• Registered: 2010-10-22
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Topic: Tiller of the Korean Bow

In another thread, Mr. Duvernay was commenting on the tiller of the Traditional Korean bow. It sounds to be that a horn bow can be tillered in such a way, that when strung, the string will not be centered but fall in line with the edge of the bow. Either right or left handed.

It seems obvious the benefit of a bow tillered in such a way as this, and I would love to see some more discussion about it.

I was hoping someone could discuss any experience they have had, and the change in arrow spine that would come with a bow tillered in such a way?

Also, is this something that synthetic materials cannot handle? Is it possible to buy a Hwarang tillered in such a way?

Is this something that can be done with an existing bow?

Thank you,

Joseph

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2 Reply by tonygt19 (edited by tonygt19 2012-11-06 13:11:31)

  • Registered: 2012-07-27
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

Ti

raven wrote:

In another thread, Mr. Duvernay was commenting on the tiller of the Traditional Korean bow. It sounds to be that a horn bow can be tillered in such a way, that when strung, the string will not be centered but fall in line with the edge of the bow. Either right or left handed.

It seems obvious the benefit of a bow tillered in such a way as this, and I would love to see some more discussion about it.

I was hoping someone could discuss any experience they have had, and the change in arrow spine that would come with a bow tillered in such a way?

Also, is this something that synthetic materials cannot handle? Is it possible to buy a Hwarang tillered in such a way?

Is this something that can be done with an existing bow?

Thank you,
Joseph

Raven,
Adam Karpowitz mentions an arrow sided tiller briefy in his book on Ottoman Turkish bow design, pg 119. Some think that the Turkish design strongly influenced the Korean Hornbow. The obvious thought is that an off center tiller would render a bow that is somewhat center shot and therefore capable of using a weaker spined arrow which should be lighter and fly farther. In fact Turkish bow design tended toward maximizing flight after being made obsolete as a war weapon by firearms. He dismisses this though in favor of the idea that both finger and thumbring shooting tend to apply sideways movement to the string on release. This he says can result in the string coming to rest at the brace position slightly away from center and from the arrow. He speculates that this may be the reason for the special tiller. But he doesn't elaborate.

Cheers,
Tony

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

raven wrote:

In another thread, Mr. Duvernay was commenting on the tiller of the Traditional Korean bow. It sounds to be that a horn bow can be tillered in such a way, that when strung, the string will not be centered but fall in line with the edge of the bow. Either right or left handed.

It seems obvious the benefit of a bow tillered in such a way as this, and I would love to see some more discussion about it.

I was hoping someone could discuss any experience they have had, and the change in arrow spine that would come with a bow tillered in such a way?

Also, is this something that synthetic materials cannot handle? Is it possible to buy a Hwarang tillered in such a way?
Is this something that can be done with an existing bow?

Thank you,

Joseph

Joseph,

Modern laminated bows made for the Korean market are often tillered that way.

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  • Registered: 2010-10-22
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

Thomas,
Can you elaborate on the benefits of this type of tiller, and do you agree with the comments above? Is this the type of bow that the Korean Tradition dictates?

It is simple to see the advantages..............that being said how come I never thought of it? hmm  roll

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

raven wrote:

Thomas,
Can you elaborate on the benefits of this type of tiller, and do you agree with the comments above? Is this the type of bow that the Korean Tradition dictates?

It is simple to see the advantages..............that being said how come I never thought of it? hmm  roll

I would tend to agree with what Adam said, with the exception of the Turkish bow influencing the Korean bow; I have never seen evidence to that and would say that both styles developed relatively independently of each other, coming from other northern Asian bows.

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  • Registered: 2010-10-22
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

Thank you...............that is what I was looking for. I personally have never come across any evidence that the Korean bow is derived from the turkish bow.

I do know of some avid turkish archers who have mentioned that, but when pressed to provide a reference, they never can.......

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  • Registered: 2010-10-15
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Re: Tiller of the Korean Bow

raven wrote:

Thank you...............that is what I was looking for. I personally have never come across any evidence that the Korean bow is derived from the turkish bow.

I do know of some avid turkish archers who have mentioned that, but when pressed to provide a reference, they never can.......

However, it is very easy to see many similarities between the two bow styles, including tools used to produce them.

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