Interview with bowyer Petr Skácel

For many fans of history, fantasy, and LARP, archery has always held a certain allure. Perhaps it's the elegance and mastery with which an archer handles their weapon. Maybe we are drawn to archery by the time and significant effort a shooter must invest to hit a target accurately from a long distance. The fact remains, however, that an archer wouldn't be an archer without a good, reliable bow. In this short interview, experienced traditional bowyer Petr Skácel reveals how such a weapon is made and where you can learn to handle one.

How long have you been making bows?

Honestly, it's been a really long time. I've been making bows for at least 15 years, and when I think about it, maybe even longer.

What was your motivation, or more precisely, what led you to it?

I was looking for a leisure activity and started here at the club (Lukostřelba Olomouc) as a hobby shooter. Then I became an archery coach, and eventually, it went so far that I started making bows myself. It wasn't my original goal; I just gradually arrived at it through archery.

What does bow making mean to you? Do you see it more as a profession or a hobby?

Honestly, it's primarily a hobby for me. I don't try to find customers for my goods through targeted advertising. People usually find my products through recommendations. I also state directly on my website that I'm not a classic manufacturer who makes several identical bows at once, sells them, and then repeats the whole pattern. It's more of a fun activity with a certain financial benefit. The fact that I'm not limited by demand is what makes bowyery beautiful to me.

Are these faithful replicas of historical bows in your case, or do you let your imagination run wild? Do you have a favorite type of bow that you base your work on most often?

I wouldn't claim they are strictly historical replicas, but I try to get close to them, for example, by making my bows all-wood, from a single piece of timber. In terms of construction and design, I certainly don't have a uniform template. When constructing a bow, the main thing is to adapt to the material. Not every wood can be used to create that classic oval profile typical of the European Middle Ages, for instance. That's exactly why I say they aren't replicas; I'm more of a maker of functional wooden bows. Even though I'm interested in history, it's not my main criterion during production.

And finally, regarding the construction itself, how demanding is such production?

As historical sources say, all you need is a stick and a piece of flint. Nowadays, the tools are obviously a bit different, but a wooden bow can basically be made with just a knife, as seen in many bushcraft videos. But if you want to make a truly high-quality bow, you have to push the craft to the limit. You need your bow to be functional and not break after the first few shots. The difference, of course, is whether you make just one bow by hand or start doing it more seriously. But satisfying results come more in the latter case.

What is perhaps the hardest or most complex part of the whole process?

Finding good wood. If you manage to find good wood and also preserve it before you start production, you're halfway to success. The drying process isn't exactly short, and anything can happen. But when you have quality prepared wood available, there isn't much you can mess up.

Based on your experience, what wood would you recommend?

Honestly, I don't like to say too much, but the truth is that most bowyers would recommend yew. Personally, I've only made about three or four bows from it because it's a protected tree here, for one thing, and for another, I mostly source material from garden trimmings and the like. Simply put, any hardwood that can be worked with is suitable for a bow. In the end, only the maker can breathe a soul into the bow.

Something for the LARP community. Would you recommend your bows for LARP events?

For me, definitely not. Honestly, while I don't know the restrictions for LARP, I know the restrictions for historical battle reenactments, and I assume they are roughly similar, if not exactly the same. At such reenactments, you are limited by the maximum draw weight, meaning the force with which such a bow can shoot. I assume a similar system of restrictions works for LARP. If we are talking about roughly 25 to 30 pounds, as I expect, that bow will be as thin as a pencil. The best thing that can happen is that someone simply breaks it. A worse scenario would be if someone attacks you in LARP with a foam sword, you forget you're holding that thin stick with sharp ends in your hand, and an injury occurs. I admit, however, that my opinion on LARP might be skewed simply because I only know it peripherally.

Besides making bows, you also teach archery in Olomouc. What activities do you run with the club?

Our archery club is a member of the archery association, and our primary focus is classic target archery. Besides that, we also organize events for the public, offer a mobile shooting range for various events, and for the last two years, those interested in a more action-packed form of archery can let loose in our archery arena. The latter attraction is a duel between two teams, and you could say it's quite close to LARP. They even use similar safety measures, such as foam arrow heads.

So, do you prefer shooting with a sports bow or a wooden one?

That's quite a tricky question. There is a huge difference between those bows, even though the method of use is essentially the same. If you're asking whether I'd rather shoot a modern or a wooden bow, I can best answer that as a coach, I focus mainly on target archery, but historical archery… that's its roots. Since I'm close to wood, I naturally enjoy historical archery. But when I go to shoot, I prefer to take a sports bow because it is, after all, much more accurate.

Whether I want to pursue target, historical, or LARP archery, how is the best way to start?

You definitely have to try it out somewhere first. There are quite enough archery clubs in the country, and you can almost always find one near you. If you want to make the search a little easier, just find the nearest clubs in your area where you can go to shoot on the Czech Archery Association website. Then you just have to decide whether you'll go the route of target, historical, LARP, or another form of archery.

author Kryštof Halfar