Hollow Limb Design and the Mass Principle

[dbb]

Whatever this works as said or not (to me it "feels it should to some degree atleast)
there is another advantage here!
It lets you use smaller diameter branches and saplings.

Just a thought...

/Mikael

[Josh B]

  The most obvious simple test would be to simply saw out a bamboo pole into a pretillered shape then check out what it does. I realy don't know id anything is gained or not. Seems like the compression on the ridges would be excessive but he has successfully completed several of these now. I wouldn't be surprised if some primitive tribe hadn't been doing this for centuries allready.

If I had the time, I would make several HLD's from pine to study the chrysals and mechanics of failure.  I believe that would provide some insight on how the forces are distributed across the limb.  Unfortunately, I'm already to far behind on making bows that are supposed to hold together to go making a bunch of sticks for the sole purpose of failing.  Josh