RICHARD
HEAD LONGBOWS have over 30 years experience in making and selling
English
Longbows and arrows. Richard is a founder member of the Craft
Guild
of Traditional Bowyers and Fletchers and together with his son Philip
Head
have built up a world wide reputation for providing quality archery
equipment.
Among the
Founder
Members of The Craft
Guild of Traditional
Bowyers and Fletchers
WE ARE NOT
A HIGH STREET
SHOP, PLEASE ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT
April 2013 Price
list
In the UK Richard
and Philip can count amongst their customers members of The Royal
Toxophilite
Society and the Royal Company of Archers. However no Royal
connection
is required to ensure that your commission receives the same care and
attention
to detail to ensure that the finest bow or set of arrows possible is
crafted
from the best materials available. Whether they be for Victorian
style target, clout or field shooting or Dark age/Medieval re-enactment.
Bow
making
demonstrations, lectures and seminars are undertaken, contact us for
details.
LONGBOWS
All our Longbows are carefully hand made in the time tested traditional
manner using the finest materials that we can obtain. Timber for the
best
Longbows is becoming more difficult to source, however we take great
care
and considerable time in selecting timber that we are confident will
make
excellent bows. The stock is then air dried and using our many years of
experience is seasoned to ensure the finished bow has good cast and
guaranteed
reliability, all our bows come with a 12 month guarantee.
Tournament
quality Longbows made in the Victorian style and complying with the
rules
of the various Archery Societies. CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS
IS
APPROX 5 MONTHS
Hickory/Bamboo backed
Lemonwood Longbow
£360
Lemonwood has for many years found favour
as a bow making
timber because of its excellent cast and reliability. It has a pale
creamy
yellow colour when first cut but as it ages the colour deepens to a
richer
gold. Some Lemonwood staves have such a perfect grain that backing is
not
required however in the majority of cases we back the bow with a thin
layer
of Hickory or Bamboo to resist the tension forces present in the back.
We subject each strip of Hickory/Bamboo to a careful examination and
test
before gluing it to the Lemonwood, we discard many strips of Hickory
(so
we tend to use Bamboo now!) as not coming up to our required standards.
The bow is fitted with polished horn nocks carved to the later
Victorian
pattern from black Water Buffalo horn. The horn is drilled and fitted
with
a string retaining ribbon. The bow handle can be covered with material
to suit the customer but our standard handle on this bow comprises
woollen
braid, colour choices vary, this gives a much more pleasant feel than
the
usual Nylon braid used on so many of today's bows. Leather, as
shown,
can also be fitted. Each bow is fitted with an arrow plate made of
mother
of pearl or exotic shell. After the bow has received its final
tillering
check it undergoes a thorough sanding using progressively finer grades
of paper culminating with boning and three coats of hard glaze varnish.
Each bow is fitted with a single loop Flemish string made from
Dacron.
CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS IS APPROX 5 MONTHS ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH A 12
MONTH GUARANTEE
Triple laminate Longbow
with
exotic hardwood core, click image to see more..
£455
If Lemonwood has any failings it is its
tendency to follow
the string. This tendency can be overcome to a large extent by the
addition
of a centre lamination sandwiched between the Hickory or Bamboo and
Lemonwood
we taper the centre lamination to ensure the ratio between the
different
woods remain the same throughout the length of the bow. The timbers
used
for the centre lamination can vary with availability but tends to be
either
Purpleheart which has a striking purple/red colour or Greenheart, one
time
used for making fishing rods. The handle can either be woollen braid or
leather, both are trimmed with leather decorated gold leaf in a variety
of patterns produced from original Victorian pattern wheels. Click
above image to see more. CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS IS
APPROX
5 MONTHS ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH
A
12 MONTH GUARANTEE
Triple laminate with Yew
or Osage Orange
core £550
Any league table of bow wood would have Yew
and Osage Orange
vying for first place. We can include either of these in our triple
laminate
bows as a centre lamination. CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS IS APPROX 5
MONTHS ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH A 12
MONTH
GUARANTEE
Self Yew Longbow click
image to
see more..
£ (call
for availability, price in the region of £850)
Yew has long been regarded as natures most
perfect bow
material having natural elasticity, sweetness of draw and cast second
to
none. Bows are made from matched pairs of billets, spliced together at
the handle, perfect pairs of billets are extremely rare, consequently
no
two self yew bows will look the same as the skill of the Bowyer is used
to follow the undulations of the sap wood and the heartwood, raise pins
as necessary and produce a bow of character and beauty. We import all
our
Yew from Oregon where it is harvested from the Cascade Mountains for us
by one of Americas leading traditional archery experts. click
image to see more.. Materials are
becoming
increasingly difficult to obtain for this type of bow, therefore
delivery
times and availability can vary, we are curently not taking orders for
this type of bow at present.. ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH A 12
MONTH GUARANTEE
Backed Yew
£ (call
for availability,
price in the region of £650)
From time to time we obtain Yew billets
that has damaged
or brittle sapwood and thus unsuitable for self bows. We back this with
suitable Hickory or Bamboo to make excellent bows. These make good bows
for field shooting as the Hickory/Bamboo backing does not dent as
easily
as Yew sapwood when lent against trees, targets etc. The bow can be
made
slightly shorter than a self bow, useful in dense woodland and of
course
the bows have tremendous cast. Materials are
becoming
increasingly difficult to obtain for this type of bow, therefore
delivery
times and availability can vary, please phone if interested in this bow. ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH A 12
MONTH GUARANTEE
Backed Osage Orange
£650
Osage Orange is indigenous to the southern
part of the
USA, is a very tough wood, one old timer even made a set of false teeth
out of it. Considered by many people to be at least the equal if not
better
than Yew. It is a very heavy dense wood bright yellow in colour when
first
cut but on exposure to the air turning a golden brown colour,
eventually
a chocolate brown after many years. Because of its density it makes a
heavy
draw weight bow for slimmer than usual dimensions with very good
cast.
CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS IS APPROX 5 MONTHS Materials
are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain for this type of bow,
therefore
delivery times and availability can vary, please phone if interested in
this bow. ALL OUR BOWS COME WITH A 12
MONTH GUARANTEE
Other bow woods
If you require a specific species of
wood incorporated
in to your bow please give us a call to discuss the possibility.
All our Longbows come complete
with a cloth bag
and 12 months guarantee.
Arrows
All our arrows are made from the best pine or cedar (as
available) shafts.
We are currently using shafts made by Boyton Archery, these are of Red
Deal used by the Victorian Fletchers and recommended by the remarkable
Horace Ford, 12 times champion of England between 1849 and 1867. The
shafts
are pale in colour when first cut but with the passing of time darken
to
the rich shade associated with the Victorian arrows.
The raw material comes from the vast Northern European
forests which
are well managed with the timber being grown at a greater rate than it
is being harvested. Using high rejection rates both in the selection of
the timber and in the production process, top quality straight grain
shafts
with smooth finish are the result.
We hand straighten the shafts as necessary, fit nocks
checking for straightness
of fit and proper alignment and then apply two coats of polyurethane
varnish.
Arrows are fletched with the best quality Trueflight feathers with the
leading edge of the quill trimmed and glued. The arrows are then cut to
length and brass piles fitted (using Araldite).
Our deluxe and footed
arrows have hand applied fine line accentuated cresting to add that
touch
of distinction. We recommend a Tassle
to keep your Arrows clean when in the field. For details on
keeping
your new set of Arrows straight see our F.A.Q.
page
Sets of tournament quality arrows are supplied in
purpose made cardboard
arrow boxes.
Target and field
arrows
STANDARD TARGET ARROWS
With no frills, varnished shaft, 21/2" feather
fletches, plastic
nocks and brass piles. (if you require 3" feathers an additional
charge of £1.50 will be made)
Set of 12 £65.99
STANDARD FIELD ARROWS
with no frills, varnished
shaft, 4" feather fletches, plastic nocks and brass piles.
We recommend a Tassle
to keep your Arrows clean when in the field.
Set of 12
£69.99
TOURNAMENT TARGET ARROWS
Selected shafts crested and with your choice 21/2"
or 3" feather
fletches,plastic nocks and choice of brass pile weight.
Set of 8 £56
Set of 12 £82.99
TOURNAMENT FIELD ARROWS
selected shafts
crested with and your choice of 4" fletches, plastic nock and choice of
brass pile weight
We recommend a Tassle to keep your
Arrows clean when in the field.
Set of 8
£60
Set of 12
£89.99
Prevent Pile
Loss
in modern bosses, have them pinned on for an extra
75p per arrow on any of the
above
sets
DELUXE TOURNAMENT ARROWS
Shafts are carefully selected for grain and accurately matched for
spine and weight, your choice of fletching colour (price based on 2
1/2"
fletch), shafts are crested with a complimentary colour to a Victorian
pattern, Bhoning Classic nocks are fitted and there is a choice of
brass
pile weights, the piles are pinned on with brass pins to prevent them
coming
off in the target. Click picture for more. For details on
keeping
your new set of Arrows straight see our F.A.Q.
page
Set of 8 £68
Set of 12 £101
FOOTED CLOUT ARROWS if you are
having difficulty
reaching the clout particularly with a light weight Longbow you may
find
that our clout arrows will give you those vital extra few yards. The
arrows
are footed, barrelled and fitted with 1/4" diameter 20 grain piles, the
fletches are hand Cut to a low profile to reduce drag. CLICK
HERE FOR PICTURE
Set of 4
£95
Set of 8
£180
Re-enactment bows
Medieval style
Longbow Made from Lemonwood
and Bamboo for reliability and performance. The bow works through the
handle and is made to "come round compass" the handle is left bare but
with the arrow pass marked with the Bowyers mark. The bow is fitted
with
simple Buffalo horn nocks (cow is extra), a string and comes with a
protective white bag.
CURRENT WAITING TIME FOR BOWS IS APPROX 5 MONTHS
These bows are intended for
Re-enactment. We cannot
be held responsible for the conduct of the customer in the field or in
Re-enactment battles/public displays. Bows/arrows must be used
safely.
Re-enactment and
collectable arrows
GENERAL SHOOTING QUALITY
and suitable
for many different periods made with a quality pine shaft fletched with
5 1/2" white fletches, self nocked and fitted with steel bullets shaped
piles. CLICK
HERE FOR PICTURE
£65
a doz
FLU-FLU arrows, with
plastic nock
and rubber blunt. Please be aware arrows should not
be shot
at or in the direction of people/animals, all arrows can kill/injur.
PINE BUDGET ARROW SHAFTS
large diameter, almost 3/8 inch, 32" long, ideal for self nocking for
medieval re-enactment use, budget price but not budget quality Boyton
Pine.
£14.99 a doz
POPLAR Boyton
shafts shooting quality great finish, just over 3/8"
(13/32") for
Medieval arrows etc...
£2 each
POPLAR Boyton
shafts shooting quality great finish, 1/2" for Medieval
arrows etc...
MEDIEVAL ARROW provided with
6" hand cut triangular
shape fletches goose Grey and white, bound on with linen thread, horn
reinforced
nocks on a 3/8 Poplar shaft. Click image for more...
£18
each
Hector
Cole headsfollow
the link below
WANT
TO PLACE AN ORDER?...CLICK
Longbow making materials
DIY LONGBOW KIT,
comprising of a Bamboo
backed Lemonwood stave cut to the correct tapers, taper drilled and
shaped
horn for nocks , handle braid, mother of pearl or exotic shell for
arrow
plate, Flemish string, full instructions and a cloth bag to put the
completed
bow in. All that is needed is some basic hand tools (rasps, spoke
shave/draw
knife, scraper and sand paper) and some experience of what a Longbow is
and how it works.
HICKORY STRIP sawn (80"
long,
1 1/4" wide, 1/8" thick. All measurements approx) OUT
OF STOCK
Planed both sides as above OUT
OF STOCK
£19.99
£25
BAMBOO STRIP planed surface
78" long approx and 1 1/2" wide approx, thickness varies, phone for
details. (shipping via UPS at £25)
£25
LEMONWOOD STAVE
for one
bow,
1 1/4 " square approx, 80" long approx (our wood is
carefully
hand selected at the timber merchants by us, from the stock we are
currently
using to make our bows and is seasoned!)
Shipping
via UPS at £25
£45
BLACK BUFFALO HORN TIP
£3.50 each
BLACK BUFFALO HORN TIPS drilled,
ready
for you to carve as you wish, picture shows end of bow with end taken
down
to fit in drilled hole.
£10 pair
HORN MIDSECTIONS ideal
for knife handles
£3.50 each
FULL COW HORNS approx 12 "
long, we
DO NOT sellect this item based on your requirements, they are picked
`as
they come`
FINISHED HORN NOCKS
ready to use, can be supplied
with grooves as pic, or without. (fit these with Araldite)
£12with
grooves
£10 without
HANDLE BRAID length
to suit bow (1meter)
£1.50
MOTHER OF PEARL for
arrow plate, rough
cut for you to fashion as you wish
£3.50 per piece
Bow strings and
materials
BOW STRING laid in single
loop,
let us know the length of your bow, nock slot to nock slot unbraced,
when
ordering
£14
FAST FLIGHT STRING laid in single loop
£19
B-50 bow string
material, black or
white
£9.50 ¼ lb
BCY SERVING TOOL similar
to Bjorn
tool
£14.50
SOFT TWIST SERVING
THREAD 1oz
spool available in various colours
£4.50
BLOCK OF BEESWAX (large)
£3.99
Arrow
making
materials
PREMIUM SHAFTS
1/4+9/32 + 5/16 + 11/32
inch diameter 32 inch long in spine weights from 15 to 65lbs in 5 lb
increments.(Up
to 50lb in 5/16) Boyton Pine, we also stock cedar shafts.
BOYTON PINE £22.99
doz
POC
£26
doz
Matched shafts
spined +/- 1lb and
weight matched within +/- a silver 3d (25 grains), stock permiting, we
will obviously inform you on ordering if this is not possible, 5/16
ONLY
£29.99 doz in BOYTON
PINE
£32.39 doz in POC
PINE BUDGET ARROW SHAFTS
large
diameter, almost 3/8 inch, 32" long, ideal for self nocking for
medieval re-enactment use,
budget price but not budget quality, Boyton Pine.
£14.99 doz
ASH SHAFTS
3/8 various spines, click button for details
POPLAR Boyton
shafts shooting quality great finish, just over 3/8"
(13/32") for
Medieval arrows etc...
.
£2 each
POPLAR Boyton
shaftsshooting quality great finish, 1/2" for Medieval arrows
etc...
£3 each
POPLAR BOBTAILED
Boyton shafts shooting quality great finish, just over 3/8" at
one
end up to 1/2" at the other for Medieval arrows etc...
The BIG
jig
This handmade jig is perfect for fletching large feathers, Medieval
arrows etc.. Will do 8" feathers with ease, made of wood and brass,
looks
perfect for RE-ENACTMENT use, yet still
accurate
