Glass: a few follies

[Kegan]

Well, I just finnished my new bow. Best one yet! A red oak flatbow with wide limbs and deep handle, broken in some during tiller to keep most of it's weight and pulling around 63# at 72" long. I went to test it this morning though, and made a woderful discovery: it shoots better than a glass laminated bow! Smooth, quick, accurate, and quiet, it completely out-shot a glass bow of similiar weight on both moving and stationary targets. And, considering that the wood isn't considered in the hightest ranks of bow woods, I just keep coming back to few questions: why fiberglass? New longbows produce so much more handshock, the new longs and especially recurves are very noisy, and so expensive and now the prices are getting higher.

[Badger]

Kegan, I love stories like this, you obviously designed the bow properly, skillfully executed the design and netted the results. Can you give us some details of the bow? How long is the handle and fades section. I figured about 23" oz.

[Pat B]

Some folks believe that modern inventions must be better than ancient technology.   Bow builders of glass bows can use a formula to produce the same bow over and over again with very similar results and to accomplish weight and draw changes they revert back to the formula, make some slight changes and BINGO!  they have it. We can blame Henry Ford for the mass production revolution.
    Also bowyers of glass bows can add one type of wood veneer or another plus some fancy wood joinery to make their bows very beautiful and John Q. Public eats that up. Go to one of the glass bow sites. When someone shows off their new bow, they show the riser with all it's fancy joinery and tropical woods and the wood veneer in the limbs but very rarely shows a full draw pic, the braced profile or unbraced profile. To them it doesn't matter as long as it looks good.
   Why would anyone pay $1000 to $2000 for a bow in the first place. . So they can show it off and say they paid that for it. I guess they think that makes it a better bow. All bows are inherently accurate. Different handle types are more comfortable than others for folks so they will be able to shoot one better than the other but that is them, not the bow. Both of the custom bows I bought were the bottom of the line for that particular bowyer. Basically the same as their others but without all the fluff...and the fluff is where the extra costs comes from.
   At 20 yards, a well placed arrow with a scary sharp broad head will kill an animal just as quickly and humanely no matter what the arrow delivery system is. Whether it is a $2000 Widow or a simple stick and string. Give me a simple stick and string any day!!! I never was one for fluff!..fuzz maybe but not fluff!    Pat

[Kegan]

Badger: The bow was 72" long with 2" wide limbs to past mid-limb where it tapers to 3/8" pin nocks. It tapers from around 3/4" thick at the fades (which are each about 4") to 3/8" at the tips. The handle is 5" with a leather grip and strike plate. The bottom limb is slightly stiffer than the top limb but has an over-all eliptical tiller. It draws about 63# at 28".

Pat B: Makes sense- the more I think about it the more you seem exactly right- fluff rules the market. I guess people just want to pay more? Oh well. It's their loss- they don't get half of the fun that comes with being primitve. Or fuzzy

[sonny]

I reckon that's why they deleted a thousand-dollar-glassbow-bashing thread I started at the Leatherwall some time ago.......it was all in fun as far as I was concerned but I suppose they didn't take it that way. Darn those fellers get uptight when you make fun of 'em for spending that much money.

...I can only assume they'd get even more uptight if someone was to say a wood bow would outshoot their custom glass bow,,,,but considering I don't visit there any more I'll leave it to speculation.
 

[tom sawyer]

In my defense, I bought my fancy bows used.   

[George Tsoukalas]

Pat, you sweet talker you! I love it when you go on a rant. Feels good ha? Jawge

[Gordon]

Amen brother!

[Badger]

I kind of enjoy rants here and there myself, they never fail to put a smile on my face. Steve

[Pat B]

...and I hadn't even had 4 mugs of coffee yet!     Pat

[DCM]

In fairness, when glass bowyers put their mind to it, they exceed natural materials by a good measure.  It's a good feeling though, to make a bow that out performs a glass one.  It's more difficult to outlclass them in terms of consistancy, durability and longevity though.  Fiberglass, in terms working properties, exceeds wood by a good measure.  It's no wonder master craftsmen prefer it for their work.  I tend to value a bow differenty, more in terms of what I got out of the project as a bowyer, other than a finished bow.  Because honestly and realistically, other materials are superior to all wood in nearly every regard.  But nothing can compare to the satisifaction and novelty of crafting a good character bow.

[tradbowr]

Just had my first mug of coffee and enjoying this already
               Pete

[Badger]

       Very well put David, I am going up against some glass and carbon fiber bows in a couple of weeks in a raw speed contest. The bow is right on the verge of catastrafic failure, LOL. I believe I will hold my own and survive the 6 shots but still cannot compare to these bows as they will be expected to last for years and be pulled to full draw and held for extended periods etc. But it is fun trying. Steve

[MattE]

David, I know what you say is true but I love the way Pat expressed his thoughts.

[George Tsoukalas]

DCM, ok so master craftsmen don't use wood? LOL. I feel a rant coming on. Pat? Jawge