Author Topic: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!  (Read 7467 times)

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Offline WilltheArcher

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2015, 08:50:07 pm »
Is your riser 1.5 inches wide at it's maximum? I'm trying to size my riser to the width of my laminate but that seems pretty small for my hand to grip.

Do your limbs only taper after they leave the 2.5 inch riser bed? Or is the riser bed tapered to match them?

Offline bubby

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #16 on: April 07, 2015, 12:50:40 pm »
Make the pad area the width of the limbs and i have fairly big hands and my handles are maybe 1-1/4" in thr mid grip, dont taper till after the pad
failure is an option, everyone fails, it's how you handle it that matters.
The few the proud the 27🏹

Offline WilltheArcher

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #17 on: April 17, 2015, 06:27:50 pm »
I spent some time on http://www.learn-archery.com making sure my estimates for draw weight, length, and bow height seemed about right. Since my draw length is 29 inches, the weight I'm going for is ~40 pounds, looks like my bow length should be about 70 inches - which is what Cody at Tenbrook Archery said, so we're good to go.

So my question is - how far down from the tip of each limb should I put my nock or the bow string? Half an inch? I'm realizing I'll have to increase the length of each limb just a little bit from what you recommended, because if I made them 28.5 my bow would be 70" from tip to tip instead of from nock to nock.

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2015, 02:45:16 am »
Any wood past the nock is just dead weight.
But...
You need enough to stop the string going right off the top nock as you slip it into the groove when stringing it. On the bottom nock you need enough bulk to stop any damage to string of bow from the inevitable scrape on the floor.
You can make pin nocks which don't stick out any further than the string if you really wanted. Don't overthink it, just go with what you feel looks right on the bow.
Del
Health warning, these posts may contain traces of nut.

Offline WilltheArcher

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2015, 10:59:13 pm »
Thanks Del.

I've got another question. So the plan is about 3/8" ipe and 1/8" bamboo laminate. I'm working on planing the bamboo now, but I'm realizing it's not a constant thickness of course, because it's rounded. Is it 1/8" at its thickest or at the edges?

Also, should I round the edges of my laminate limbs?

Offline Blaflair2

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2015, 12:38:47 am »
In between the nodes, 1/8" in the center to 1/16" at the tips
Nothing ventured nothing gained

Offline Blaflair2

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #21 on: April 29, 2015, 12:39:34 am »
That is after u have cut the profile out of the boo
Nothing ventured nothing gained

Offline WilltheArcher

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Re: Building my first bow. Handful of questions!
« Reply #22 on: April 29, 2015, 02:33:40 am »
Awesome thanks! How much better than an ipe/ash laminate is an ipe/boo laminate? Gonna be a little hard to work with the bamboo and considering going to ash.

My ipe came out a little thinner than I thought. Boo/ipe (or boo ash) looks like it will be about 7/16" thick. Think I'll still get a 40 lb draw weight out of it?