Hickory question?

[Scottski]

Ok my young neighbor saw my second oak bow and started shooting it with me. He is hooked on shooting now and wants me to make him a bow. He works for a cabinet shop and brought me two 9 ft hickory boards home they are 2 in wide. So my question is, what would you do to one of these boards to make a bow?

[Pat B]

It all depends on the grain both on the back and along the sides. Check out George Tsoukalas' website. You can see it at the top of the "How To" thread.

[huisme]

Trap it and make a flatbow or mollegabet, though I suggest you get a few more bows under your belt before you go mollegabet. Someone will chime in with dimensions sooner than later; sorry I don't have any ready to paste for you 

[twisted hickory]

Do a pyramid style bow. Start at fade 2" wide and down to .5" tips 66ntn long.

[Buckeye Guy]

How young is this friend !
Give us a draw length and weight you think you are looking for !
Start looking over the boards and study the grain run outs !
Hickory is tough stuff so you can get away with more issues than most woods !

[Wooden Spring]

Do a pyramid style bow. Start at fade 2" wide and down to .5" tips 66ntn long.

I second that. Those dimensions should yield a bow around 35# to 40# if you keep the thickness at 1/2" throughout the limb length. I've made a bunch to those dimensions out of red oak boards, and hickory tends to be a bit stiffer. If you want it a bit stronger still, then keep the width and thickness dimensions, but cut it down to 62" long.

[Wooden Spring]

Here's what I mean... Excuse an ex-architect for using dimensions, but its how I think, and I've been building enough pyramid bows here lately to know that it works. Here's my disclaimer though: Yeah, every wood is different, and you'll have some differences given grain orientation and how you work it into a bow, but if you end up with something like this, then you'll have around a 35-40 pounder with hickory. Oak is a little less. This example turned out to be 34# with a beautiful oak board. Your hickory will obviously be a tad heavier. Like I said earlier, if you want it heavier, keep the same dimensions, but cut the length to 62"

[Scottski]

He is 25 or 26 maybe. Looking for around 35 or 40 lbs. just something he can play around with. If he wants to hunt with it needs to be at least 35. Arkansas dropped the weight down this year. I have an old fg recurve he fell in love with and is ok shot at around 12 yards. This is his first time shooting bows. His draw is 25  recurve is 50 lbs at 28 he is sore and wants to shoot again this afternoon. I also gave him a tomahawk and he loves to throw it too. The boy is hooked lol!

[Buckeye Guy]

The pyramid design would be a easy and quick build to get him going !
He is shooting around 40 lbs now so lots of types are open to you to choose from
maybe do a parallel at 1.5"out to 10 " from tips and then taper in to tip for the second one !
Have fun
Passing it on !!

[toomanyknots]

Here's what I mean... Excuse an ex-architect for using dimensions, but its how I think, and I've been building enough pyramid bows here lately to know that it works. Here's my disclaimer though: Yeah, every wood is different, and you'll have some differences given grain orientation and how you work it into a bow, but if you end up with something like this, then you'll have around a 35-40 pounder with hickory. Oak is a little less. This example turned out to be 34# with a beautiful oak board. Your hickory will obviously be a tad heavier. Like I said earlier, if you want it heavier, keep the same dimensions, but cut the length to 62"

Stanley, that is an awesome pyramid bow schematic, I totally am keeping this for reference, .

[Wooden Spring]

Toomanyknots, here's another one that I created after I made a 60# bow out of a great piece of oak.

[toomanyknots]

Awesome, thank you! (click, save ... ). You did a great job on these!

[Wooden Spring]

Aeesome, thank you! (click, save ... ). You did a great job on these!

Thanks, but like I said, as an ex-architect, it's just how my brain works. I'm just glad that someone can use them!

[Scottski]

Thanks a lot I will use this. Thank you again.

[twisted hickory]

Here's what I mean... Excuse an ex-architect for using dimensions, but its how I think, and I've been building enough pyramid bows here lately to know that it works. Here's my disclaimer though: Yeah, every wood is different, and you'll have some differences given grain orientation and how you work it into a bow, but if you end up with something like this, then you'll have around a 35-40 pounder with hickory. Oak is a little less. This example turned out to be 34# with a beautiful oak board. Your hickory will obviously be a tad heavier. Like I said earlier, if you want it heavier, keep the same dimensions, but cut the length to 62"

Good plan. I do prefer a 66ntn so if ya go 5/8 you will end up close to 50-55 if 5/8 is your finished thickness. Assuming the piece of wood is the same as the log I made mine out of.