45# ELB dimmensions?

[BowSlayer]

hey guys im making a ELB for a guy at the club. i got the materials today. a oak backing strip just over 1/16" thickand an unknown hardwood witch is a bit darker and  harder than the oak 3/4" thick. i wan't to make a laminated ELB so was wondering if anyone has any dimentions? i asked Del and he said 28mm x 25mm at the handle tapering to 15mm x 15mm at the tips. but i want to know how long, 65" maybe? if anyone knows some dimensions for me to work to that would be great. thanks

[BOWMAN53]

this might also be my last bow unless i find the perfect yew stave or maybe even the 2014 bow trade but appart from that im going to take a break from this bow making.

[BowSlayer]

i knew someone was going to bring this up. a guy can't say no to a bit of money, can he?

[WillS]

65" is very short for a longbow.  Go about 75" to play it safe.  72" is about as short as you wanna go. 

[BowSlayer]

Thanks will

[Stringman]

a guy can't say no to a bit of money, can he?

Ethically speaking, I'm pretty sure you should not be saying "yes." It's a dangerous road you tread, walk carefully.

[toomanyknots]

Don't know whats going on in this thread, but what sucks is that you don't know what kind of wood you got. The wood type can definitely effect dimensions. It might not even be bow wood worthy. That said, if I was going for 45#, using hickory, and my length was around 74" nock to nock, then I would go 1" wide and 13/16" to 7/8" thick at center. 7/8" would be playing it safe, but those dimensions can easily give you 60 to 70 lbs as well. I just use a straight pyramid taper for this weight. And of course 1/2" at the tips.

[Weylin]

I'm going on the record to say that this is a terrible idea. The fact that you don't even know what kind of wood you are using and you need the the dimensions for your bow spoon fed to you clearly show that you have no business selling a bow to anyone.  There's nothing wrong with asking about dimensions when you're learning the ropes for bow making and there's not much wrong with playing around with a mystery wood but they should be clear signs to you that you're not ready to accept money for your work.

[bushboy]

1-16th is too thin for a backing if ypu want a glue line!~

[adb]

You're going to make a bow for money, and you don't know what kind of wood you have? Are you kidding??

[Del the cat]

I don't like being quoted out of context, so here's what I actually said.

Dunno really, laminates are not my thing.
Make it a good few inches longer than you need, you can then cut it
down if you are under weight. I'd go for say 2" taller than you.
Ask the guys on PA they will have some idea, especially if you can
tell 'em what wood you are going to use.
At a guess I'd say rough out to about 28mm widex 25mm thick at ther
grip tapering to 15mm x15 mm at the tips, that should give plenty of
poundage to play with.
But like I say, that's just an inteligent guess... ask the laminate boys.
Del

[BowSlayer]

Sorry guys the backing is 1/8" and the unknown wood seems to be a type of mahogany.  Which I have made into a bow before and ive seen picturesof  it used for an ELB.

[mikekeswick]

There are quite a few woods known as mahogany - none of which make great bows IMO.
It's likely to be sapelle. Where did you get it from.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Ive made a ton of red oak backed somekind of wood bows, tons and tons actually. Ive had great luck with somekind of wood, it allows you to keep the bow a tad more narrow than say yew or elm. And anybody thats been around here for more than a day or two already knows red oak is a premium backing as its super strong in tension and very elastic. One of my faves for backers, next to yellow cedar. 

[WillS]

Ive made a ton of red oak backed somekind of wood bows, tons and tons actually. Ive had great luck with somekind of wood, it allows you to keep the bow a tad more narrow than say yew or elm. And anybody thats been around here for more than a day or two already knows red oak is a premium backing as its super strong in tension and very elastic. One of my faves for backers, next to yellow cedar.

Wait.... You don't count pine in your top 3 for backing woods?!