Author Topic: Brace height versus string length  (Read 2354 times)

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Offline Orrum

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Brace height versus string length
« on: September 18, 2017, 03:37:10 pm »
Still rasping at the Osage stave Mullet gifted me. In the meantime I bought a old Ben Pearson longbow. It's 66 inches nock to nock. That should make the string 63 inches. The bow has several inches of curvature to it. So a 63 inch string doesn't give you enough brace height, it slaps the fire out of my wrist. I made a temporary string out of 550 paracord. It has no arrow shelf, I never shot a bow like this before. It shoots really good, I like it better than my oldvrecurve. No idea what draw it is.  Anyway I shortened the string to 61 inches and it shot better but I think it could use one more inch brace height to get me enough room to clear 5 inch feathers on my soon to be finished self nock arrows. I have s 27 inch draw I think. Am I going to hurt the bow by having a string that short?  It has another piece of wood to make the handle bigger to hold. I do need to put a arrow rest on it. Oh yes the upper limb is longer than the lower.
Knapping....If your hobby does not consume you then you have no hobby.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Brace height versus string length
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2017, 06:18:57 pm »
Is the Ben Pearson a glass lam bow or a wood bow?
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline PatM

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Re: Brace height versus string length
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2017, 07:06:36 pm »
Put a proper string on it before you go to a too high brace height. Sounds like an old Ben Pearson hickory?

Offline Orrum

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Re: Brace height versus string length
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2017, 07:24:39 pm »
It's a wood longbow. I will try to take a pic 2moro and put it on here.  I just did the paracord thing to try it. I guess I should get a flemish twist do I can adjust the brace height?
Knapping....If your hobby does not consume you then you have no hobby.

Offline PatM

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Re: Brace height versus string length
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2017, 08:15:19 pm »
It's a wood longbow. I will try to take a pic 2moro and put it on here.  I just did the paracord thing to try it. I guess I should get a flemish twist do I can adjust the brace height?

 You're getting string slap from the stretchy string more than having the brace height wrong.

Offline Pappy

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Re: Brace height versus string length
« Reply #5 on: September 19, 2017, 02:34:12 am »
63 should be about right for a 66 long bow, most likely the string is stretching when you brace it, paracord does stretch quite a lot, if you make a string 63 out of good material it would probably be about right.  :)
 Pappy
Clarksville,Tennessee
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