best backing for increasing poundage?

[blades7558]

im working on a 77 ntn hickory bow. i currently have a 3.5 inch strung fistmele  and i can pull the bow 20 inches before it hits 30 pounds. i think im going to have to back it to up the poundage. ive read that sinew isn't the best option for such a long bow. any recommendations?

[Thwackaddict]

77" you could shorten it up some unless you absolutely want it that length

[HoBow]

Pike the ends for sure...did you want it 77" long?

[blades7558]

that was one of my options i had in mind. i was thinking about 3 or 4 inches off. the reason i made it so long in the first place was to achieve a "no stack" bow. i also thought of reflexing the limbs a bit as it has taken some set already. i believe the hickory i have is bad quality as in its pecan hickory not a good hard specific gravity kind like shag bark.

[n2huntn]

I might be wrong but it should be around 50 Lbs at 28 inches at its current length. I also dont believe sinew is an advantage on a long bow, better suited to short bows.And  Pecan is a fantastic bow wood in general, as are all species in the Hickory family, hard and dense. If ya just have to back it use Hickory. Just an opinion, not trying to be a wise guy.
N2

[JW_Halverson]

Hickory backed hickory might just be the ticket.  Induce a little reflex and glue up a thin backing over whatcha got already.

77" of bow is a heck of a long stick to carry around, though.  I think piking it might be a better bet.  Bringing it down to 70" would add a lot of poundage and wouldn't even start stacking until it was way past your draw length (unless you can tie you shoes without ending over). 

Whatever ya chose, good luck.

[blades7558]

im going to call my local leather shop tomorrow and see if she has any rawhide in stock. im kinda impatient with this one. its got a hinge right now so i might wait and buy hickory backing for it. im hoping it will make a decent bow poundage but if not i always have room to cut it down 

[Justin Snyder]

Where is the hinge? At 77" you might be able to pike it out. 

[blades7558]

sadly the hinge is right next to the handle. i got to carried away when i was making the fades. heres a pic. i believe that i can get it out because i still have a ways to go on the tillering process.

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[George Tsoukalas]

Which side? I don't really see a hinge.  I see that mid limb on needs to bend more. Jawge

[snag]

I think the right limb is the one he is talking about George.....?

[ken75]

i wouldnt worry bout the hinge, get the limbs bending and leave the fades alone for now , you have plenty of wood removal left for the fades to be an issue ! looks like a good start ,waiting to see the finished bow

[wally]

Ther bow is looking good. Maybe just tiller it down some more leaving the fadeout alone and the hinge can be worked on later being that close to the handle. There seems to be plenty of meat left on the bow yet.
I've used sinew on a few flat bows. Can be messy and it increases the poundage by relatively small amount, but kind of increased the speed I thought. One bow I increased poundage from 35 to 39. I don't know if more sinew on back would have helped?
With yours personally I would make the bow shorter and tiller slowly and carefully, then you can decide if it needs backing. Hickory back is probably the best.
Good luck with your bow.

[medicinewheel]

i wouldnt worry bout the hinge, get the limbs bending and leave the fades alone for now , you have plenty of wood removal left for the fades to be an issue ! looks like a good start ,waiting to see the finished bow

I'd say so, too.

[blades7558]

i ordered the hickory backing from 3 rivers it comes in 72 inch lengths so im going down to at least that much. the hinge is there, must be a bad pic its at the fade on the right limb. i will do more limb work for sure. im still new at this so i didnt know to leave the fades alone in the beginning. thanks for the help. and also would titebond 2 or 3 work well to put the hickory on with or should i get a better glue? and should i rough up the gluing surfaces with a rough file or just 60 grit sand paper?