Warbow and hill dimensions

[Will Carothers]

i posted this on the English warbows board, and the bowyers bench, but ive seen the best wood bowyers here, so why not get the opinions form the best!?

I will go to the lumberyard tomorow and pick up some hickory, and ipe for my warbow, with some ash and maple for my next hill style bow.

I will use some 1/4 inch x 72"  lams of either cherry or walnut as a core.  Since i want to go longer, i though that i could maybe taper the core to feather out with the last 2-3 inches of each limb would just be hickory and ipe, so the entire limb would taper, or should i just not use a core?

So what dimensions should i use? im thinking 80-90# and i want it really long to reduce stacking and to really lower the chance of breakage (76 ntn -80ntn?) Also ideas on a all wood hil would be helpful.

thanks for the help!

[mikekeswick]

You can taper  your core and it doesn't matter if it goes to nothing before the end of the limb.
Width - 1 1/8 Thickness 1 1/16th at the handle. You could make the bow 73 but maybe 76 might be best for you.

[DarkSoul]

For a parallel core in a warbow, I think 1/4" is a bit thick. You would be ending up with too little ipé near the tips. At the same time, it would be nice to have some core left near the tips, because that would keep tip mass a bit lower (since the density of cherry/walnut is less than ipé). For a parallel core, I would recommend 1/8" or maybe 3/16" in a warbow. Tapering a core is not easy (I have never done it myself, only tapered powerlams), but I personally think that would be best. A taper from 1/4" at the handle to 1/8" or 1/16" at the tips would be great. It'll give you the benefit of a somewhat stiffer handle (easier tillering) while still providing some lighter core wood left in the tips. A well tapered core also looks really cool if it's a contrasting wood.
As far as length goes, it depends on your drawlength. I think 80" would be too much for a full compass longbow. For 32" drawlength, 74" should do it. For a bit more safety I'd go for 76" myself.
Can you only get a 72" core? That would explain your idea about the core feathering out to nothing a few inches from the tips. If you make the core yourself, you can choose any length you want (just buy a longer board). But as Mike said, it doesn't matter if the core tapers to zero. Just make sure you get a nice and even taper (pre tiller it!) so the transitions are smooth.

A Howard Hill style bow is pretty much just a 'regular' flatbow with a deep handle and short fades. It's not a difficult design, but the handle is the real Hill signature. Study some pictures of nice Howard Hill style bows. What woods (and what order) do you want to use for the Hill bow?

[Will Carothers]

i can get more wood, but i just have the 72in walnut and cherry left over from other projects, i was really thinking that it may act like a really extended powerlam, and i only wanted a core of one of these to lower the mass of the entire bow like you said, but i guess if it went the full distance the tips would be heavier so hand shock would probably be higher?

so, if it was your bow, what would you do?