Welcome bowyers to Walk-the-Talk 4

[jwillis]

"Walk-the-Talk" is a traveling, annual event where bowyers can send in their bows to have them tested for speed on a shooting machine, compare them to other bows, and evaluate them by hand shooting. There is also a "purdy" bow competition. It is a friendly competition where bow speed is the primary consideration. For those able to attend the event, it is also a time to swap ideas with other bow builders, hand shoot the bows submitted, and participate in a few archery shooting games. The "shoot off" will be held this year on April 23-24 at Booneville, Missouri. For those of you familiar with MOJAM, Booneville is located about 45 minutes east of there on Interstate 70.

The primary sponsor of this event is the wvw.piratesofarchery.net chat room. Additional information, correspondence, and results of the testing will be posted there. Here is a link...

http://www.piratesofarchery.net/bb/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=9679

It will really be great to get some participation from more primative bowyers this year! Please consider this your invitation to send in a bow or two, and make plans to attend the event if possible.

Jim

[Jesse]

That looks pretty cool. I might just have to send in a bow.

[Badger]

  I attended two years ago and it was great. A lot of research goes into these bows and all the modern bowyers have a lot of respect for us primitive guys. If you can send a bow or attend it would be great. I hope to attend again this year. Steve

[Rich Saffold]

Steve,

If you are going and if I have a fast one you like at one of  the Feb. March Pasadena Gatherings I'd be thrilled if you would throw it into the box for the trip..Of course I'll cover the shipping

Heck I'm glad you get to go..I'd certainly go if I could..

Rich

[Badger]

Rich, if I go I will just take it with me. I may not bring but one bow, haven't been building for a while. Steve

[jwillis]

Its good to hear the positive feedback here. When Steve says we "modern" bowyers respect the "primitive" bowyers, he is absolutely right. We would love to mix it up with you guys. We will test each bow on a stationery shooting machine with a string release and chrono setup. I will take photos of each bow...unstrung, braced, and full draw...plus create a FD curve, and post them on the piratesofarchery.net website after the event. I find it very useful to compare these photos and curves. As you know, it is not just about speed...but the machine testing and hand shooting testing is showing us that the fastest bows are also the best shooting bows. So if you send in a bow these are a few of the things you can expect to receive in return. Jim

[Pappy]

Sounds like a cool event,Thought it would be better here in events.
   Pappy

[Marc St Louis]

Its good to hear the positive feedback here. When Steve says we "modern" bowyers respect the "primitive" bowyers, he is absolutely right. We would love to mix it up with you guys. We will test each bow on a stationery shooting machine with a string release and chrono setup. I will take photos of each bow...unstrung, braced, and full draw...plus create a FD curve, and post them on the piratesofarchery.net website after the event. I find it very useful to compare these photos and curves. As you know, it is not just about speed...but the machine testing and hand shooting testing is showing us that the fastest bows are also the best shooting bows. So if you send in a bow these are a few of the things you can expect to receive in return. Jim

I have been trying to tell people that for years.  Perhaps I will try and get a bow out there this year as well

[knightd]

Sounds like I would love to send a few to you as well..

[Keenan]

 What about bows that are built for a specific draw length? Example I have a yew bow that I just built and believe it to be one of the best shooters that I've made. However it is built for my 24" draw length and I don't want to subject it to the tortures of a 28" draw. It is only 60" tip to tip. Are you going to do any specific category testing. 
  This has been on my mind for a while as I have a short draw compared to most bowyers and I also build bows for others at a specific draw length. I tiller to one inch over the intended draw  for safety.

[jwillis]

I'll be glad to shoot test any short draw bows on the machine and post the results, but data won't be directly comparable to the other bows (if that is important).

I fixed the link in my first post. It had an error and wouldn't work.

Jim

[Keenan]

Jim it would be good if bows were tested on comparative levels.  Say for example:  a chonogragh result when a certain bow reaches 50 lbs weather it's 25" or 27". I know that the longer draw has the advantage but it would be intresting to see just what the advantages are for draw length vs. poundage. If a certain percentage of increase is discovered for each inch of extra travel with equal draw weights then it may be possible to dial in the overall efficiency of the bows in more of a head to head comparative.
  Also I know that you said it would need to be slow draw scenario to test and make sure of the correct information. We all know the potential harm this can do. I guess my concerns would be will the holds be more then a few seconds?

[jwillis]

Keenen, to date, the WTT test procedures are simply 10 grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight pulled at 28" AMO (26-1/4" from the deepest point of the grip) on a shooting machine with a mechanical release. The release is automatically set to release at 28" AMO draw length. The bows have been built to fit the machine rather than the other way around. This is just the way we've been doing it. I'm sure there are many other types of tests possible, and we might eventually try some of these suggestions in future years. The results would be very interesting and useful. Last year was the first time that we measured draw weights for every inch and calculated a force-draw curve. We simply opted not to hold the all wood bows when reading the scale and only recorded the peak draw force at 28". We can easily record that data this year but I want permission to do it on an all wood bow because we'll have to pause momentarily at each inch or be really good at reading the scale as the string passes each mark. Jim