how to use a knot hole in a tip

On one of the lastest plains bows was a hole from a little branch, just where the string was meant to be sitting. This is not a drilled hole -it is natural. Instead of carving a pin nock or something else, this hole was used for the lower string fixing. Here are some pics from this unusual nock, as well as from the upper triangular shaped pin nock.

 

The finished bow is here

The how to of a fish skin handle on this bow is here

 

 

Now for the tips:

back

belly

side

upper pin nock

To fix the string: use dental floss to get the ‘thick’ string through the hole, begin from the belly side of course. The string has a ‘normal’ eye.

belly

back

4 Comments

Very clever use of a “defect” in the wood. A fellow could drill a hole but it would not be as romantic as a natural hole.

John, let me tell you a secret. I’ve seen this kind of nock on old African bows.After I had the problem with the hole at the unfavorable position on my bows, I remembered this kind of fixing the string. Meanwhile I have made several bows that way (like the Africans did – drilled hole), some with both tips in that kind.

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