Question on board bow handle placement???

[Shooter_G22]

ok bowers,

   im thinking about trying it again... but i got a question on the handle...?

  i have a piece of riped pecan board about 62" long about 2" wide...   thinking of almost a pyramid type style bow...  i gues thats what i would call it...   i got it planed out today... 
at 31 inches i marked the center halfway point and then moved the line about 1/2" up for arrow shelf i wont be cutting an arrrow shelf but i'm thinking about that is where i want the rest to be... 
but then i cut an aditional peice of same pecan for the handle about 10" long... wheere do i start the tapers from 2" WIDE DOWN TO 1" WIDE FOR THE HANDLE..?  some examples and maybe some diagram or advice here please iv been messing with it moving it up and down and trying to figure out if i put it here thanthe top limb is going to be longer than the bottom but if i put it center than it just feels weird...   im soooo confused

[bob the boywer]

I usually put the handle in the middle and set the arrow rest just above my hand. I make the handle a little long so the arrow rest is in the center of the of the bow with enough room for my hand under the rest. Some bowyers make one limb longer than the other to accommodate the arrow rest - to make the rest in exact the center of the of the bow.

I usually make my handle fade from 1" wide (and 1.5" thick) to 2" wide (and .75" thick) within the last 1.5 inches of the handle.

This is an overly simplified explanation, but I think the worst thing we could do is "nothing". It is the experience of breaking a couple bows that teach us the most. If you offset the handle and do not like it, you could shorten one of the limbs to get it back to a desired place.

If you do not want to ruin a nice piece of pecan, then build yourself another bow out of something else to test the dimensions. You could build several pine bows in the time it takes to "decide" how to proceed with the pecan.

I'm just rambling now... so I'll shut my trap.  Let us know how it is progressing and do not forget the pics. Letting the folks here "get an eye on it" will be the most helpful advice you can get.

[Auggie]

Heres a pic of the handle on one of my red oak board bows. 7 inch handle  shelf 1 in above center. Widest section is 15/8 down to 3/4 back to 15/8. I recommend any glue on handle over 6-7 inch, pre taper the handle first it will make your fades easier in the long run. This bow is 60 ntn 40 @ 27.Hope this helps.