Questions on next bow build

[Matt Heppe]

For my next bow I'd like to make a two-wood bow based on the Fenno-Ugrit or Saami Bow. Here is an article on the bow: http://northernwildernesskills.blogspot.nl/2010/10/fenno-ugric-bow.html




The Saami bow is traditionally made with a birch back and a pine belly and has rigid siyahs. I want to borrow the design, but change the woods. I was thinking of using a hickory back and a red oak belly. I am going for 50# @ 28"

1) How short can I make this bow? The Saami bow is not a short/horse bow, but I don't want to make another full length longbow. Given the stats and materials I've selected, what length would you choose?

2) Can I put some recurve in the bow during the gluing process by gluing the hickory and oak together under pressure in the reflexed shape?

3) Is there another readily available wood that would make a better compression wood for the belly? Would red oak be ok at this weight?

Thanks for your help!

Matt

[Weylin]

I'd use hickory backed hickory before I used red oak. Red oak is no better in compression than hickory and it's a lot less bullet proof. Do you have access to any woods that are better in compression like yew, osage or ipe?

and is there a reason that this bow design couldn't be made out of one piece of wood instead of a laminate? that would be a lot easier in my opinion. But I guess if you want to do a two wood bow in the first place that question might be moot. I'm interested to see what oyu come up with. It looks like a cool bow.

[Matt Heppe]

It could be done with one piece, but I wanted an excuse to try laminating two woods. I've never done it before. Just giving myself a challenge. I also thought using the laminating process to put some recurve in might work.

No local yew, osage, or ipe. I was thinking of doing this first as a board bow, and then doing it again with staves.

[DarkSoul]

There's a very detailed and extensive topic on PaleoPlanet about North-European bows. It's a been alive for quite some time and contains very valuable information from people actually living there. I'm not sure it'll answer any of your questions specifically, but it's well worth the read.

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/29305/North-Eurasian-laminated-bow