HH bug got me ... Part One!

[Ben Maher]

 
Dragon... i think photo's are in order ....

[tree dancer]

I am new to the Howard Hill style bow.  I was wondering what you "dyed in the wool" Hill shooters like best. Glass Hill style bows or something like an all wood bow, bamboo backed osage?   George

[Ben Maher]

George ... You'll likely find that many of us are pretty dedicated to the D shaped , thin but deep cored style of longbow , regardless as to its actual make up.
However , for most of us , it means a Glassed Hill style bow.
Aside from the great info right here in this thread , check Howard Hill Archery ... they are great to deal with , make beautiful bows and are a sponsor here .
Tell Craig we sent ya .........  

[Mudd]

I'm gonna put myself in the class of a "dyed in the wool" hill style bow lover.

Hill styles are hill styles whether they are backed with something ie paper(Howard did this), wood, bamboo or glass.

I like them all.. I would own a bunch of all of them if I could afford it..lol

God bless,Mudd

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by tree dancer:
I am new to the Howard Hill style bow.  I was wondering what you "dyed in the wool" Hill shooters like best. Glass Hill style bows or something like an all wood bow, bamboo backed osage?   George

you will find that most prefer glass and wood, rather than all laminated wood.  this is mostly a matter of durable convenience.  

none of these are the true elb (english longbow) which has a "D" cross section shape to the limbs (flat on the back and rounded on the belly), they're all flat, hence their lineage - american flat longbows.  

the limb designs can be dead straight, or with some measure of overall back set (reflex), or belly set (string follow).  all will brace up to the classic elb "D" limb curve (unlike most hybrid r/d longbows which will brace up with some amount of limb reflex showing - the caveat to this are some of the mild r/d longbows which show snaky limbs when unbraced, and classic "D" shape when braced).

hope this helps - get yerself a hill longbow and join in on the fun!  

[Steve Clandinin]

I love this post for the Info involved and how its changed my way of thinking ,emersing me to the long bow.The best thing is how its helped newcomers and the willingness of the experienced to help newcomers.Rob,you have a way with words that is second to none and the experience to go with it.A new book authored by yourself could truly be in order as timing is everything.With the renewed interest in Hill bows and I can't remember when the last book was authored or by who showing and explaining the Hill method today.Sign me up for copy No.1.On this site alone it would be a best seller.Just my two cents worth.

[Overspined]

A lot of people try a Hill bow, go about it all wrong, and don't have a good experience.

Getting new interest is great for the American longbow and traditional archery.

It is a lot of fun helping new folks get started and this forum I am guessing has had quite an impact.

How many bought or went back to a Hill style bow to try it for the first time, or to try it again?

[K. Mogensen]

I have a Cheetah on order. This thread is partially to blame for that. What a great help it's been as well! Seems a lot of questions have been answered in here...

[Rob DiStefano]

thanx for your very kind words, steve.  i'faith, after 50+ years behind the stick 'n' string, some things can be learned and some forgotten.  i try to hold on to the gems.   :D

[JohnI]

John Lee is taking orders for a limited edition book on Howard Hill. There are only 100 copies to be printed, its beautiful book has a lot of color pictures of Howards bows.

[Rik]

Where can we get more information about the book? Is there a web page?

[Steve Clandinin]

Yes ,very interested.Thanks for the heads up.

[Okie man]

Bob Burton has also compiled a book about Mr. Hill and his equipment and is taking orders. I thinks he is trying to get enough orders to make the publishing costs reasonable.

[Dick in Seattle]

I finished the bow I've been working on today and am very pleased with it.   It's a straight limbed forward riser, but quite different from my Forward Scout pattern, which I did from a photo of what we think was a John Shulz, with a deep locator.   This one, "Javelina" is very slim and graceful and modeled after a forward riser bow built by Ted Kramer when he was at Hill.   Here are a couple of pix.  There are more pix, more narrative and the layup formula posted in the Bowyer's Bench under the thread "Javelina"

[frank bullitt]

That is real nice Dick! The first Hill I shot, was a Tembo, made, when John was building them. Black glass on the back, white on the belly.  It is owned by a local gentleman who is also a Hill fanatic! Really like them reverse handle bows!

[Mudd]

Nice work Captain!!

I think you can make almost any design bow look good.

Thanks for sharing.

God bless,Mudd

[bluej]

I wish I was that talented, good job!

[Steve Clandinin]

Great looking bow Dick!

[bicster]

Capt,
That is my favorite of your bow designs so far.
Bic

[RC]

Beautiuful bow Captain.
 I must have finally grown in to my hunting/shooting style bow of choice. I`ve shot Hill bows off and on for a long time and any time I shoot something else I get the itch to hunt with a Hill again.
 Its a ways off but my Wife said a new longbow is in order for the Husband of the year....that would be me...for Christmas. I`m thinking a Tembo with Carbon kinda like Spanky has described of one he owned once. Be my way of going High tech.

 Anybody that has hunted a Hill style bow much knows that the length and any other assumed by many drawbacks just really is no problem. I hunt in VietNam type jungles sometime and sand flat scrub as well down here and the Hill bow has always done its job when I do mine. Heck I even killed a couiple Turkeys the last few years from a pop up blind that some folks say is to tight for a recurve..go figure.RC