starting a new bow, ideas?

[15yearold.archer]

hey guys ive decided my current bow ( the red oak D bow) will not be the bow i am going to hunt with this season, after about 60 shots the poundage has went down to about 38 so i decided to just stop tinkering with it and get on to my next and im also really looking for something in the 50's... does anyone have any ideas for my like what kind of bow i should build?  , or just anything you would like to see in it . ive really only got maple boards and red oak boards that i can get either 1x2 or 1x3 ill do a laminate or self bow just anything that i can hunt with and thats going to keep me busy . just please someone give me some suggestions if you could and maybe some rough dimensions i could work with , and i draw about 26" just take that into consideration for a 50 +.. i was thinking maybe a flat bow or pyramid bow but then again maybe not cause i find im alot more accurate and used to shooting with a riser and arrow rest, anyways just let me know
thanks

[Del the cat]

You've got to do what want to do.
The one glaring omission in your repertoir is of course an ELB.
If you can't get self wood staves you could laminate up a stave, dunno if bamboo would be too strong for your maple? (probably too strong)
With it's deep D cross section (flattish back) it's a bit different to build/tiller. At 50 pounds 26" draw you should be able to get a nice longbow, but I don't think Maple or Oak will take the strain on their own.
If you make one, please don't put an arrow rest on it
The shorter flatter bow stlyes have a different feel (OK, I'm sure all bows feel a bit different) but a longbow as tall as you are (plus an inch or 2 maybe) has a different feel, nice and stable for shooting too.
Maybe try a stave bow if you can get hold of some timber, even if it's not one of the 'better' woods, it will just give you a different perspective to board bows, it's easy to get too dependant on the bandsaw. I only got mine this year, it's very handy, saves a lot of work, but sometimes it's good to get the feel of a wobbly old stave in your hand.
Del
(BTW, I wish I was making bows as nice as yours when I was your age. Kudos dude)

[half eye]

Hey 15,
     You may want to go with a pyramid and steam bend the tips for one of the "curvy" types like Ken 75 does, or maybe a mollegabet style (no steam bending). either style is built with a rigid handle and respond real well to arrow rests, grip wraps and the like. I'm sure Ken can help with the pyramids and I posted Mollegabet layout dimensions before.....but if you want to I can post them on your thread if that would help any. Both designs are (can-be) really stable and sweet shooters.
     I dont really dont know how you are loosing the weight after shooting in but you can do a couple of things for that. 1] try tillering out to about 40-45 pounds at say 22 inches and shoot the bow about 50 times  and recheck the tiller....if it's good you'll have plenty of weight when you take it back to 26" and should not need to retiller, if it's off just a bit then get it bending even  and then go directly to 26" draw. (or) 2] cut a piece off off your board about 1/4 to 1/8 and glue it right back on where it came from (ya can throw in a little refex when you do it) that will help with limb set or string follow and also adds some power. Mostly though that will give you some confidence that when ya pull heavy for that last 2-3 inches....the limbs wont go away on ya (duck and cover)
     hope that helps with what you are after. By the way, a well made maple bow is strong AND snappy as well, when "self backed" they can get scary strong too. JMO
Rich

[15yearold.archer]

hey half hey ya i kinda wanted to lean towards a pyramid but ive never steams bent anything im not sure if id be good with that but if it was made easy than why not, and ive never heard of a mollegabet style what is thats ,? and ya dimensions would be good if you wanted to. And as long as maple wil lwork just as good im going to try it just mabybe give me some dimensions to work with on the two bows ( pyraimd) mollegabet.. and maybe some advice or tips on steam bending, and what self backing is , oh and just tell me if i should start with a 1x3 or 1x2 thanks.
EVAN

[Del the cat]

I've just done some steam bending on my blog it shows you don't need any fancy equipment.
To have a look just google 'bowyers diary'. I use a wallpaper stripper to make the steam, they are pretty cheap and have a nice flexible steam hose.
Del

[15yearold.archer]

Ok thanks del I think I'll try it.  How's this sound,  maple board bow 70 " , its 1x2 ill glue on an 8 inch, handle 2 inches fades,  I'll do a straight taper to 1/2 inch thickness an it will be full width till about 16 inches from the tips then taper to 1/2 inch. . An the last 10 inches or so on each end will be steamed and reflexed

[Kegan]

You're losing weight not because of the types of bow, but because of how you try to tiller, and I'd wager my back quiver on that one

When you rough the bow in, you'll want to get a long string on it as soon as the floor tillering starts to come close. Get it bending early, but slowly. Take it to brace height and watch for early string follow. As soon as it starts following the string slow down and reevaluate the bow. String follow is the enemy of energy storage. You shouldn't start seeing anything until after you've reached brace height and are taking it out towards the final inches of draw.

Once you get it braced (and keep the brace low, never over 5" this early in the game) and it's standing straight, begin tilering it towards the half draw marker, or a little further. Badger's "No Set tillering" has you reading the weight at around 16" with your scale. As you slowly increase the draw, keep watching the weight at 16". If you start to lose weight, unstring the bow and check for thick spots, stiff areas, anything that might need a little taking down to keep the bow from being overstressed. Keep going like this until you reach your final draw length. Likewise, if at any inch-increment the below about 24" the bow starts pulling more than what you want it to at full draw, shave the whole belly down. No reason to over stress the limbs with too much weight either.

If you're careful when tillering and lay out the bow well, there's no reason you can't make a good hunting bow with what you have, no exotic designs or fancy laminations needed.

Oh, and for the record, I just finished out a fiberglass laminated longbow for my friend Art... and my selfbow still outshot it

[15yearold.archer]

Each tip you guys give me results in a much better bow! Thanks.  And would that work the sort of pyramid maple bow with the reflexed last 5 inches and maybe have it backed with oak veneer

[youngbowyer33]

66" long pyramid bow 2-3"wide at the fade tapering to about 3/8 at the nocks. glue on a handle 9" long, 2 " fades,  and the 5" handle part instead of 4" will give you a bit of room for an arrow shelf.  hope this helps.