Parts of a Traditional Bow

Traditional bows are the least complicated bows available. The limited number of pieces belies a beauty and simplicity lost in the more complex compound bows many archers favor today. Traditional long and short bows, as well as recurve bows, are comprised of four main pieces. The four parts of the traditional bow are the grip, the limbs, the arrow rest and the string.

  1. Grip

    • The grip, or riser, is the area of the bow that serves as the gripping point for the archer. The riser tends to be rather large on many modern bows, but is much smaller on most traditional bows. Some modern bows, crafted in the traditional style, will use larger risers. This allows for shorter limbs and makes the bow more difficult to draw. The higher draw weight causes an increase in the power of the bow.

    Limbs

    • Traditional bows have both upper and lower limbs like all modern bows. These limbs can be crafted from one solid piece of wood that includes the riser, or they can be made from separate pieces of wood that are attached to the riser after they are fashioned. At the ends of both the upper and lower limb are notches in the limbs called string nocks. The string nocks are used to connect the bow-string to the limbs.

    Arrow Rest

    • Arrow rests are mounted just above the handle or gripping portion of the riser on bows with large risers. The arrow rest supports the arrow through the draw phase of firing an arrow. Some arrow rests can be adjusted while others are fixed in position after being mounted to the bow.

    String

    • Modern bow strings are made from waxed fibers. They are available in braided and non-braided styles. Traditionally, bow strings were made from braided animal hair or plant fibers. Bow strings have loops at either end used to attach them to the string-nocks on the limbs. Additionally, most strings have a defined "nocking point" that is placed opposite the arrow rest. The nocking point is located in the top half of the center serving, a wrapped portion of the string.