This is my second attempt at a bundle bow, made from dollar-store bamboo stakes, lots and lots of duct tape and jute twine. I got it done yesterday and I have to say, it's 10 times better than my previous attempt.
The biggest design changes would have to be the bow's height, formation of the sticks, and a bigger absence in roping.
My previous attempt was a whopping 180cm (70.8") in height, making it a few centimeters taller than me, whereas this fancy darling is 160cm (63"), 3" shorter than the recurve bow I usually practice with in the local club. I also turned some stakes upside-down to even out the distribution of the stakes' thicknesses under the belief that it'll help balancing the bend. Seems like I'm on the right track thus far.
The clear use of duct tape is really because I was under the impression that i had to rope EVERY part of the stakes and rope them very tightly, which I just didn't have the energy for, so I used 1 1/2 rolls of duct tape while death-gripping the stakes to be as symmetrical as possible, while the jute twine was for nocking points for the bowstring, and a few rolls on the center to help me center my grip.
Lastly, the previous version had a stake formation shaped more like a triangle, with the main triangular point facing my palm, but this one was diamond-shaped and felt more like holding the scabbard of a sword. This is purely experimental, so I don't know what difference that really makes. I had a check on the bow's poundage, and it came up as around 30#-40# at 30", and this actually bummed me, because not only did it take me all my strength to do that full draw, but it also means that I need to really train my bum off to go beyond 40#!
Nevertheless, I'm rather pumped in shortening each future version by 10cm, gradually working my way to 130cm with the same construction method(s), though with the way I am right now, either I die of exhaustion before I reach 140cm or the bow croaks when I get to that point.
Until then, I'll keep this thread posted with each successful version I make.
