Ok, here we go again..
"Toomanyknots, With regards to taking near handle set with a pyramid bow I was simply saying it can be a problem with the design since there's so much more bending near the handle."A pyramid bow is a very low set design all around when done correctly. I have experienced what you said, set near the handle while using boards of a consistent thickness up to the handle, but with a slight thickness fade this is avoided. A pyramid limb distributes stress as evenly as a bow limb can. A pyramid limb bow typically will never take set near the handle. A pyramid limbed design is typically very low set whether you believe me or not.
"With regards to inner limbs being less stressed with levers, that is incorrect. This is why they need to be made so much wider, in order to
Have enough wood to do the work without taking more set."For one I didn't say "inner limbs were less stressed with levers", I explained how they could be by making the levers longer. This is refering to during the draw. Do you understand what I am saying ryoon? The longer you make the levers, the less the working limbs have to work during draw to reach the same draw length, do you understand that? This is not incorrect. That is what I am saying.
"When talking about recurved stiff tips it is indeed possible to do but stability is an unavoidable issue. For optimal speed the limbs will have to be narrowed considerably losing Lateral stability. It has been done plenty of times with, for example, Chinese composite bows. But I guarantee that the sayas on those bows are far too massive for optimal speed but need to be so in order to be stable. Good speed in those bows comes from the higher energy storage and is only enough to surpass the excess mass in the finest made bows of those styles."Chinese manchu bows did have heavy siyahs, but early draw weight (not soley by reflex, mostly by the manchu design with the string laying on the string bridges at brace and lifting off at draw, the siyahs serving the same roll as the little pulleys on compound bows nowadays) mostly even things out. I probably think the siyahs were for smooth draw and not speed. (Now chinese yaun bows might be a whole nother story). Admittedly I am not that good at getting highly reflexed siyahs or levers aligned, (In fact I
hate hate hate it,
) but I do see alot of bows like this on this forum, and go check out the atarn forum if ya want some proof. You will see alot of people have no problem with alignment/stability with highly reflexed siyahs. So it obviously can be done. Although clearly it is an issue that has to be dealt with with reflexed levers, and though you are very right about that, I believe that the extra stored energy that will result from reflexed levers is worth the time it takes to craft a bow with such characteristics that is stable. And that will make a better shooting bow. And this is a competition. So why wouldn't you want to take the time to make the best bow you can? Anyway, thats what makes this fun for me!
"I don't want to discourage you from doing your design and I may very well be wrong. Simply discussing what I believe to be how such a design would play out. I'll be going for something a bit more simple."I don't believe it is my design, as I was basically just openly discussing my thoughts on what would make the best performing unbacked red oak bow. I don't know if ill participate, (yet) as I would feel like crap if my bow broke in a kids hands. I am kinda on the edge of deciding if I will or not, I might give er a try yet... So you think that a narrow tipped flatbow is the ticket eh?
