What wood is suitable for making bows?

A good bow is made of Chinese fir, which is hard and elastic. Raw materials come from the warm and humid Mediterranean coast, such as Italy, Tyre, Crete and other places, especially Castile. ? Hard materials such as elm, Fraxinus mandshurica and oak are also available substitutes, but their performance is always poor.

The king of England has set a special tariff for this-for every barrel of wine produced in continental Europe, you have to pay several pieces of Chinese fir blanks. It's not that the British island doesn't produce high-quality yew, but the quantity is scarce, which is strictly managed by Britain as a strategic resource reserve and is not allowed to be used. When they went on an expedition to Spain and defeated the local primitive javelin soldiers with longbows, the Castilians were angry with the trees and legislated to eradicate all yew. ?

Extended data:

The history of China Bow;

Since Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the bow has been the main long-range weapon, so its manufacture has always attracted people's attention. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the bow making technology has made great progress, and the quality has also been greatly improved. Countries used it to equip their armies and used it in many wars at that time.

It can be seen from Gong Gong Ji Gong Man that there was a scientific standard for making bows at that time. In its manufacture, the selection of materials is the first, and there are six basic materials, which are called "six materials": "stems, corners, tendons, glue, silk and paint". The role of "six materials" is that "those who do it think it is far away"; Those with horns think they are sick; Strong people also think they are deep; Glue also, thinking also; Silk is also considered a solid; People who paint also think that they are exposed to frost and dew. "

The selection criteria of six kinds of materials are very strict, and they are graded, such as the bow stem and the Seven-stem Method, among which Zhemu is the best, followed by bamboo. A good bow usually takes two to three years. The bow made by this method is a very mature composite bow with great elasticity and durability, which is often called "angle bow" in the literature.

Ancient bows in the Spring and Autumn Period have been unearthed in Chu tombs in Hunan and Hubei, which can basically confirm the records of ancient books such as Kao Gong Ji.

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