Light draw weights and red oak boards

[makenzie71]

I'm wanting to make bows in the 40~50lb draw range but they keep breaking off mid-limb.  All of them.  Same general area.  This makes me thing that it's less the wood quality and more my technique.

I'm generally working with 6' 1X2's.  What's the best way to go about bringing the getting in that weight range?  I'm usually shooting for 28~30" draws.

[Ifrit617]

I am no expert but do have a fair amount of experience working with oak... I have found that above all grain is key.. Also make sure you round over the back edges on your bows which helps to lessen the cance of failure from runoff. Are you trying to make bend in the handle or stiff handle designs?

Also check out george's site ( in the how to section) and poorfolksbows site since both have a lot of good info...

If your just starting I would leave the board the full 1 1/2 inches for the center 2 or 3 feet then taper to 3/8 inch tips..... You can have a non bending handle or a bendy handle, I have found either works fine... Once you get more experience, you will find that red oak can do a lot... I recently made a red oak elb that pulls forty pounds and was only 1 1/8 inch wide, straight tapering from the handle to 1/2 inch tips.... it is less than 3/4 of an inch wide mid limb...

Hope this helps... Good luck...

Jon

[makenzie71]

I usually go for bendy handles and am usually shooting for 60~75lb areas.  Which is what I think is funny about it.  I can whip out a 70lb red oak board bow when most people claim they're only good for the 50~ish area, but I break the limbs when I try to get that low.

I was told once that red oak likes to be thick in the limbs with a narrow width, which is what I've been shooting for, but I'm constantly failing in the same fashion.  It's making me think that wider limbs would be better than thick ones, but I've been told that the wood likes to hinge too easily for this.

I guess the problem i'm really facing is that I want a 45lb bow for casual shooting.  I'm about to just go and buy one...

[bronco611]

I have built several red oak board bows which preform excellently. If you go to "trad gang"  forum and look under the bowers bench you will find a thread by Deforrest which is titled" so you want to build a board bow" follow his advice and steps which you can modify slightly to get a lower poundage bow and you should be fine.

[George Tsoukalas]

Thanks, Ifrit. Here is my site, Makenzie. I'd let the handle bend..no glued on pieces and you can leave the board 1.5 in wide. You'll get 50-55# at that weight if you do your job. If you rip the board to 1 3/8 you'll get 45-50# o so. Bend in the handle bows are easier to tiller. I think you may be breaking bows because of poor grain. Pictures would help us diagnose the problem.
jawge

[makenzie71]

I'm familiar with your site George, and I'm a fan of the poorfolkbows site, too.

I've trimmed the one I'm working on now down to 1.25" to start with...may have been a bit too much but we'll see.  With my other recent cuts the only part wider than an inch is right at the handle anyway.

Grain may be a big contributor.  I'm just baffled that they all break the same way, in the same place.  Not a lifted grain, it's litterally just sheared right about mid-limb.  This last one broke was originally a 70lb kevlar-backed bow (I posted it here because I was proud and was promptly shot down because I used kevlar).  The kevlar started peeling so I ripped it all off and backed it with hickory and restarted the tiller.  I had about 55lbs at 22" and it snapped right off.

[bronco611]

My bad the correct name is "4est trekker" under the trad gang forum. And the title is" So you wanna build a bow?" build along. Good info here for you.

[swtchbckshtr]

the first red oak board bow I made turned out weak, so on the second one I did, I backed it with hickory that I ripped a 1/8th inch off a 1 x 4 and she turned out real nice. I also rounded all the corners.

[half eye]

Mak,
     Don't want to highjack your post, if ya like I can give ya some dimensions and limb design that might solve your problem. I can email you some photos of the draw profile's and dimensions if you'd like. My email is     rousseau.rd@att.net     I cut my own wood, and I use white oak cause we don't have red oak on this side of the state but the design and dimensions should still be applicable.
rich

[thomas h]

half  knows what whe is talking about  he can tell you right,

[makenzie71]

I'd love to see what you got, half eye.

[half eye]

Cool, I'll get the photo's shot tomorrow AM and send 'em to ya .....I aint smart enough to figure out to put them on a PM....lucky I can do it with an email  
rich