A flatbow is a bow with non- recurved, flat, relatively wide limbs that are approximately rectangular in cross-section. Because the limbs are relatively wide, flatbows will usually narrow and become deeper at the handle, with a rounded, non-bending handle for easier grip. This design differs from that of a

longbow A longbow (known as warbow in its time, in contrast to a hunting bow) is a type of tall Bow and arrow, bow that makes a fairly long Bow draw, draw possible. A longbow is not significantly Recurve bow, recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow an ...

, which has rounded limbs that are circular or D shaped in cross-section, and is usually widest at the handle. A flatbow can be just as long as a longbow, but can also be very short. Typical lengths would be for a flatbow, for an

English longbow The English longbow was a powerful medieval type of bow, about long. While it is debated whether it originated in England or in Wales from the Welsh bow, by the 14th century the longbow was being used by both the English and the Welsh as a ...

, and for a warbow-weight English longbow; but these styles may easily overlap each other. Traditional flatbows are usually wooden self bows (bows made of one solid piece of wood), though laminated and

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

flatbows have been made in ancient and modern times. Modern flatbows commonly use fiberglass.

Advantages of a rectangular cross-section

The flatbow is a superior bow design for almost all materials because the stress is more evenly spread out than with rounded limb sections. A bow limb is essentially a flexed beam undergoing

bending In applied mechanics, bending (also known as flexure) characterizes the behavior of a slender structural element subjected to an external load applied perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the element. The structural element is assumed to ...

, and in any flexed beam the farther from the neutral axis (line in the middle of the flexing beam which is not under tension or compression: see diagram in

Bending In applied mechanics, bending (also known as flexure) characterizes the behavior of a slender structural element subjected to an external load applied perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the element. The structural element is assumed to ...

article) the more stress there is within the material. When a limb is rounded, as in a longbow, some material sticks out farther from the neutral axis, and thus is put under greater stress. In a flatbow, the flat belly and back ensure that all of the most strained material is a uniform distance from the neutral axis, spreading the load over a wider limb, minimizing stress and making weaker woods far less likely to fail (break or become permanently bent and lose the resilience needed in a bow). Only particularly resilient timbers can make an effective and powerful wooden longbow.

Suitable timbers

In most parts of the world, common hardwoods may be used to create excellent bows. Suitable and easily available timbers include elm (used in ancient Europe, as evidenced by bows pulled from European bogs),

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...

, sycamore,

hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...

, and

ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

. The flatbow design also lends itself to very dense, high strength woods such as

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mex ...

and especially

osage orange ''Maclura pomifera'', commonly known as the Osage orange ( ), is a small deciduous tree or large shrub, native to the south-central United States. It typically grows about tall. The distinctive fruit, a multiple fruit, is roughly spherical ...

(a wood favored by many Native American tribes for bow making).

Disadvantages of a rectangular cross-section

Compared with a narrow, rounded longbow design, the bowyer needs to start with a wider stave, take more time to achieve an approximately rectangular cross-section, and may need to cut through growth rings on the back of the bow.

Historic use

Flatbows were used by Native American tribes such as the

Hupa Hupa ( Yurok language term: Huep'oola' / Huep'oolaa = "Hupa people") are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group in northwestern California. Their endonym is Natinixwe, also spelled Natinook-wa, meaning "Peopl ...

Karok The Karuk people are an indigenous people of California, and the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California. Karuks are also enrolled in two other federally recognized tribes, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Ra ...

, and

Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. ...

, prehistoric ancient Europeans, some

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...

tribes, Finnic nations and a number of other pre-gunpowder societies for hunting and warfare because, unlike longbows, good flatbows can be made from a wide variety of timbers. Flatbows fell from favour in Europe after the Mesolithic, replaced with yew longbows. The trade of yew wood for

s was such that it depleted the stocks of yew over a huge area. Flatbows are currently used by the

Sentinelese The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Designated a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Gro ...

tribes of the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between t ...

. Flatbows survived in cold areas, such as Finland, where yew does not grow naturally because of the unsuitable climate. The traditional Finnish flatbow is made either from ash, or as birch/pine

laminate Lamination is the technique/process of manufacturing a material in multiple layers, so that the composite material achieves improved strength, stability, sound insulation, appearance, or other properties from the use of the differing materia ...

with siyahs made of hagberry and glued together with glue, made by cooking descaled skins of perch with minimum amount of water, until one will get a solution like thick, slimy, grey porridge. This kind of glue will never be all waterproof and the bows were most often wrapped with thin strips of birch bark, protecting them against weather and moisture. Yew was available as an imported material (it grows in Southern Sweden and Denmark and it was even cultivated there) for bows in Finland, but it was considered not suitable for serious use, because it is fragile at cold temperatures and the season for hunting for furs is in January and February, when the furs are at their best.

American longbow

The American longbow, also known as the ''American semi-longbow'' (ASL), and sometimes incorrectly called the ''American flatbow'' (see above for the correct definition of flatbow), was developed in the 1930s. It resulted from scientific investigation into the best cross-sectional shape for a bow limb. This research was expected to explain why the

's ''D''-section was superior to all other extant designs. Instead, it showed that the best cross-section was a simple rectangle. The American longbow was developed by applying these research findings to the English longbow. The result was a more efficient and stable bow which can be made from more common woods. Because of its coincidental resemblance to some Native American bows, the American longbow was sometimes referred to as the ''semi-Indian'' bow, though the Indian bow was generally shorter. The label ''semi-Indian'' bow is more in reference to the flatbow, not the longbow. One of the primary differences between an American longbow and a flatbow - is that the flatbow has wide limbs and a narrow handle section. The American longbow has narrow limbs and a handle that is of similar width. The American longbow was popularised by

Howard Hill Howard Hill (born Lemuel Howard Hill and later cited Howard H. Hill;"Lemuel" is verified as Hill's first name in th"Thirteenth Census of the United States: 1910" image of original census page for John F. Hill family, "Wilsonville Town", Shelby C ...

and quickly displaced the English longbow as the preferred bow for target shooting at the time. Howard himself referred to it as a semi-longbow. It was not long before Howard started to use fiberglass on the back and belly of his bows. Consequently, the ASL is sometimes referred to as a Hill style bow. The American Longbow is not to be confused with what is now marketed as a ''modern longbow'' or ''hybrid longbow'' which is just modern marketing pseudo term for what was called a semi-recurve prior to the 90's. IFFA (The International Field Archery Association) does not recognize the modern or hybrid longbow as a longbow, and hence these are shot in recurve divisions.Page 8 Section J.

References