Osage shortbow question?

[Stingray45]

I have a question for the guys out there. I have been seeing all of these short bows by half eye and I think I saw Lee made one and they've got me inspired. I have a nice short piece of osage. The pieces is 45" or 46" overall in length and over 2" wide at the thinnest points. So here is my question for all of you skilled/knowledgeable bowyers. Is it possible for me to get a bow drawing 27" to 27.5" with a pyramid design using a 3" to 4" handle? I was thinking that at the widest on the fades of the pyramid would be 2" wide tapering down to 1/2" or 3/8" at the tips. Would I need flip the tips? Use sinew? Or what could I do to get the draw I want. I mean preferably I'd like it ot draw to 28" to have the extra buffer because my draw is 27.5". I'm not as worried about draw weight. I would just prefer to get at least 40#-45# in draw weight so it could be used for hunting. Thanks for the advice guys.

~Barry

[4nolz]

I think you'll have to make it a bend thru the handle bow,a stiff riser just leaves so little working limb,flipping the tips definitely will help the string angle too,most of these short bows are drawmn 24-25" max.The ones I did I used short arrows to prevent overdrawing the bow.I am no expert and will be certain to read the other repies too!

[Ifrit617]

What you are proposing Sounds extreme even with sinew... It might work with a bendy handle but I really think that it would be way to much bend with a four inch stiff handle... If I hand the same stave I would make a 45#@24" bendy handle bow and possibly sinew back it for durability and performance. But I am no where near an expert so I will be interested in what othe people have to say.

[Justin Snyder]

Not without recurves and deflex in the handle.

[IndianGuy]

Can you do it?...No, that is to much stress for the wood. Osage will draw half it's length if tillered properly and bends through the handle you can get a few extra inches overdraw with a good sinew backing. But say from nock to nock your bow is 44" long and you have a 4" stiff handle you will have 40" of working limb. that would give you a 20" draw. if you sinew back the bow you could get maybe 22".
Now if you do a bend through the handle bow thats 44" long you basically have 44" of working limbs. Which if tillered correctly will give you 22" draw without backing. if you sinew back you could get an extra 2" or so of draw length.

your failure would most likely be in tension not compression because osage has the compression strength of Water buffalo horn...or close to it.
The 27-or 27.5 inch draw from the 45" piece of wood is just not a reasonable goal in my opinion. You are wanting 5" more draw than the wood will more than likely give.

Im sure others will disagree with me but thats my honest opinion for your question and I mainly build short bows.
Good luck with your bow building.

Eric

[miketurner]

with really spot on tiller and a few layers of sinew and you can get more bend from it, or at least thats what Ive been told before. I still wouldn' t want to pull more that 24 or 25 inches. With the little experiance I have I would not try to bend it that much, too much work goes into making a bow to risk breaking it and if it doesn't break I would worry about the set inflicted on it. I would settle for 24 inch draw and be very happy with it. I love osage!

[hillbilly61]

 Yes it can be done. This one is 46" n2n  42@26 bend thru handle I'm drawing it 26" in the pic. You have to be dead nuts on the tiller!!

[toomanyknots]

     
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(Such a nice bow!)

[IndianGuy]

hillbilly your getting 3" over half the total length of the bow, he is wanting 5" thats a whole lot of stress on the bow. I did state that with sinew he could get an extra 2" or so.r
Here is a all wood osage static recurve I did this year thats 53" total and 52 NTN  if I remember right and a 26" draw. And by looking at the limbs you can see this bow will not take any more draw..it's maxed out. And when you draw a self bow to its max over and over its like driving your care in the red line rpm.

One thing hillbilly is right about is the tiller has to be spot on!

[MWirwicki]

Never say never, I like to say.  BUT, you are asking a whole lot out of 44" ntn piece of wood.  Especially with a non-working handle. 

It doesn't take long to get used to short drawing a bow.  I'd say, make a bow with it.  With your stiff handle AND sinew, you can probably get 22".  With a working handle, you might get 24-25".  Your tiller will have to be near perfect.  Even with sinew though, it will probably take some set.

[gstoneberg]

Justin is right, a little deflex can give you more draw length.  My 52" unbacked bendy handle osage that I will hunt with this season goes to 28" easily with less than perfect tiller, but it has about 3" of deflex.   I doubt it has any more performance than a shorter bow with no deflex and maybe less, but it's the shortest bow I've made so I don't know.  My suspicion is that you're better off pulling 24" with a well tillered straight bow than putting in 3" of deflex to pull 27".  Others have much more experience with short bows than I.  If it were my stave I'd try splicing on some recurved tips, or I'd use it as a core in a sinew/horn bow like that coral snake beauty.

George

[hillbilly61]

 I' sorry I forgot about the 44'" length. Mine is tillered out to 27" just for my sake. IndianGuy is right, That's asking a whole lot from that piece of wood I might be wrong but I don't think you can geet 27" from it, even with sinew

[blackhawk]

Make a shorty and adjust your draw length down. That's what I did with no problems. The only problem now is I've come so accustomed to drawing 24" now with my shorties that when I pick up a regular length bow I still draw that 24". But you think a deer cares what your draw length is when you send a meat seeking wood missile thru his rib cage....im guessing not. 

[Stingray45]

Ok, I am sensing the overwhelming theme that 27.5" is a bit much haha. One last question for you short bow guys, if I go with a wide limbed bow can I eek out an extra inch or so? I have to measure but I believe the bow goes to 2.5" or 3" wide. So if I did a pyramid style bow 2.5" or 3" tapering down to 3/8" nocks, will that make a difference on the draw length? Or will it only affect the draw weight I can get from that length and how thin I need to make the limbs? I would consider a bendy handle bow, I've just never done it before so I have no experience tillering one. Thanks.

~Barry

[Pappy]

I'm with Eric and Matt,not saying it can't be done but that is asking a lot.I doubt it would make it and if it did I doubt it would last long. I would do like blackhawk
suggest,adjust to a shorter draw.
   Pappy