Potential Flight Bow (second edition)

[Marc St Louis]

Looking good Pat. 

[SLIMBOB]

Sweet!  Like it a lot!

[Knoll]

Man I can't wait to see that thing bend.  That is one wicked looking side profile

+1

[IdahoMatt]

No full draw  .  Lookin great Pat.

[PatM]

Full draw on a flight bow only happens on the range when going for maximum distance.  Not going to risk all for a pic.  I did zip a few arrows from short draw. Pretty scary how hard a 20 inch draw from high string tension can throw an arrow.
 I'm making a couple of bamboo flight arrows. Stay tuned.

[Badger]

   I think the bow should do well, looking forward to the results. Are you going to shoot a range of weights?

[bubbles]

When/where are you gonna test it Pat? Lemme know if you need a cameramen

[PatM]

Probably just make a few of the lightest stiffest arrows  I can, Steve. I'd just be guessing at the weight. I don't have a scale of any sort.
 I have access to a few long fields  Bubbles. I'll request filming services if things work out OK. 

[bubbles]

Sweet.

[adb]

Here's a few more pics. Siyahs tapered a bit and refined. Black Cherry bridges in place and rough shaped. The bridges are lengthy because the belly was so narrow and I wanted a decent glue surface area.

I've always wondered, but never asked... what's the purpose of the bridges on the static tips?

[Badger]

  I think it just helps with the string alignment. I often have problems on recurves with the string comming off the limb, especially with low brace heights.

[PatM]

 You'll hear all sorts of theories about the bridges stopping the string and shortening it abruptly and acting as a launching pad etc. etc.  What it definitively does is give the string a definite stopping point when the siyahs are at a certain angle and tear-drop in cross section.
 If the bridge was not on this bow the string loop would be resting on a virtual knife edge. If the limb flared out more at the base of the siyah the limb/siyah transition could act as the bridge as it does on some Turkish bows.
 Look at a typical strung bow with bridges and then picture them removed and visualize what would happen if the bow was strung  and shot without them.
 The alternative is the bow with the belly groove and the narrowing of the siyah to the back. It's easier to make the tip lighter the other way, even with the added weight of the bridge.

[Jodocus]

The bridge also prevents the siyah from tearing open the loop of the string.

[Del the cat]

Surely the big simple reason is it makes sure the string stops at the belly and doesn't slip one side or the other allowing the bow to go over centre, throw the string off, flex the wrong way and explode.
Of course, on a modern olympic recurve (spits on floor ) with wide flat limbs the limb is wide enough to act as one big bridge.
Del