ash holmegaarde to be

[youngbowyer33]

i have a 3"wide ash stave, split from a log i cut a couple of months ago.I want to build a holmegaard with a draw weight of about 35# at 23". im wondering how i should lay out the bow. things like how long the handle should be, how long the non-bending tips should be, and how long the bending part of the limb should be. I want my bow to be about 62" long. there is 1 medium sized not less than an inch above the center and 2 other medium sized ones about 2 inches apart in the middle of the limb, and im also wondering how much of a threat they pose. well thanks in advance, i'd love to hear your opinions.

[youngbowyer33]

c'mon guys?anyone got any ideas?

[dragonman]

I made a few ash bows (white ash), but not holmeguards, but if your ash is like what grows here ,I know you need to make it long and wide to avoid set, min 2 inchs at the fades and at least 68 inch long with a long bending section,

[RyanY]

6" handle, 18" working limb, 10" nonbending outer limb, two inches wide at fades tapering to 1.5" at 18", eiffel towering to 1/4" tips. That's what I'd do. Good luck.

[half-eye]

Regarding your holmgaard to be, I've made a lot of Holmegaard (Mollegabet pattern) bows. I make the handles 4" with 2" of fade on each end. Divide @ limb in half and put a 2" fade toward the tip (makes the stiff end 2 inches shorter than the working limb. I make stiff ends 1" wide at the fade and taper to 3/8 at the tip (leaves room to smooth it out and still be stiff). You need to get the correct profile of the stiff end as well to prevent that part from wanting to bend.

If it would be helpful, I could take a pic of the layout and post it to you....happy to do so. Also I do make mine from verticle grain and the only reason to mention that is normally a Holmegaard of 35# can be as narrow as 1 and 1/2 inches with plenty to spare. That might be a way for to work around some of your possible wood "issues".

Anyway if your'e like me...."seeing it done" is a whole lot better than "hearing it done". Let me know about the layouts and I'll get right on it if it would help you.
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[youngbowyer33]

thank you, i would like to see the layout i think it will help.but wouldn't it be better to have more than 2 inches more of bending limb then not?

[half-eye]

youngbowyer,
       I will post the layout pic's tomorrow. I did say the working limb is longer by 2"....just didn't say very well, sorry. I'm drawing the layout on a split (quarter sawn) stave of elm. Also I cut it to 63" long ( I think that's what you said you had available....but no matter because the process I use is the same no matter what the actual length...it's based on relative proportion.
      By the way, my 60# @ 28" White Ash Holmegaard (mollegabet pattern) will average 197 yards with a 800 grain arrow, and the farthest I ever got an arrow from that bow was 205 yds. These bows are very smooth drawing, no hand shock, and they will flat-out drive an arrow. At my 20 yard hunting distance they are wicked fast (shooting my regular 600 -650 grain arrows).
sorry for the earlier mix-up
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[half-eye]

youngbowyer,
       Here are layout photo's hope they are what you need. If any questions dont hesittae to ask. You may allready know this; when your laying out the bow width just remember that the wider you make the limbs the thinner they will have to be. The Ash bow added to the photos is 60# @ 28" and the limbs are slightly less than 1/2" thick (& the bow is just over inch and a half wide)....so if this bow was going to be in the 35# range I think the working limbs would be approaching 1/4" that might be scarry with a horizontal grain stave....something to keep in mind is all.
      Probably going to need 2 posts for the photos.
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[half-eye]

here are the rest of the photos. If I have you confussed by the way I say things ...please let me know.
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[half-eye]

Just got reviewing the photos and allready see one potential problem.....the last photo shows the tip fade as half way to the tip....BUT that is measured from the end of the handle fade to the tip....not the bow's centerline....see I told ya I'm not smart!!!
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[youngbowyer33]

so if my bow is going to be 62", would that mean that i would have 16" of bending limb and 12" of non-bending limb(the tips), and a 6" total handle length(including fades), then another 16" of bending then another 12" of non-bending?

[half-eye]

Youngbowyer,
        I went in and actually measured each area. The working limb starts at the end of the handle fade (where it can actually start to bend) and runs up to the point at which the limb tip fade starts....that means you will have 13 and 3/4 inches of working limb. The stiff tip section actually starts at the beginning of the mid limb fade (the fade wont bend) which will give you 13 and 1/2 inches of stiff tip (subtract the amount you loose to the string grove) so after making your pin knocks (or other type) you will have about 13 inches of "lever".  Please refer to "working limb profile" photo.
     The other part is that both limbs are Symetrical (same both sides). I tiller in my Holmegaards' evenly however the top of my tillering board is only one inch wide. I do 90% of the tillering with the board right on the centerline, then check the bow to see which limb the BOW wants to be the top....then I put the bow's handle on the one inch top just about where the arrow will pass (I shoot off my hand>>>if you use a rest then put the tiller board at that point) and finish the last of the fine tillering like "roll" or other "tweeks".
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[youngbowyer33]

i understand perfectly now thank you very much

[half-eye]

Youngbowyer,
      Hope that bows comes out just the way you want it to....this design gets to be addictive, they have performance way out of proportion to their draw weight. I dont know why exactly, but I think it's because the stiff tips are like levers propelled by the "spring"....sort of what an atlatl does for a human's throwing arm....but that's just the old guy's opinion.
     The opposite is true as well....those levers help you bend that "spring" as well. In other words if you feel really good at 40# a 50# version will suprise you how easy it comes back....smooth from git-go to anchor.
       Build yourself a "smookin" bow and make sure to let us see it.
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[youngbowyer33]

thanks great advice and im hoping it works as well