Handle placement

[Shondy55]

Hey all,

      I was recently re-reading The Traditional Bowyers Bible and on the osage flatbow section it says to lay a 4" handle directly in the center of the bow.  In your guys opinion where is it best to place you handle, on center, below center, etc...Thanks!

[Pat B]

I put the center on a 4" handle in the center of the bow. Some folks like an asymmetrical bow with a longer lower limb. It really doesn't matter and I find a symmetrical bow easier to see tiller.

[SLIMBOB]

Different people will give a different answer on that.  I put mine dead center between the knocks and tiller for balance.  With the arrow knocked higher than the center there is more leverage applied to the bottom limb.  I just make it a bit stronger as I tiller.  Easier than limbs of a different length in my opinion, but no better than.

[bradsmith2010]

I put my handle in the middle,, then I put the arrow rest above center and fine tune the placement to where the bow shoots the best for me,,if I have to adjust tiller as I shoot it in i will,,,keeping in mind how the bow is shooting trumps how it might look at brace or full draw,,

[FilipT]

Mine handles are directly in center, but my tiller tree with double pulleys pulls 1" offset from the handle. That way I get automatically positive tiller during whole process and I don't need to concern myself with leaving bottom limb slightly stiffer.

[Chris3kilo]

Best handle and arrow rest section I've made:

pistol grip style handle where the part for the indexfinger and the thumb is the middle of the bow. From that spot there is equal length to both limbs. That leaves in room for a arrowrest on the upper part of the section and the bow feels real balanced like that.
i'm no expert though, just started up making bows, but that's my preference from now on

[Dances with squirrels]

Pat, don't you mean 'some folks like a SHORTER lower limb'?

I like the handle center 3/4 - 7/8" below the bow center. The bow balances better in the hand that way, both while carrying, and while drawing. It's also easier to tiller because it means less shift between static balance and dynamic balance needs navigated.

Chris, the new guy, is on to something I haven't heard anyone here mention... from the bow's center, regardless of where that center is placed in the handle, it's an equal distance to the tips. Where this center is placed in relation to the bow hand and string hand fulcrums has bearing on balance during the draw.

[Pappy]

I usually put mine at center unless for some reason I need to move it down, yes I think Pat meant top limb longer. 
 Pappy

[George Tsoukalas]

The past few years I've been putting the handle in the center in case I have to turn the bow around for tuning purposes.
Here's a discussion of handles.
http://traditionalarchery101.com/handlestyles.html
Jawge

[Eric Krewson]

I make mine an inch shorter on the bottom limb, no big reason, I just like the balanced look they have when drawn.

On equal length limbs, the bottom limb looks long when the bow is drawn, at least to my picky eyes.