Recurves

[napper]

   Hi all I have tyred  to recurve three bows and they just pull out. two Hickory and one vinemaple. How do you keep them from pulling out? I did mine after tillering and used steam then let them dry for about 3 weeks so what am I doing wrong.

                                                                                                                                        Tom

[gutpile]

Tom...nature of the beast...for a wooden bow not to pull out it is best to leave the tips stiff...static...not pulling out then..you can sinew the bows back and this helps with a working recurve type....on all my recurves I make them static....then I don't have to sinew..I also bend mine when they are pretty thick...almost at floor tillered stage..now on a static you will lose some working limb...so I shorten my handle some if the stave is already short or make the bow a tad longer if I got the meat.....hope this helps...Kirk..aka,,gut

[Pat B]

What are the dimensions of your tips? You may have reduced them too much before you bent them.
I posted the same time as you gut. 

[dragonman]

there is another much more effective method . That is to saw down the width of the bow tip to about 14  inches down the limb. (so you are splitting it along its width ), then insert a very thin shim, and glue the 3 layers up, bent into a recurve form. When dry it holds the recurve and most of it doesn't pull out.I've managed to keep a 2 1/2 " recurve (after shooting in) it sounds difficult , but it as just one accurate cut, that is not really too difficult,the rest is easy, I dont think it takes longer than the whole steaming process, especially after youv'e done a few

[sulphur]

i think patb has got it right.  i leave my wood recurves wider at the tips like .75" .  that way theres is a little more wood to hold the recurve.  also i think hickory is pretty tough to keep bent.  i don't know about vine maple.  i have had good luck with osage, hackberry and elm.

[napper]

The hickory was 3/4 inch and was sinewed but was about 3/8 thick . I guess I will have to bend them early and just let them alone. The vinemaple was about about 3/4 wide and a little more then 3/8 thick.  the last one I did was only 38 inch's tip to tip so I was trying to get a better string angle that one broke be for I could get the sinew on it I should have sinewed it be for I tyred to string it was pretty though about 40 # at 19 inch draw.

[brownhillboy]

When I've recurved bows, I've always left the tips about 1/2" thick so that if any wood lifts on the belly side it can be removed and still leave plenty to work with.  You can still narrow and thin the tips after they've been bent.