Hackberry long bow/war bow (not for BOM)

[KShip85]

Ok, I think I've finished with this thing.  The repair job seems to be holding, though I think it might be hinging a bit in that area.  The belly was heat treated but this bow still took close to 5 inches of set, starting with about 3 inches of reflex and ending with 1.5 inches of string follow.  Was pulling just over 100# at 32 inches last time I checked, though I'm not sure I quite have it there in the pic.  Anyway I think I have decided that hackberry is not the best choice for an ELB design.  I've got elm lined up next and am hoping to hit a higher weight.  Anyway thanks for looking!

Kip

[sweeney3]

I haven't tried an ELB yet, but elm is likely to respond very similar to hackberry.  They have pretty similar properties I think.  Good wood, just maybe not for that design.  I dunno though.  Like I said, haven't tried an ELB.  Maybe it'll work!

[adb]

No offense intended, but I think any bow that takes 5" of set is flawed in design and execution. I think your bow is too narrow at the grip, and doesn't taper nearly enough to the tips. It looks like it hardly tapers at all. Your bow looks more like a broom handle, than a bow.
Also, the bottom limb tip is reflexed, and the top limb is not, making your tiller very uneven. I aslo think you're asking quite a bit from a hackberry stave.

[KShip85]

No offense intended, but I think any bow that takes 5" of set is flawed in design and execution. I think your bow is too narrow at the grip, and doesn't taper nearly enough to the tips. It looks like it hardly tapers at all. Your bow looks more like a broom handle, than a bow.
Also, the bottom limb tip is reflexed, and the top limb is not, making your tiller very uneven. I aslo think you're asking quite a bit from a hackberry stave.

I'll admit the design might not have been the best.  This was more of an experiment than anything, same stave I showed a picture of a couple months ago asking if anyone has ever made a high weight ELB profile bow out of hackberry.  The set may in fact be due to poor tillering, but I also wonder if the moisture content was too high in it.  The handle was 1 3/8" thick in the center and it does at least to appear to taper some near the tips as the rings fade out.  I also might be overstating the set it took, I honestly do not remember for sure how much reflex it had at first, but I do feel like it was a fair amount, perhaps not the 3 inches I said though.  If anything this was a learning process for me.  I have made a hackberry flat bow 69" long pulling 80 lbs at 30.5 inches and it did fine, the ELB one turned out like this.  At least if nothing else I have a new handle for that broken shop push broom.

Kip