Thanks guys,
I am new at building bows - I have successfully built 3 board bows from red oak as that is what is available to me readily - and have yet to have one fail on me (knock on bow wood).
One longbow, my first, came in under weight, and was shortened (it actually now has 3 sets of nocks) 28@27 first nock, 35@27 second nock, and 41@27 third nock. It actually is kinda cool cuz I can hand it to a newbie on the first nock (after warming it up) and not worry too much about them breaking it.
First pyramid (2nd bow) - pulls 47@27 right now, has a pistol grip type handle and arrow rest.
Second pyramid (3rd bow) - pulls 31 at 23 (built for my son), pistol grip handle, arrow rest, and we are staining and trimming to be similar to the "Katniss hunting bow" from hunger games (not exact as it has a grip and arrow rest).
To be clear, I do not think 3 bows that did not break makes me an expert, just noting that I have successfully done this.
I am a tinkerer by nature, a trained and experienced engineer by trade (nuclear, mechanical, and computer), and have been around the block once or twice in my life so no, I do not believe everything I read on the net, as with many things I have learned a little skepticism is not a bad thing.
I posted this question for the experts here, as I enjoy understanding the why as well as the what when doing things.
My suspicion was that the shorter working limb to lever ratio would increased the stress on the wood, and would require a more precise tillering effort. where the longer working limb with shorter levers would be a little easier build, and also be more true to the original.
I have actually spent serveral hours researching the Mollegabet vs Holmegaard bows, and from what I can find, the actual found Mollegabet bow was only a portion of a bow that was only around 13.5 inches long, the rest of the Mollegabet we see in pictures is the "experts opinon" of what the bow looked like, so nobody really knows how long it was, how long the levers were, or how the handle area really looked, actually some are not sure it was even a bow - the best we have is an educated guess.
For the Holmegaard bow, on the other hand, they have found full bows.
I will most likely build my first "mollie inspired" attempt out of red oak, as I have a 2.5 inch piece that is 6 feet long, sitting in the garage I ripped from the 5.5 in piece I originally purchased. Unless the guy at the hardwood store has some elm that looks decent and usable, as if I am going to try to build this bow, whether a wall hanger or actual working bow to the specs and measurements of the found piece, elm appears to be what it was originally made of.
Thanks again for your advice, I will take it slow and let you know how it comes out if your interested.
dave
