Arrowshelf radius question

[hatcha]

Ok, bear with me...

The high spot of the arrow shelf on my Parker bow is about a third of the way along from the back of the bow.  A "friend" tells me that it "needs to be further back towards the belly, directly above where the throat for the hand should be..."   (that's another arguement but I'll not get into right now).

This particular guy has only recently "found" traditional archery after years of shooting and hunting with compounds.  He reckons he's spent a lot of time researching the "perfect" design of a riser and has "suggested some changes I should make to my bow to improve it".

I made the bow for ME.  For MY hand.  I ain't changing ca,ca!

But it got me thinking - as a lot of us here shoot off the hand or off a floppy leather rest etc...  Is there such a thing as the arc of the shelf-radius ideally being above the convex radius where the webbing of your thumb sits when drawing the string?  Or is he (as I think) just spouting crap?

It's extremely annoying cos he takes something I made - ME, not some guy in a factory with machinery out his hoo-ha! - and he manages to belittle it, my ability and my level of self confidence in a few short (but adamant) sentences...

Apologies for the rant.

[RBLusthaus]

I am sure more knowledgeable folk will come around to answer you, but I would think (and do, when I make BBIs) that the high point of the shelf be closer to the back of the bow than the belly.  Not sure why, it just seemed right to me the first time I did that, and since I have never had any issues with it, I keep doing it.  If wrong, I hope someone lets us know. 

Russ 

[bubby]

I don't know about your buddy, but I think James Parker probably knows more about building bows than he does, tell him to build one his way and you all can sort it out at the range , bub

[bubby]

and if that don't work tell him to pound sand

[Pappy]

I always put mine in about the center of the window,don't know why just always
have,  maybe that's why I shoot so bad.
   Pappy

[hatcha]

I don't know about your buddy, but I think James Parker probably knows more about building bows than he does, tell him to build one his way and you all can sort it out at the range , bub

It's a Parker pre-glued bow blank I bought from Pine Hollows and finished it myself, so the arrowshelf is all my work.  But yeah, I get what you're saying - he just has no interest in building/making bows himself, just wants "the most efficient" tool out there.  I think he's just full of what he believes to be "the correct way to do things" after spending hours and hours talking to a few bowyers (Novotny, Bodnik).

I guess, when it comes to talking about bows, he can pound sand indeed!!  I don't need (or want) negativity in my life.

[bubby]

I don't know about your buddy, but I think James Parker probably knows more about building bows than he does, tell him to build one his way and you all can sort it out at the range , bub

It's a Parker pre-glued bow blank I bought from Pine Hollows and finished it myself, so the arrowshelf is all my work.  But yeah, I get what you're saying - he just has no interest in building/making bows himself, just wants "the most efficient" tool out there.  I think he's just full of what he believes to be "the correct way to do things" after spending hours and hours talking to a few bowyers (Novotny, Bodnik).

I guess, when it comes to talking about bows, he can pound sand indeed!!  I don't need (or want) negativity in my life.
that's the right attitude for tools like that

[Buckeye Guy]

It is really dependent on your personal shooting style !
Closer to the back than the belly seems to work the best for the vast majority of us !
Target shooters with their pretty looking form and style some times do better toward the belly !
Have fun and don't fret the small stuff !
Guy

[mullet]

I'm with Pappy. That's where I put mine and I own quite a few of James' bows and that's where it is on the ones he made for me.
 The old Bear bows I have I've always slid a toothpick under the rest to raise it in the center. They were notorious for being flat.