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luk bow
From carving to polishing, this oak longbow is delicate, yet powerful with a character like no other. Crafted from three separate pieces—two limbs and a handle—the bow exudes strength from all ends. Braced with a faux leather wrap across the handle and supported with hidden screws, the fine limbs of the bow emit sturdiness across the entire body. Working with this bow alluded more to personal technical skills than anything, as creating in the shop allowed for exploration and refined craftsmanship. This project posed questions as to hone in on abilities to work around limitations and pursue them as reinforcing challenges.
In designing and constructing the recurve Luk Bow, my process began in the wood shop. After sketching out each segment of my bow to ensure consistent measurements and proper bearings, I worked through each tool to guide me through the bow configuration. From sketch ideation to carving the bow by hand, the organic shape of the handle was determined by the carving flow. As the handle was being carved, a hand cradled the spine for continuous reference and specific human factors. Following the placement of the handle alongside the body of the bow, structural support was applied for proper mobility reinforcement and bracing.
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