Hey guys,

I have a friend who passed away and his widow is trying to sell some of his stuff. He had a hickory flat bow purchased at a Native American site in GA. I tried to string it to get a weight, but the string with it is too short. I was unwilling to string it with such a high brace height. I do not have a longer string either. I doubt that it has ever been shot since it was purchased.

Do you think that there is anyone who would buy it without the specs? Assuming I can get a string on it and get some specs, how much is a selfbow by an unknown bowyer worth?

Thanks

Hugh

It sounds like a wall hanger type bow and consequently worth very little.

What Runner said.

X3

If it is at all usable a high brace height won't hurt a thing. Think about drawing it. Technically a bow can be strung up to the draw length. Like said self bows with no information are not worth much. Decorations? They would help for a wall hanger. A picture might help. >>>----> Ken

Unknown self bows can be dangerous. You need to use a tillering tree, not just a tillering stick, to test and exercise them. Sometimes even bracing them can be dangerous. Be careful.

There is always someone who will buy a bow. I suggest the bow may be a Jimmy Taylor bow. He made and sold thousands in Alabama and Georgia area. He passed away a few years ago. He sold them for about $75 new.

As a self bow maker I can assure you you don't want to string an unknown selfbow to a high brace height the first time you string it. Even with 26 years of selfbow building under my belt I won't string a new bow that I have made to full brace the first time it is strung much less to a high brace.

If the tillering is just a little off with a weak spot that spot may hinge when you string the bow. We always string them at a very low brace initially and examine and correct the limb bend carefully before we increase the brace height.

I knew Jimmy Taylor and considered him a friend, his claim that he made 10 thousand bows may have been correct, I watched him in his shop, he had a set of milling machines to shape his bows and could crank one out in about 15 minutes. He tillered them on a balloon sander by eye then pulled them to 31", if they broke he threw them in a burn pile, if they stayed together he shipped them. He accidently made a good on every now and then.

If it is a Jimmy Taylor bow you definitely don't want to string it to a high brace height right off. He was a N/A and sold bows at many of the tribal gatherings.

When I first met Jimmy he was selling bows like seen in the above picture at a flea market for $20 each.

Jimmy made me kid's sizes of those hickory and cherry bows for $12 each. I bought them as fast as he could make them, usually 50 at a time. That price included a string too! Eric, thanks for posting the picture.

I agree with Eric. Jawge

Do you still have any of his bows left.

I would buy them for the price you mentioned

I bought a hickory flatbow off the auction site about 10 yrs ago, shoots pretty well, resembles those in picture. Will try to find out who made it.

I no longer have any of them. Sold them all.

you might just pay a little to help out,, its pretty risky the bow would be any good,, but you might get lucky

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