Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

Archery was of particular appeal to
me because it was sport which I
could enjoy at home on my front lawn"
he remarked during recent CONVERSE
ton. 1T is a comparatively simple
sport, one in which the tyro can gain
fair proficiency in several months: One
of the chief charms Of archery is that
it offers many variables, all OF which
must be controlled If the archer is to
acquire accuracy. Skill In this pastime
depends on your physical powers ana
and muscles.
Archery is quite different from tar
get shooting with firearms. The rifle Is
a weapon of extreme precision. This
arm, in itself, is wonderful example
of mechanical accuracy. The sports
man who uses it soon acquires adept
ness, as all he has to do Is to aim cor
rectly and to hold the gun steady while
he pulls the trigger. In rifle shooting,
the weapon and good ammunition are
about the whole show. In boWmanShlp,
on the other hand, the individual skill
and technique of the bowman is all
important. Man counts IS per cent
and his equipment only IS per cent, say
the American champions"
BECAUSE the mechanics and physics
~ of archery tackle are of outstanding
significance in this ancient amusement
revived, Mr.. Robinson began to expert
ment in making bows and arrows as
soon as he became thoroughly con-
versant with this new sport. The intri-
cacy of this craftsmanship challenged
his tool-handling skill. He had always
been interested in woodworking and
craftsmanship. His adeptneSs as an
amateur builder is amply demonstrated
by his eight-room residence which he
built himself during his leisure and
holidays He devoted the spare time OF
two years to this task.
When Mr.. Robinson began his self
tutored education as bowyer, he cen:
tered his practice in his well equipped
home shop. 1t was well equipped with
ordinary hand tools at the outset, but
the amateur artisan soon discovered
that specialized tools were needed for
bow and arrow making. Gradually, he
procured equipment some Of which he
imported from England. During the
last two years Mr.. Robinson has made
some rs bows and from 500 to 600 ar
rows. Some of the finest of these bows
represent from one to two weeks OF
spare time work, while Mr.. Robinson
devoted similar periods to making a
superior set of eight arrows.
Special tropical woods are preferable
for bow-making. Mr.. Robinson says
that one of the difficulties in playing
bowyer as a hobby is In securing sat-
isfactory raw material. He purchases
bow slaves from wood importers in
New York City. He has also cut con-
siderable material from his home wood
lot. He buys the bowels for making
arrows from professional archery COM
panies or lumber yards which deal In
specialized wood.
This Washington craftsman has
made experimental bows Of lemonwood
or degame, yew. elm, hickory, snake
wood, bethabara, majagua, amaranth,
cedar, black locust, osage-orange. beef
wood, lancewood, sassafraS, mulberry
and Florida snakewood. Mr.. Robinson
reports that he makes his best bows
for expert archers Of yew and snake
wood backed with elm, while the bows
for beginners are usually Of lemon-
wood. Usage -orange is the most salts
factory material to use N making a