Poundage Question

[TSalmon]

Hey All,

So I'm just about ready to start tillering my first bow--a 64" yew pseudo-longbow. My goal is to get at least a 60# draw, but now that I think about it, when I read about the end-weight of the bows that many of you make, the poundage seems to be determined by the wood and not necessarily the maker. Is there any way to control the eventual poundage of a bow? I would hate for this bow to end up being a 45# bow.

Thanks,
Tom

[M-P]

Tom,  The bowyer is in charge of the final draw weight,....within limits anyway.   The overall design and the wood will place limits.   Exceeding the limits will result in a broken bow or a suboptimal bow due to excessive set.     I know many of the bowyers on this website enjoy making short bows, but I would tend to make a bow at least 66" long or bend-in-the-handle to accomodate a 28" draw.  Some factors that increase the stress  on the wood (and thus increase chances of breaking) are; shorter working limbs, narrower limbs, longer draw length and increasing draw weights.
I have made a limited number of yew bows, but I would think that a 60# bow is do able from a 64" stave.  I would make the bow slightly wider than I would for a longer bow, and would would tiller the bow to bend slightly in the handle.
The whole issue of design /draw  weight / tillering is discussed in most bow building texts, especially in the Bowyer's Bible series.
Most bowyers find that their first bow ( or 2 or 3) either break or are markedly lower draw weight than hoped for by the time the tiller is correct.  There are many woods that are cheaper and easier to get than yew and if this stave is special to you, i would suggest getting a cheaper stave and making at least one successful bow before starting on yew.  Ron

[Hillbilly]

No reason that you couldn't get a 60# bow out of the yew if it's a good piece, as long as you take your time and tiller it correctly. M-P gave you some good advice- as hard as good yew staves are to get hold of, it would be wise to make a couple from something else to get the hang of tillering. Also keep in mind that draw weight is just an ambiguous figure, usually connected to the testosterone bone. The efficiency of the bow is more important then the weight-the draw weight is only a measure of how much force it takes to pull a bow back a given distance. The percentage of that force that goes into the arrow is the important thing. You could make an efficient 45# bow, for example, that would shoot considerably harder, farther, and faster than a 60# bow that was a poorly designed dog. Said 45# bow would put a hunting-weight arrow all the way through a deer when the 60# slo-bow might not. The main advantage of draw weight is the ability to shoot heavier arrows without losing speed.