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Author Topic: Wide red oak Molle  (Read 3010 times)

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Offline lesken2011

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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?
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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

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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
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Offline lesken2011

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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.
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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

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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?
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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

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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.
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Offline lesken2011

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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.
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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

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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
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Offline lesken2011

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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?
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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
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