longbows". Love those R/Ds but to me they are not longbows.
Your challenge, Rob, is to change an entire culture but that may not be a project worth undertaking IMO.
I thoroughly appreciate your rant though. :thumbsup:
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My longbows are straight when unstrung. :dunno:
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Of all the stickbow shooter's and bowyers I know personally, I'd be very surprised if a single ONE of them could tell me what asl 'really' meant. Well, besides Roy... maybe.
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I say call it what you want, the American Semi Longbow never made any sense to me but neither does a R/D longbow, if anything it should be D/R because the reflex starts at the handle then reflexes. I doubt if either will ever change now, so i'm not losing any sleep over either but I do understand your frustration.
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A; American, conceived in United States of America
S; Semi, not as long as the English Longbow, the Bow of prominence in the early part of the 20th century
L; Longbow, so designated because it was originally meant to be long (Man size)
Better known as a "Hill" style Bow.
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Still nondescript and vague enough to be practically meaningless. Most all of my bows fall under that huge umbrella, but not one of them is a 'Hill style' bow. If Hill-style-longbow is what is meant and there's a need for an acronym, then shouldn't it be HSL?
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Shredd, what's you think?
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Those of you who are too obstinate or just cannot make the connection for whatever reason, here is what the vague and elusive "ASL" looks like;
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If you still find this acronym distressing to the point of consternation...... Well you are going to have to take that up with the dead guy who coined it. I'm sure Howard can set you straight, if you can discorporate to have that conversation.
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Clem, ya gotta stop using all them big fancy werds..
I'm gonna have to splain em to Kenny.
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I thought I liquified all my brain cells back in the 70's, but the lone one that survived seems to have an affinity for the dictionary.
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Darn it Elroy we dont need everybodys thoughts :laughing: :laughing:
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I'm just glad I like D/Rs or R/Ds or whatever you wanna call em… It depends on if I hit the target or not what it gets called... :biglaugh:
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I don’t stress or even care what people call them. I just like shooting trad bows! :archer:
Dave.
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Shredd, what's you think?
I am still trying to understand why the front of the bow is called the back...
It's kind of embarrassing and I think it takes away from the nobility of a bow when you are explaining to an non-archer that this is called Reflex/Deflex bow and they look at you sideways and say, "Say What??"
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LOL
And the sight window has no glass?
And a bow has a riser?
OMG....
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THen ya got your nocks for the string, the nock set on the string, and then nocks on the arrows. Total lack of originality in naming all these. I think whoever named all these the same got nocked on the head.
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Don't forget the "I" beam and string silencers.
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And the bow quiver..
I thought ya put arrows in the quiver?
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And ya got your overthinkers-------- :deadhorse:
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the one that gets me is "paradox"
the way the shaft shot around the riser was counter intuitive or a contradiction to common sense, but now with high speed cameras etc, we have a better understanding of the mechanics, but no one is going to change the terminology :deadhorse:
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yeah, but is it an AFL? :knothead: :laughing: :campfire:
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Whats an AFL?
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Whats an AFL?
American Football League
:biglaugh: :smileystooges:
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That little fella's going to grow up to be the next Howard Hill!