how much faster is a recurve than a strait tip bow?

[sleek]

Too broad a brush there. It makes a difference in design limitations.  Recurves aid in longer draws for shorter staves. I dont believe that shorter bow with recurves will outperform a longer straight bow of same stats.

So you want a longer draw from the short stave even if it gains you nothing?
[/quote]

What gains me something is a longer draw and longer draws will gain you stored energy.  It also gains you less stack, but a longer bow does the same. So here the discussion turnes to ways to get longer draws from a set stave, and recurving is a way to do it. So is a bendy handle.

[DC]

  Tje only reason I would recurve the 48 incj bow is to gain draw length off it because its too short for a straight bow at 26" draw. I dont know how else to put it?

You gain the draw length because the string will stay on with the recurves, right? No other reason?

[PatM]

Too broad a brush there. It makes a difference in design limitations.  Recurves aid in longer draws for shorter staves. I dont believe that shorter bow with recurves will outperform a longer straight bow of same stats.

So you want a longer draw from the short stave even if it gains you nothing?

What gains me something is a longer draw and longer draws will gain you stored energy.  It also gains you less stack, but a longer bow does the same. So here the discussion turnes to ways to get longer draws from a set stave, and recurving is a way to do it. So is a bendy handle.
[/quote]

So you think the short stave has more potential if recurved? 

[sleek]

No and yes If you want a 20 inch draw on a 48 inch bow, then no.  If you want a 26 inch draw then yes. It has more potential, as in, potential energy due to longer draw.  But if you compare a short draw bow to a long draw bow of the same draw weight, it becomes an unfair comparison and I am trying very hard to avoid that pitfall in this conversation.

DC, that is the main reason I recurve, to gain efficient draw length. By that I mean two bows can draw the same distance but one stacks and the other doesnt. Stack makes those last inches that stack occurs less effecient in energy storage than otherwise.

[PatM]

But if recurving  gets you more out of a short stave why wouldn't that just scale up?

[sleek]

Because a 68 imch bow wont be drawn far back enough to take advantage of the recurves. Tjere is a draw lengtj to bow length ratio that recurves work well in. The benefit is not linear.

[PatM]

I meant within the rate you are talking about.

[sleek]

Im sorry, I dont understand?

[PatM]

I meant if recurving lets you get so much out of a short stave then  surely even slightly longer staves have more in them.

[sleek]

Sure they may, but only if the design you want to build requires more out of the stave than it wants to give you straight.

[upstatenybowyer]

One thing I don't think anyone's mentioned yet is stability and accuracy. The short recurved bows I've built (bending through the handle, and 54" ntn or less) shoot really fast, but they're harder to control. That's why I like a nice marriage of both worlds- a 64-65" ntn static-handle recurved bow with short sharp-bending static tips.

I also have to say, I'm kinda obsessed with Marc's bows (yes, If there were a Marc fan club I'd run for president). I just feel like he's got a lot of things figured out so a lot of times I go off his example. He makes longer static recurves, deflex-reflex, and ALBs.

P.S. Sorry Brad, I know the post was about what's faster. I got a little off topic.

[sleek]

I am equally terrible at shooting a short or long bow. There is no difference to me.

[Jim Davis]

It seems worth noting that nobody  has posted the results of careful experiments....So, how many angels do YOU think can dance on the head of a pin at the same time?

[PatM]

Marc has tested this. Give him some time to chime in.

[George Tsoukalas]

I seem to remember that Mojam results favor straight limbed bows.
I think TBB 4 has some results.
Jawge