Board bow questions

[E.H.]

yes i planned to make it longer than the one in the picture too

[E.H.]

also i'm a bit lost with amo lenghts... if my bow is 64'' total and has maybe 3/4'' or 1'' pin nocks... it would give a 62'' nock to nock so is it safe to assume a 62'' amo size is the way to go?

[willie]

you should make a loop on one end of your string and leave the other long to tie where ever you want. If long enough, you can tiller with it also.

[E.H.]

i have a cotton cord of about 1/4'' thick, should be good enough for tillering?

[mmattockx]

i have a cotton cord of about 1/4'' thick, should be good enough for tillering?

That's much too thick to fit the nocks. I have used paracord to tiller and even it is a bit fat and too stretchy for optimal short long string use.


Mark

[E.H.]

i have a cotton cord of about 1/4'' thick, should be good enough for tillering?

That's much too thick to fit the nocks. I have used paracord to tiller and even it is a bit fat and too stretchy for optimal short long string use.


Mark

i planned to put pin nocks on my bow

[mmattockx]

i planned to put pin nocks on my bow

In that case it should work as long as the shoulders on the nock are large enough to catch the 1/4" thick rope. I think you will also find it very stretchy, but that isn't too much of an issue until you are getting close to the limbs bending to brace height, then you need a string that is stiff enough to allow you to have a tight long string and the ability to set a low brace height that stays fixed.


Mark

[E.H.]

haven't started my bow yet because of the lack of good weather... but i had a kind of change of heart when i saw my attempt at a bamboo bow (which didn't glue properly) and i was thinking about making my maple bow the same lenght as that one (53 or so inches)... thing is, i don'T know about the kind of draw i should go for at that point... 24? 26 maybe?

[willie]

when you pick a style/dimensions, you will typically establish a drew weight to work towards.

if you start to notice the bow taking set as you tiller, you will have to stop drawing and miss your draw length goal.  most prefer to attain their draw length goal and do so by making the bow thinner and coming in light on the draw weight

[E.H.]

when you pick a style/dimensions, you will typically establish a drew weight to work towards.

if you start to notice the bow taking set as you tiller, you will have to stop drawing and miss your draw length goal.  most prefer to attain their draw length goal and do so by making the bow thinner and coming in light on the draw weight

sorry by draw i meant the draw lenght. my fault 

[E.H.]

ok so after procrastinating too long and getting a new vice that is rotating i ended up being able to crown the belly of the bow... is there a thickness ratio to follow when flattening the crown? it's currently slightly bending so can i assume that i'm at the floor tiller stage? if i were to estimate the curve ratio when i try to bend it, it's about at 1.5'' max and it's still very stiff...

[bradsmith2010]

keep scraping or rasping wood off the belly untill it is not so stiff,,

[mmattockx]

it's currently slightly bending so can i assume that i'm at the floor tiller stage? if i were to estimate the curve ratio when i try to bend it, it's about at 1.5'' max and it's still very stiff...

If you can only bend it 1.5" then it is way too stiff yet. You should easily be able to move the tips 5-6" at least before putting it on the tree. If you have an existing bow you can try bending it on the floor to get an idea of the kind of force that should be involved. I find a 40lb bow to be easy to bend, so much so that it feels almost like a kids bow before it goes on the tree.


Mark

[E.H.]

unfortunately it's my first bow ever, i wanted to start archery but didn't have enough money for a bow so i'm going towards making my own arrows and bow to compensate... the first bow i shot was a recurve in highschool and i suspect it to be around 50# since i had trouble back then to shoot it (even if my score back then was 3 baloons out of 4 because a weirdo put the 4th one in the target of a guy who had a laser sighted compound bow...) i shaved them a bit more and it'S getting better but still too stiff and at about 3'' bend so i guess i'm getting there.... will shave the limbs a bit more and then make the pin nocks for the loose string... (i'll be using a thick cotton string for that even though i know it's going to be stretchy and a bit toobig to use as a bow string... it'S only temporary, i'll go get a proper string after i'm done with the basic steps

[willie]

you could put your long string on it so that it droops a few inches, then hang a weigh equal to your design pull weight and post a pic. Stating the bow length when you do will help. Guys here will be better able to help that way.