Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Selfbowman on February 19, 2026, 05:34:14 pm
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Should have taken a pic of this stave roughed out. Some straightening required. I don’t mind the snake but that with a pretty good propeller kinda sucks. There is better Osage out there. I’ve had this stave for about 8 years. I guess if I’m going to make a bow out of it I might as well get it done.
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Getting closer..
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Looking good Arvin. One of the guys in our local group has always told me that "prop twist makes a faster bow". I have seen threads arguing the point for years... and I don't know. He said it was what Jim Hamm taught him. Looking forward to seeing it. :OK
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I don’t know about that Bob, but could that be because of needing extra heat to straighten the out?
I’ve had more experience with crooked and twisted staves because that’s the majority of what I’ve had to work with. But other than the extra time involved I can’t say there any slower than bows I’ve made out of straight staves.
I will be curious to get Arvins thoughts after he turns out the finished bow. If anybody can get the optimal performance out of 1 I believe Arvin can.
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I disagree with Jim GOD bless his soul. If the wiggles and humps can cause any shock it slows the bow down. Not saying it won’t shoot pretty good just not as fast but they are interesting to look at and a challenge to build. Well the internet has come to a crawl on PA again! Maybe to many adds to load fast.
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Any limb twist in a bow causes a torsional load to be applied when drawn. That laod takes up some of the energy you put into the bow but adds nothing to the draw length, so its parasitic. Releasing the string the bow twists back to its normal profile but none of that energy release goes into the arrow. It wont make an arrow faster and it reduces the efficiency of the bow.
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Any limb twist in a bow causes a torsional load to be applied when drawn. That laod takes up some of the energy you put into the bow but adds nothing to the draw length, so its parasitic. Releasing the string the bow twists back to its normal profile but none of that energy release goes into the arrow. It wont make an arrow faster and it reduces the efficiency of the bow.
I think that's true, but I think his thoughts were that energy was created when it snapped back to its original shape. My friend doesn't even try to remove the prop twist with heat... he likes it. :) Wiggles are more mass and not good for efficiency for sure.
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Looks like a decent cook for corrections Arvin. I’m sure you’ll straighten it out in no time.
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Can't beat a clean straight stave. But good and beautiful bows can be made from sub par wood. Some of the most beautiful bows in my memory came from pieces of wood that look like they'd be horrible to work with.