Bow Dimentions Questions for a Chirstmas Bow for a young lady...

[Canoe]

Howdy Group,

It's been a while since I posted.  (And, it's been a while since I put blade to wood.)  But, a coworker asked me to build a bow for his little sister.  She is about five Feet tall and 15 years old.

I'll be building a White Ash self bow / flat bow from a stave. 

I'm thinking I'll give it a full 5 foot length.  But, what would you suggest as an appropriate draw weight for a 15 year old girl who is a beginner archer?  And, what would you suggest as a bow limb width?

Thanks for your help,  and I promise to keep you all posted.

All the Best,
Canoe

[killir duck]

i'd go with about 1 3/4" wide limbs, as for wieght i'd go with about 30-35#

[Jim Davis]

25# max. In the heyday of wooden bow target archery, 25# was considered a good maximum for women's bows. Men and women beginning archers may or may not be strong enough to pull 30 to 35# bows. We don't use those muscles for much else.

It's always worse to be over-bowed than under bowed.  Just make  a set of arrows in the 220 to 250 grain range and cast will be just fine.

Jim Davis

[Pappy]

I would make about a 60/62 inch bow 25@24 should be about right, personally
wouldn't go 1 3/4 I would go with 1 1/2 at fads or a little less and straight tapper to the tips 3/8  to start,then narrow down the tips when finished.If you go 1 3/4 the limbs will be really thin to get down to that kind of weight.
   Pappy

[blackhawk]

I would make about a 60/62 inch bow 25@24 should be about right, personally
wouldn't go 1 3/4 I would go with 1 1/2 at fads or a little less and straight tapper to the tips 3/8  to start,then narrow down the tips when finished.If you go 1 3/4 the limbs will be really thin to get down to that kind of weight.
   Pappy

+1

[dwardo]

Go too wide and its hard to keep the weight down I found.