Bow Design Question...

[Wooden Spring]

I've been on this forum more as an observe / learner for a very long time, but now that I'm building hickory backed board bows for the last year or so, there's one question that I can't find an answer to...

Let's say that with a perfect tiller for the specific design below, and each bow comes in at 50# with the same materials, (I'm not saying that the dimensions below will produce a bow of that weight) what advantage does one bow have over another?

And I'm talking about meat-on-the-table differences... I'm not really concerned with which bow is the fastest...

I suppose, if you only had one style of bow to build the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

[Don Case]

If you're not concerned with speed all that's left is durability and aesthetics I would think. That leaves the Molly out
Don

[Wooden Spring]

If you're not concerned with speed all that's left is durability and aesthetics I would think. That leaves the Molly out
Don

Well maybe I should have qualified my "speed" comment... I'm not concerned with speed in a sense that if the argument is over just a few fps, then a few fps makes no difference to a deer who is about to receive a lethal splinter at 30 yards... I don't attempt hunting shots over 30 yards anyway. If I'm target shooting at 50 and 100 yards however, then the speed makes the difference. But for hunting, not so much.

[artcher1]

It comes down to the amount of leverage (not bend) each limb produces. AFB, the inner limb does the most work. If outer limbs are keep relatively stiff, will, IMO, shoot the heaviest arrow the fastest......Art 

[Badger]

  I like the American flat bow, elyptical tiller with stiff outer limbs.

[Tom Leemans]

When you get in to bows like hybrid R/D (heavy on the reflex) and recurve, etc, you can throw a lighter (target) arrow pretty darn fast, or as Dean Torges would put it, "A snappy bow".  For a real workhorse that throws a heavy hunting arrow, consistently, you can't beat a perfectly tillered flat bow 'type" with more of the limb working. It's really apples and oranges though. Depends on your taste. I guess that's why we build so many different types, and just shoot whichever one you fancy that day.

[bubby]

for a simple hunting bow i'd go with a pyramid bow for durability, don't know what would be wrong with a molly though

[wood_bandit 99]

The bows I make may not be THE fastest bows on earth but I don't think they are much than a few fps from others. I make ones similar to the top one and those are the type designs that shoot heavy arrows far and are accurate and are just an over all good design. I usually reflex them about 1" and with set, they end up being .5" reflex and that makes them a little faster. This is with osage. I tried it with hickory selfbow and it took more string follow than I would have liked. Should have been trapped and a little wider

[artcher1]

Several things to consider when choosing a particular design. I look for one that'll load up a heavy hunting arrow, from a light weight bow, using a very short draw, and still hang with the big boys ..........Art

[Arrowind]

Right now I would favor an R/D-pyramid- molly with recurved levers...

[Eric Garza]

Right now I prefer a cross between a paddle bow and a Mollegabet. Basically a Mollegabet with rounded corners rather than the typical angular corners as this style is commonly made with. Or a paddle bow with the widest part of the limbs nearer to the handle and stiff outer limbs made atypically narrow. I've started jokingly referring to this style as a Paddlegabet bow. This is just my preference though, I'm not claiming it's superior to other styles already mentioned.

[PatM]

None of those. In fact most would likely combine the Mollie and AFB into one bow as their all around go-to bow.
 Extend the working limb out a bit and minimize the very obvious lever transition of the Mollie.
 A true Holmegaard in other words.

[SLIMBOB]

You left out a bendy handle and that would be first for me today Dec. 6, 2013.  I do however reserve the right to change my mind without notice and for no particularly good reason, as I have built all of these and have liked something about each of them.  I have more AFB's than anything, so gun to the head, probably AFB's from your list.  I'm glad we can all make these very different bows from various woods and argue with one another about which is better.

[Christian Soldier]

I personally think the Pyramid bow is the most straight forward bow.

They are usually fairly easy to design and tiller so it's actually in my range of expertise and you can modify for whatever stave you are working with so that's why I'd pick that one.

Great bows have been made from all three designs though, its more of a personal/individual stave thing.

[JonW]

You got it Slim. Short and bendy for me.