Half weight warbow dimensions?

[D. Tiller]

Well, I'm starting a new bow with some leftover materials that I had on hand. Question I have is if I wanted to make a bow arround 50# should I just half the dimensions for a 100# bow and but keep the length the same? It's one of my Hickory backed Yellow heart bows that I think will do much better arroudn these weights. This is also meant to be just a fun shooting bow and possibly for hunting with but in the warbow style.  There is just something about 6' 11" to 7' longbow! 

[duffontap]

The 'dimensions for a 100# bow' vary in too many ways to pin them down.  Your hickory and YH bow wont look anything like a Yew bow so you'll have to just keep the width-depth ratio on track.  In other words, if you want a width-depth ratio of 8 to 7 (respectively), tiller your bow by narrowing (if it starts becoming too flat) and thinning (if it becomes too deep in section) as you remove weight.  76" would be ample--84" excessive.

          J. D.

[D. Tiller]

Pip mentioned 84" is it too long then?

[sagitarius boemoru]

Hickory backed exotic wood full round in shape and around 50#/32´´ needs only to be around 74´´ long.

J.

[D. Tiller]

I shall shrink my bow! 76" inches here I come. This should give me a few inches to play with too!

[Yeomanbowman]

The average MR bow was about 77" long and if we apply what Ascham says they were shortened and pyked from this length, after use.  There were not many 84", in my understanding.  Sorry to be a party pooper but aren't you stretching the definition of a warbow somewhat?

[D. Tiller]

I wonder why Pip said 84" for a warbow?

[duffontap]

Pip tends to make his selfbows longer than the originals.  I assume this has something to do with not wanting to break more expensive Yew staves than necessary.  The MR bows were mostly around 76-78" (or so).  In your case, you are building a lightweight, hardwood elb so it will not be very similar to the MR bows. 

            J. D. Duff

[rapsod]

If you want bow with same dimension as big one you should make cross section 4th root of 2 smaller ( 84% of original cross section per width and thickness).

[duffontap]

Rapsod--how does that work?  4th root of 2--it's been a while. 

           J. D. Duff

[D. Tiller]

Ya know! I've been looking at Yellow Hear (Sattin wood) and its not that strong a hardwood. I think I will leave this one at 80" and if it comes out wimpy I will reduce the length. I've got it floor tillerd and it looks  prety good so far.

David T

[duffontap]

Let's see a picture.

[D. Tiller]

I will try and get one up tonight! I'm rounding the hickory edge over more than I did on the last one since I found that it was cutting into my hand when I released an arrow from it. Just hope the thin backing will hold up under tension.

[rapsod]

4th root of 2 is 1.19. So 1.19X1.19X1.19X1.19 is around 2.

[Rod]

72" long and 1 1/16" wide at the handle is adequate for a 50lb bow given a decent stave. War bows need not be massively wider unless the wood is relatively weak and are made longer for durability, though sometimes at the cost of losing some cast if overlong.
Someone who sells bows is wise to overbuild in length for the same reason that a very heavy bow migth be longer. The work is spread over more wood and so the bow is less prone to taking on follow or breaking, all else being equal.
I have a bow that was 90lb at 28", tillered to 32" and it is 1 3/16" wide and 75" nock to nock. It was reduced in weight for field shooting by slightly reducing it's depth in cross section.
Another 56lb clout bow is 73" long and 1 1/16" wide and shoots a 500 grain arrow at 174fps with a flowing loose, 165fps with a slight hold at anchor.
In truth I think it un-necessary to go to 84" unless the wood is weak, or draw weight very high and durability guaranteed over cast.
Rod.

(Some equatorial hardwood longbows go longer, as much as 95")