Del Tries for a Hazel Flight Bow

[Marc St Louis]

  Mark, not sure if you shoot for distance or not but I am curious what weight arrows you have best luck with. If Dels arrow was going around 190 fps he had enough speed to travel about 260 yards or even slightly more. I believe his arrow pooped out on him because it was too light.

     None of the fast flight bows I build for very light arrows ever do that well, my best distance bows are always much slower bows that seem to give me better arrow flight. I am going to try moving up to about 250 grains next year and see if it helps.

I haven't done any distance shooting in many years Steve, I don't have the place for it anymore, but I always found arrows around 250 to 275 grains to shoot the best, this is with bows of around 50#.

P.S.  I bought a carbon arrow years ago to test for flight, re-fletched it with small feathers, and it wouldn't shoot any farther than my wood arrows

[Del the cat]

Del, can we get a few details? Bow length, handle/limb lengths, gluing area, glue type?
Thanks

I'll add some details later... at work now..
Off the top of my head, the limb length is 27" from nock to riser. Riser length is 15", limbs deflexed at about 15 degrees.
Glue area 1.75" x 3.3" Resintite glue. The limbs are sort of keyed into the riser with a sort of V

ERRATTA... WHOOPS I MISSTYPED THE WEIGHT OF THE FLIGHT ARROW, I'LL RE-WEIGH IT WHEN I GET HOME . (I blame my age )
any how, the bow has been re-worked now.
Del

[Del the cat]

I've tried out the re-worked bow. Now a real 35# at 28" (or near as dammit)
207.1 fps
185.5
183.1
189.0

I think I'm at the limit of the Hazel, dunno if that first shot just put the set back into it, but it's pretty much back where it was before being re-worked.
I'll give it another try for distance when a chance presents itself.
I can't really hand on heart say I'm over the 200fps barrier, although I doubtless got the 100# Elm warbow over it when I shot 302 yards... dare not shoot it through the chrono for fear of destroying it.
Still it's given me a feel for the geometry...
Del

[DC]

Thanks Del

[Aaron H]

Del- can you show us a picture of your arrow?

[Del the cat]

Del- can you show us a picture of your arrow?

Here ya go.
The shaft is 5/16 tapered at either end. The point isn't as nicely blended in as the origal one was (but that one got lost)
This post on my blog shows a simple flight shaper, cut out of brass sheet, heat it up and push it over the rough shaped flight.
Really simple and works a treat
The nock is reinforced with a strip of waterbuffalo horn as it's been shot from much heavier bows. It also allows a nice slim nock.
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/curved-profile-feather-shaper.html
Del

[Aaron H]

Very nice
Thanks Del