Self bow

Extra material such as horn nocks on the ends, or built-up handles, would normally be accepted as part of a self bow.[1] An effective self bow can be made from widely available local material in most inhabited parts of the world, with limited tools whose functions include chopping, shaving, and scraping.[2] Self bows must be approximately the height of the archer if they are to allow a long draw, and they are less efficient in the specialized art of flight archery.In Europe and North America, common woods such as maple, ash, elm, and oak make excellent flat bows, and are far easier to obtain than good-quality yew.This may be achieved by using the outer, under-bark surface of the tree as the back of the bow (convenient with most white woods), or by the painstaking process of removing outer growth rings (often used with yew and osage orange), or by making or following a cut or split surface which happens to have continuous grain (a usual approach if starting with commercially sawn wood).
A bow made from straight, but knotty and poor-quality yew
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