question on limb thickness on combstock design hickory.

[twisted hickory]

Hi all,
I am starting on a shag bark hickory combstock design. I read somewhere that start w 5/8 at fades, half inch from middle to 5 inches from tips then 3/8 tips. I am at 55 lbs with tight tiller string at 12 inches and I am at 9/16 at fades, 3/8 from mid limb out to tip.
Any one out there have a similar experience? The stave came out of a 23 inch hickory log that I cut on Christmas day.
Could it be more dense than the average piece of hickory?
This bow might be a good one.
Also if you make a bow in the winter when the humidity is in the 35 percent range  how many lbs does it lose when its 85 degrees and 80% humidity? I am shooting for 55 lbs at 27 inches.
Thanks,
Greg

[JackCrafty]

Yes, the hickory may be more dense than average.  Just keep removing wood from the belly.  The humidity increase will cause up to 10 pounds of draw weight loss if you don't put a completely waterproof finish on the bow.  I would tiller the bow to be 10 pounds heavier than you need and see how it shoots during the summer.  You can always remove more wood but you can't put it back on as easily.

[twisted hickory]

Thanks much for the help Jack,
I have only made a few bows. The other one I have kept is 50. I wondered if I needed to make one a bit heavy. If the 55 lb bow loses ten pounds it will still work fine for deer/turkey.

[crooketarrow]

   To start out you should never build a bow from limb messerments (thickness). This might get you in the ball park. But I like to make my bows a little more persice. Make the fads and tips the size you want. But althe  wood inbetween i could a little different. Knots ,hard,solf spots,twists all need to be tillered different. So going straight from point A to point B and not tillering as you go. You end up to weak or to strong. Make a tillering tree with a scale and tiller your weight to the draw lenth you want. ( NEVER PULL PAST YOUR INTENTED DRAW WEIGHT) I can get my bows weigt to the money 95% of the time a pound either way the rest.
 
    I say your bows not seasoned enough. If not you will end up with more set and string follow than you want. I build a couple hickory bows a year. Alot of times I season it 2 or even 3 years before I get to it and have went 6 or 7 years.  So I never have the problem with it being well seasoned. Start thinging a little head.
  Hickory likes to suck up relitive humity so it it rains a couple days in a row. When you start or your already to bow form, you will end up with to high mositure at that time. Yout bow will have set and string follow.
  I do  this with hickory (all white wods)when I get to floor tiller before I bend the limbs. I but the bow in a hot box everytime I stat working on it. I'll leave it for 15 min's. or so. This sucks away any mouisture from the other wood that may have been sucked up. I here a lot of people on here bad mouthing hickory because of set and straing follow. I reflex my staves while green but between 2 and 3 inchs. We I get done I have a little reflex left, 1/2 to a inch..
   BUT REMEMBER
 WOOD IS WOOD
Not all staves are the same. Why you can build 2 bows from different trees but look the same, even side by side.  But one comes out a speed burner the great cast the other a dog you set in the corner to sinew one day.
  Wish I knew that answer.

[mikekeswick]

Hickory isn't the best choice in a humid climate.
There is no such thing as a totally waterproof finish......if anybody out there invents one prepare to become very rich!!
Maybe make your bow a couple of lb's heavy but not 10lbs thats way too much.

[Pappy]

Not sure what the Combstock design is ? But I build ,or am involved in building a lot of Hickory bows, for a 66 t-t pyramid design,1 3/4 at the fads to 3/8 at the tip
I start at a little over 1/2 at the fads,even thickness to the tip.then like Cooketarrow said the measurements go out the window,just take wood off till I get the bend I want,and weight and draw length,that will make a 50+ bow if you have no bad problems at 26/27/28 inch draw. The wood needs to be dry that's for sure but if sealed and cared for properly it won't change much in Humid/wet weather.  I usually use Pignut Hickory but have made a few from Shag and didn't see a lot of digfference, maybe a little less dence.
   Pappy

[JackCrafty]

Hickory isn't the best choice in a humid climate.

There is no "best choice" for wood in a humid climate.  Hickory performs well as long as the belly wood is not overly strained.  That's why the Eastern Woodland Native Americans chose a flat, rectangular cross section for their bows.  And the vast majority were made from hickory.


There is no such thing as a totally waterproof finish......if anybody out there invents one prepare to become very rich!!

Three coats of the latest high tech epoxy resin will get you there.  It is used on wooden boats...  you know, the things that are constantly in water?     And yes, the epoxy manufacturers are very rich.


Maybe make your bow a couple of lb's heavy but not 10lbs thats way too much.

Your bow will lose a few pounds simply by shooting your first couple hundred arrows through it.  Unless you exercise your bow like Gordon does it.     Ten pounds is not too much.



Sorry, I felt like opening a can of whoopa$$ this morning.  Nothing personal.

[Pappy]

 
   Pappy