Questions about my first bow

[woodsman1031]

Hello everyone,

  Thanks for allowing me to join your forum.

  I have a question.

 I made a pyramid bow a while back. This was my 3rd attempt, my first two attempts at a non pyramid failed.
Catfishon provided me with lots of help building it, Thanks Catfishon! I modified some of the pyramid measurements he gave me to use on the size of board I had.

My first bow was 1.5" wide and tapered to 7/16" at the tips. It was 68" nock to nock and 7/16" thick. It only pulls about 18#. I started out with WAY too narrow of a board for a pyramid. I was hoping to come up with a bow around 40#

This bow actually shoots, but it is totally too light to hunt with. I was looking at it the other day while it was strung up and I noticed that the brace height was really high. I used a 68" AMO string on it and the nocks are 68" apart, but from the back of the bow to the string (brace height) is 10 15/16" The over all length of the string is 63" How did I get such a high brace height? It looks kind of wierd strung up. Why is my brace height so high?
  This bow gave me some experience and confidence. I am going to build another one soon and hopefully use it this deer season.

Tommy

[kayakfisher]

I would say from the sound of it your string is to short if I remember right the string should be about three to four inches shorter than bow say about sixty five to sixty six inches for a 68 inch knock to knock bow
                                    Dennis

[woodsman1031]

I have already backed this bow and finished it with formby's tung oil finish. I just read a thread on pikeing a bow. Is this something that would be an option for this pyramid? I have a 57 1/2" string I could use.

What do yall think?

[BigWapiti]

Find a string, or make one, with a loop on one end and use a timber hitch on the other. For tillering, I pick up the longest bow string I can find, or loop two together.  cut the loop off one end and use the timber hitch.  If its ready to string up, go with the 4" shorter than NTN.  But I'd actually work my way up to that, just adjust your timberhitch.

Hope this helps.

[Hillbilly]

What Mike B. said. that high of a brace height can ruin a wooden bow quickly. What wood is the bow made from? I've made a couple of 55 pounders with almost those same dimensions. Eighteen pounds at those meausurements seems awfully light.

[GregB]

Some pictures would be helpful...

[woodsman1031]

It is red oak

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/woodsman1031/bowpicture005.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/woodsman1031/bowpicture001.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f138/woodsman1031/bowpicture002.jpg

Here are 3 pictures. These are all I have downloaded.

Here is a video if it will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z72Me_k03LA



 I do not have a bow scale or a bathroom scale to use on a tillering stick. I used a fish scale , and drew it back. It may have given me a false reading since it was used horizontal . I have zero experience with any type of traditional bow, so I if the scale was off I would not really know the difference .

Tommy

[woodsman1031]

Disregard,

  I just heard a slight crack  

  Tommy

[adb]

If the bow broke, it's probably because your brace height was way too much. >10" is way too much. What happens is... you're actually overdrawing your bow. Buy some flemish strings (lots of good suppliers), and make your brace height about 6" or so. To increase BH, twist your string to make it shorter.