bowbuilding question

[whitefeather]

Well Iam new to bowbuilding and need some advise. I have heard it two different ways as far as thickness of bow. Some people say to taper from handle to tip. Others say the same thickness all the way down. I want to build a hickory bow to start with. I have a short draw lengh and would like bow to be 50-60 lbs. Let me know what would be a good design.

[Cardboard_Duck]

Well I am also fairly new and usually don't give out advice because of that, but...

It depends on the style of bow. Pyramid bows are usually the same thickness out of the fades to the tip, this is because of the even tapered limb width from the end of the fades to the tips. This is the style I would suggest for your first bow, and it works great with hickory.

With other designs, such as a parallel limb design, the width of the limbs is the same (parallel) for a set distance (anywhere from 10" from the fades to 6" from the tips)and then tapers to the tips. With this design the thickness of the limbs usually has to taper from out of the fades to the end of the parallel limb section.

Usually with your first bow, longer bows are more forgiving and easier to tiller (maybe start with a 68" bow or so) Be prepared to end up with a lighter bow than you anticipated, it will happen with your first few. If you use hickory, just make sure it is dry.

... again take my advice lightly, I'm sure that the real experts will step in and steer you right

[Pat B]

As a berginning bow builder I would suggest that you build your bow by tapering the thickness until you get both limbs bending evenly and together. After you have become comfortable with this aspect of "primitive" archery you can expand your horrizons into other aspects of archery.
 Read George Tsoukalas' website. He has what you need to get you started and with his help you can learn about and build your first successful bow.
  There is no easy way to build a bow. If start from the beginning and work your way up the bow building ladder you will have a more pleasant experience and will be more likely to build a successful bow.