hackberry bow

[grinner]

Hi i have started a hack berry bow 70" 2 inches to 1.5 midlimb then to 1/2" tips. Where should i start with limb thickness for around a 50# bow also should it be the same thickness the whole limb after fades or tapered? Thanks for the help

[Newindian]

I don't know what the final thickness sould be, but on the subject of a consistant width it depends on design just keep in mind if it gets thicker it will probably get narrower and viceverca.

[okie64]

Start with 5/8" thick limbs and go from there. That should give you plenty of room to tiller. Sounds like a semi pyramid design so you probably wont need much thickness taper.

[H Rhodes]

If it is a pyramid front profile, the thickness stays about the same....  I don't know if I have enough experience to give you a specific number or not.  Maybe 5/8ths or 3/4" might be a good place to start....  each piece is different, even within a certain species...  I floor tiller and then work it down with the ferrier's rasp till I get a limb bending like I want it to....  then try to get the other one to match it.  I think keeping the limbs bending evenly is the big thing.  I don't usually measure the thickness, come to think of it.  I did on my first few bows, I think, but at some point I just started eyeballing the way the limbs were bending.  I would err on the side of caution and take off a little bit at first - you sure can't put it back...     Good luck with it. 

[H Rhodes]

Ha! me and Okie both said 5/8ths!  that is probably a good spot to start.   

[osage outlaw]

What kind of draw length are you going for?

[grinner]

going for a 27" draw thanks for the help

[JW_Halverson]

With only a 27" draw, a 70" bow has lots of extra lumber hanging out on the limbs.  I am assuming you are doing a stiff handle and stiff fade-outs into the bow limbs.  In that case, you can use the old stand-by of "(2x drawlength) + 10%". 

(2x27) + 5.4 = 59.4  Or just call it 60 inches, nock to nock. 

With the wide limbs (side to side) you will end up with fairly thin (front to back) cross section.  Pyramid bows are a pretty safe design structurally, so shortening your limbs up should not be putting your stave in jeopardy of turning into kindling on full draw. 

Post some pics, I love hackberry!

[grinner]

THanks for the help. I got it shorted to 60 inches and floor tillered. I am thinking about heat treating it but i am not sure what the moisture concrete is will it hurt if it is not dry enough? Also what is a good way to tell MC without a meter. THanks for the help

[JW_Halverson]

If you let the wood sit now at the floor tillered stage for a few weeks it should be just fine, even if it was cut green in the last few months! 

Where are the pictures, where???   

[SLIMBOB]

I too am working on a Hackberry Bow currently.  70" ttt.  4" stiff handle, 2" fades.  Width is 2" at the fades and tapers slightly to 1 3/4" mid limb.  Sharp taper from there to 3/8" nocks.  I marked it to 5/8" for thickness as a place to start.  I don't measure it beyond that first rough measure so I can only tell you that 5/8" is probably a good place to start.  Still way to thick, at least on this one.

[grinner]

Thanks for the help I will try to post picture later today. Thanks

[grinner]

Here is a back and side view of the bow. Will post more pics of the tiller as it comes along