i want to make my first recurve bow

[BOWMAN53]

I have a hickory board, a 28" draw (when i draw correctly) and I'm aiming for 40 -50# .I'm thinking 66" long 2" wide at the fades to ?" Tips. With a 6" non bending handle. What would you change? Non bending handle is staying lol.

[osage outlaw]

I would change the board to a stave, but thats just me.  I'm not much of a board person. 

[BOWMAN53]

I take donations lol

[bubby]

only thing I would do different is the 6" grip would be 4" and 62" ntn

[BOWMAN53]

What about the tips, how wide should i go? And where should i start the taper?

[bubby]

check out pearl drums hackberry build a long, it's a 'curve and has pics

[H Rhodes]

I agree with bubby on shortening it some.  I think there is a length of "diminishing returns" with bows - somewhere around 64" and longer the recurves just don't give you much of an improvement in performance, in my opinion.  I like sixty inch and shorter recurves.  I have never recurved a board bow, but have had great results with white oak, elm and hickory staves - in that order.  I have used pyramid profiles and also keeping full width of limb until about 10 inches from the tip.  I would keep my tips wide,  5/8 or 3/4" wide till you get your curves bent.  Narrow them later, after you see how your string is lining up.  I prefer to use steam with the wood types that I listed.  You have to give it a few days to dry out after it comes off the form, but it seems a little safer to me.  My two cents...

[bow101]

I have a hickory board, a 28" draw (when i draw correctly) and I'm aiming for 40 -50# .I'm thinking 66" long 2" wide at the fades to ?" Tips. With a 6" non bending handle. What would you change? Non bending handle is staying lol.

Are you going for 66" NTN or TTT. I find that going through the bush with a longer bow can be a hindrance. I think I'll make most bows 62-64" NTN maybe shorter in the hopes of not sacrificing performance if built properly.... thats my 2 bitsz.

[BOWMAN53]

64" ntn it is. Now, what I'd the advantage of having working recurves vs. non working?

[Newindian]

stagnant receives are generally faster, but obviously they take away from your working limb

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ive made many, many statics from 52" up to my latest, which is 64" ntn. I dont buy into the diminishing returns at all. I did buy into it completely until I built a bunch of bows from a few woods and realized its not true. I do however suggest that longer bows have shorter statics, that will leave less "dead" weight out on the ends of longer limbs.

[BOWMAN53]

Ok. I wanted it a bit on the longer side so i have more working limb and I've never made a short bow.

[ionicmuffin]

so by recurve you mean the string touching the belly when its at brace? hickory will take well to dry heat, but you need to get the tips thinner(not too thin) and make sure to use a TON of clamps, i found that if you dont clamp ALL the high pressure areas then you will have splinters, and i have proven it to myself because i did once recently and there is a large amount of pressure that is built up when you recurve, if you haven't clamped properly you will have a splinter.

[BOWMAN53]

I was going to boil because i don't have a heat gun.

[ionicmuffin]

if you do boil or steam, you have about 20 seconds(according to bryce)  to bend it, so just be ready with everything, but dont rush just count and make sure you are getting it right. theres some formuler that these guys have about how much time to boil per inch thick or something like that.