Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: ryanfromcanada on March 11, 2009, 06:28:22 pm
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if i want to build a maple american flat bow 40# @26 inches what approximate dimensions would i be lookin at or do you just kinda guess at it
thanks,
ryan (a confused aspiring bowyer )
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hi ryan,
i have not worked with maple as of yet,i usaully just take a guess at the demensions my self.
however there are lots of guys on here who have used it.
but i would think that 1 3/4 from fades to midlimb and then taper to 5/8 or 1/2 at the nocks should be enough,maybe even slightly overbuilt.
confused you say,well welcome to my world. i have gone thru 43 years of life confused.youll get used to it after a while. lol
just sit back and enjoy the confusion ;D
peace,
tim
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ryan if its hard maple 1.5" is plenty for a rigid handle bow of 62 to 64" even shorter for a bendy handle bow.
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All of my Maple Bows I have built are between 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" Wide at the Fades....tapering to 3/8" Tips...64-66" Long....with a 4 1/2" Handle Area....and I always end up with no trouble getting 50-60 Pound Bows from them
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I guess for 40# 1.25" wide would be doable then :)
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what are fades ???
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the area above and below the handle wher the wood "fades" from the grip into the limbs ;)
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ryan, being new to bow building myself, I've found this glossary of bow building terms very helpful.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,978.0.html
Open it and save it to your favorites. I promise you, you'll be using it a lot. Dave
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thanks for the link, how thick of limbs would i be looking at.
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Ryan, the thickness of the limbs just depends on the individual piece of wood, the design, width, etc. The limbs will wind up however thick they have to be to bend the way you want them to at the weight you want. With selfbows, the thickness of two bows made from the same kind of wood may vary considerably at the same drawweight. Each stave is different, and may have knots, stiff spots, reflex, deflex, or any number of things going on-so the final thickness is determined by how much wood you have to take off to make it bend right. A good general starting point with whitewoods is about 3/4" thick at the fades, 5/8" at midlimb, and 1/2" thick at the tips. This will usually leave you with a stave that's still stiff and heavy, but will bend some when you push it. After making a few and getting the feel of the wood, you can cut those dimensions down 1/8" or so and be closer to floor tiller right off the bat. It's usually better to start too thick than too thin, though.
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Take a look at Gordon's Hazelnut build-along - it'll help get you where you need to be.
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I started using mass as a way of determining demensions for bows. Slight differeneces in design that affect the amount of working limbs on a bow have dramatic effects on the demensions we need. The more working limb we have the less mass we need and the narrower they can be. A little thing called tiller logic also plays in. The tiller on a bow should match the front view of the bow. The thickness on a bows limbs only tells you how far a limb can bend before it takes set or breaks, the width of a bows limbs determins how far the limb actually will bend. The thickess has very little affect on the mass of a bow while the width has a major effect on the mass. Too little mass is worse than too much mass it it crushes the wood. If your bow is 64 inches long I would finish it at around 18 or 19 oz with a slightly elyptical tiller. Steve
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if i want to build a maple american flat bow 40# @26 inches what approximate dimensions would i be lookin at or do you just kinda guess at it
thanks,
ryan (a confused aspiring bowyer )
Hey Ryan,
Where are you in Ontario? I am new to this forum as well.
Listen well to these fellows and you'll do fine!
I am in Franford Ontario (close to Belleville)
I am part Mohawk so the idea of a native bow is kind of cool to me. Our bows were typically shorter than most. If the idea of a sixty inch bow seems long , you may be able to shorten it if you back it with sinew.
I am working on a horse bow right now.
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im from haliburton 45 minutes east of bracebridge
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Ryan, here are some buildalongs. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/