« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: Wide red oak Molle  (Read 2964 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline lesken2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,063
  • Kenny
Wide red oak Molle
« on: April 22, 2012, 12:58:32 pm »
I have a question. I made a bow recently that was a pretty standard design red oak with a hickory back. It turned out pretty light, so I haven't shot it enough to determine whether the hickory would over power the red oak enough to cause crystals.


I have a good bit of red oak I acquired before I tracked down some hickory that I would like to use up. My question is If I make a really wide (say 3.5") molle with red oak, backed it with hickory for protection, but kept it really thin, say 1/16th or so, do you think it would still overpower the belly?
Logged
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Ifrit617

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,596
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2012, 01:03:40 pm »
IMO red oak is not a good wood to use for a Molle, unless excessively long or wide.  I built one last summer that was fairly short, and with a perfect tiller it chrysaled within 1000 shots.. Not just in one area, but the entire 14" working limb chrysaled.. It was unbacked and a great shooter but had a very short life... If I were going to build another molle i would make it longer and from a wood that is strong in compression...

JMHO

Jon
Logged

Offline lesken2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,063
  • Kenny
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #2 on: April 22, 2012, 01:08:17 pm »
Goes to show how much (or little) I know. I thought after you shot them in (a couple hundred shots) you could pretty much tell if they were going to hold up, or not.
Logged
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline lesken2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,063
  • Kenny
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2012, 05:53:30 pm »
My intention was to make this one about 66". Is that long enough?
Logged
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline Pat B

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 37,609
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2012, 06:38:37 pm »
I made a hickory backed red oak pyramid, 2 1/2" at the fades and a straight taper to 3/8" tips, 66"t/t and if I remember right 53#@26". I put 3" of Perry reflex in the bow at glut up and it still holds 1" of reflex. The hickory backing is 1/8" and the red oak about 3/16". This is a very good shooting bow and I let anyone that wants to shoot it go for it. It has been pulled to 30" on a few occasions. When i built it, it was all dumb luck. I built another hickory backed red oak at the same time. It was 1 3/4" at the fades and half way out the limb before tapering to 3/8" tips. It was 68" long and was a dog to shoot! Maybe a wide pyramid would be a better option to spread out the stresses more evenly over both limbs and more of each.
Logged
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline lesken2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,063
  • Kenny
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2012, 07:31:01 pm »
Makes sense. Maybe I'll save the Molle design for a better wood like hickory or osage.
Logged
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA

Offline johnston

  • Member
  • Posts: 976
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #6 on: April 22, 2012, 10:21:14 pm »
Opinions should be based on personal experience and in that regard let me say that red oak
is probably my favorite bow wood. Just hit a year making bows and have only 16 under my
belt so my two cents worth should only be valued at a penny.

Red oak is a pain to work,takes set easily, hard to dress up and its characteristics change
radically from board to board. But, if you do it right and get a little lucky it will produce a sweet
shooting bow. Longevity may be suspect with some designs and a patch job may be common
but a durable sweet shooter seems to me to be worth a little love.

Lane
Logged

Offline lesken2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,063
  • Kenny
Re: Wide red oak Molle
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2012, 12:02:48 am »

Quote from: johnston on April 22, 2012, 10:21:14 pm
Opinions should be based on personal experience and in that regard let me say that red oak
is probably my favorite bow wood. Just hit a year making bows and have only 16 under my
belt so my two cents worth should only be valued at a penny.

Red oak is a pain to work,takes set easily, hard to dress up and its characteristics change
radically from board to board. But, if you do it right and get a little lucky it will produce a sweet
shooting bow. Longevity may be suspect with some designs and a patch job may be common
but a durable sweet shooter seems to me to be worth a little love.

Lane

Do you have a favorite design for your red oak boards?
Logged
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Kenny from Mississippi, USA
Pages: [1]
« previous next »