Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: wizardgoat on November 30, 2015, 02:36:16 pm
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I get asked to make light weight bows occasionally. I find it easier to make a good shooting 50# bow than a good shooting 30# bow. I'd love to make a great performing low weight bow for a well deserving old timer, and am looking for design input.
He's more of a long bow kind of guy, but the few longer low weight bows I've made shot a little slower than I'd like. I was thinking of making a shorter recurve, maybe 55/56", 30# is not much so I'd like to stress the wood to some degree.
Any advice on design or experience with fast light weight bows?
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I'd lean towards an ELB man. The longer limbs will provide more cast for his 30#.
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What is his draw length? I'd go with a shorter narrow recurve every time for cast in a lower weight bow.
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His son told me 28", but figures it's probably a little less. He struggles with his 35@28, so I figure 30@28 would be a good aim.
I like Pats suggestion, shorter recurves are my thing, but maybe an ELB tillered a little more elliptical would work too. I guess I'll just make both ;)
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What does Pat know?
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I think it is hard for me to get the mass right on a lighter bow,, I am not used to making them,, so the tendency is to overbuild them,, and then they just dont have the cast( to much mass),, I made a nice flat longbow that shot hard for its draw weight,, it looked tiny,, it was barley an inch wide osage, 30#@ 24 inches of draw, it would shoot a 500 grain arrow bout 133fps and 380 grain arrow 147fps(b50 string),,, it had just a touch of follow,, I think if you had a longer power stroke,, narrow limbs and a bit of reflex, you could make a very nice shootin light bow,,,
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And, odds are the fellow only plinks paper with his bow. May as well make a slow, sloppy, accurate, fun to shoot ELB.
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I made a 35# bow for a young lady at the flight shoots and she shot the bow 328 yards, further than any woman has ever shot any primitive bow. The bow was 1 1/4 wide and drew 26". I feel like as long as the outer limbs are narrow keeping them wide enough to avoid set trumps everything else.
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Brad, I think your right, it's hard to get the mass right for the light weights.
Pearly your probably right too, but I really want to make a zinger at 30#
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Thanks badger, was the bow Osage? Do you remember any more specs on the bow?
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It was about 64" long with the standard reflex cawl they use over at twin oaks, about 3" reflex. I used Gary Andersons cawl design with about 3 1/2" reflex in it. The bow only lost about 1/2". Stiff handle and fades with cut in arrow shelf. The bow came in at about 18 oz I believe. This is where I used to build my 50# bows.
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Whatever the type, maybe as narrow an arrow pass thickness as possible so you can get the brace height low for a longer power stroke without forcing a lot of paradox on the arrow?
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Make him an elb and give it some good reflex, maybe fpip the tips a bit, seems the few I've made like that shot better than one with no reflex
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I think the lighter bow has a better chance of holding the reflex,,, :)
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Your on the right track with the elliptical tillered elb. Josh
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What does Pat know?
That TB and sinew aren't best friends. ;D
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Made this light weight recurve out of Elm for a guy many years ago, I don't remember if it's because he had health problems or was old or maybe both. It pulled 36# @ 28" and would shoot a 500 grain arrow at 155 fps and a 10 GPP arrow in the high 180 fps. He was shooting exclusively targets and was having trouble shooting out to 180 yards with the bows he had, this did that without any trouble
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when I get old I am going to order one to deer hunt with,, very nice,, :) I turn 62 in a few weeks,,,, when is old????
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When you read the obits and your name is there ;)
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That's a beauty Marc, 62 ant old , at least I hope it ant cause I am passed that I think. :-\:)
Pappy
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Personally I would say add a bunch of reflex, which is why I would go recurve.
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Well the fact that I don't remember why I built it says that it's either been a long time since I made it or that I'm getting old, your a few months ahead of me Brad, or maybe it's both :)
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Mark, that bow is a real good example of how much power typical bows loose to hysterisis, very rare for a self bow to approach 180 fps with 10 grains, yet that bow performed at the top of the scale for even laminated wood bows. It also demonstrated that a lot of us may be underbuilding our bows and not realize it. My 35# bows will very often outperform my 50# bows when shot on an equal grains per pound basis.
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Marc, I like that design, don't suppose you remember any more specs on it?
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What does Marc know?
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haha well he knows how to make a 36# bow that shoots faster than most my 50# bows!
I've never tried a reflexed recurve, very nice profiles
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Fwiw (which aint much) im in the narrow elliptical tillered longbow/elb camp. N thats all i know (which aint much either) :-X
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The date tag on the pictures for this bow says 2004, which sounds about right. I still have a bit of a write up on it, saved from an old website I had, and this is what it said.
This is a reflex recurve Elm selfbow. This bow was reflexed using dry heat with the belly wood tempered. The bow is 65" N to N with limbs 1 3/8" wide at the fades tapering to 5/8" wide at the recurves and nocks 3/8" wide. It has a leather wrap for a handle with a built up leather arrow rest. This bow was built for a gentleman with the need for a low draw weight bow and pulls 36# @ 28". Even though this bow is of low draw weight it still chronographs a 500 grain arrow at 155 fps and upper 180 fps with 10 grains/lb
The 180 yard target he was shooting at is called clout shooting, I had forgotten that part