looking for TBB4 bow speed confirmations???

[dragonman]

I may not be an expert bowyer yet, but I've made a few bows. I have even managed to make a few with virtually no set, that are under the mass recommended in the bowyers bible 4, according to the 'mass principle'. I,ve checked the MC, made light tips, used good quality materials, but still cant acheive the speeds they are claiming I was wondering if other bowyers where able to acheive these kind of speeds?? I'm confused as to what I'm doing wrong? Any ideas anyone. Maybe there is a trick to shooting through the chrono?, I'm new to chronos. I tried to draw and release real fast through the chrono today and bounced an arrow off the edge of the machine and broke the neigbours window , luckily he was quite understanding , I just have to fix it and very luckily my chrono was ok. Also its very damp here, could this seriously affect arrow speed??? Any suggestions gratefully recieved. I would be very interested to here what speeds others are managing with their bows

[Marc St Louis]

The only suggestion I can give you is that if you are shooting in a populated area you should angle your chrono down so that the arrow will only travel a few feet.  That way if you do have a problem the arrow will not go far.

What kind of arrow speed are you getting?  Also perhaps you can quantify your equipment, draw weight @ draw length, arrow weight

[mullet]

 I've noticed in Florida the light and cloud cover effect the readings on mine. I try to shoot short distance and a very bright overhead light.

[Del the cat]

If you are two close to the chrono you can get odd results due to the arrow flexing.
I found going back a couple of paces helped get more consistent results.
But if yur readings are consistent then they are probably true, are you shooting heavy arrows?
Here are some of my speeds.
I took my little crossbow pistol as a reference as it is easy to shoot accurately and consistently.
I'm shooting in my garage and I had to build a lighting rig for it.
   Chronometer Arrow/bolt speed Results   Fps max relaiable   mph
10/1/2010   Bowpistol                                                                 132   90
10/1   Hazel bow                                                                 136.4   93
11/1   Longbow light arrow as per Hazel bow                 169.7   115.7
11/1   Longbow heavier 11/32” arrow                              ~166      
29/1   1hr bow rawhide backed 44lb@28"                 152.3

I think these figures are reasonable...but worry about 'em won't change 'em anyhow
Hope that's useful.
Del               

[George Tsoukalas]

dragonman, it takes about 2 dozen bows, minimum, to look at a stave and be able to extract its potential. The people posting those readings are master bowyers. Don't be so hard on yourself, my friend. Beginners who make slow bows and bows with excessive set often feel like failures and that is ridiculous. The truth is there is a learning curve here. My first bow had 5 inches of set and was slow as molasses. But my bows get it done now. Jawge

[Badger]

   I agree with jawge, don't worry too much about the speed, if you are getting a reasonable amount of set and your bow is not reral bulky you will have reasonable speeds. Testing a bow takes a bit of practice also. Different strings have a huge effect on speed as well. Obviously getting the bow back to full draw is a big factor as well as getting your finger off the string quickly when you shoot. I commonly see guys loose close to 2" of draw just releasing the arrow. So unless you really have your testing down pat don't worry too much about the readings you are getting. Steve

[dragonman]

Marc,( your suggestion is a good idea). For instance , I just completed a bamboo backed ipe 64"ntn but long 13" handle, so relatively short working limbs, 2 3/4" reflex(,started with 3") so virtually no set, it returns in a few hours, the bow is not  overstrained. Total mass 22oz, that is a few ounces under Steve Gardeners recommendations(tbb4). 1 1/4" wide parralel to half way tapering to 3/8" tips. 65lbs at 27". Through the chrono it shot average 162fps but could get 165fps max. Good ipe and strong bamboo. I can not see how I can improve this bow, with no set and no extra mass, I would have expected, judging by bows in tbb at least 175fps. Any ideas???

[PeteC]

Dragon man,I think it's like Steve said.A good,(near perfect), release is paramount in achieving top arrow speed. God Bless