serviceberry help?

[terence pinder]

this summer i cut several serviceberry staves and have slowly been working on them the first two had horribly twisted grain so in to the fireplace they went.this one has straight grain is about 2'' in diameter and 73'' long. i started workingit down with a hatchet and think i am close to floor tiller. i am hopeing to get some pointers or constructive critisism. is 73 to long i would like it to be shorter. how much shorter can i go?

[huntinoly]

Serviceberry looks different here in Washington state, its all white with light red streaks. It looks like your making a stiff hand bow. What draw lenght are you shooting for? That will help determine how long the bow will need to be. I just finished a slight bend through the handle serviceberry bow 59# @ 27" and it is 59.5" long, if I did the same bow in a stiff handle it would be 64" ntn. Greg

[terence pinder]

as this is my first bow i would be happy with any draw weight but anywhere over 50 and ill be happy

[Gordon]

What Greg said. 73" is overkill. 64-66" is plenty for an average draw length.

[armymedic.2]

they are right, but there is nothing wrong with overbuilding it either, to strain the wood less and give you a better chance at a durable good shooting bow on your first try.  70" would be a good target if you wanted to overbuild a bit but still have a shooter.  one of my favorites is 72 inches long.  just depends on what you are going for.  good luck, ask em if ya got em

[330bull]

If this is your first bow, I woudl recommend going with a flatbow that bends through the handle.  In my opinion, that is an easier bow to build and tiller because of the uniform thickness and tapers throughout the bow.  Also, you are looking for a near perfect arc when tillering.

But...that's just my two cents.

Good Luck!

Joe

[Gordon]

Serviceberry is a dense wood. A 70"+ length bow would perform poorly.

[BryanB]

At 70" serviceberry would seem to have too much mass and poor cast.
Gordon just finished a really nice serviceberry bow and I think it was 64 or so at around 60#.
Bryan

[Gordon]

Actually Bryan it is 59" ntn and pulls 63#. But it bends slightly through the handle. Given the high density of serviceberry I personally would not make a stiff handle bow longer than 66" ntn for a 28" draw.

[terence pinder]

thanks everyone im gonna knock it down to 66 long then slowly start tillering