Logic of tip overlays?

[richpierce]

I see folks using tip overlays a lot.  I think overlays have mass and that mass is obviously concentrated right at the tips of the bow.  I often see folks talking about making the tips of bows as light as possible to get all the speed out of a bow.  Why use overlays?  Fashion or function?  Are there examples of native American bows with overlays?  If so, aren't they present on less than 5% of native American bows?  Doesn't that fact weaken any "function" arguments?

[Badger]

Rich, on many bows the tips are too narrow to cut nocks into them so a back nock must be used in the form of an overlay, also often we use modern strings with our primitve bows and the overlays protect the bow a bit, Very little mass in an overlay.

[NOMADIC PIRATE]

Tip overlays probably will let you to have less mass because they will aloud you to make the outer limb much narrower,

I like the string protection they give while hunting rocky terrain.

[Hillbilly]

Same here, you can make the tip much narrower with overlays. Plus, they just look cool. 

[adb]

Other than yew selfbows, most tip overlays are not essential. They do add increased wear resistance for FF strings, but any osage, hickory, or similar hard wood, doesn't require a tip overlay. Yes, all things being equal, tip overlays add mass.
That being said, we all like making beautiful things. Tip overlays make your bow pretty. They add eye candy, and there is nothing wrong with that.

[ricktrojanowski]

I put overlays on for the first time. My only reason was that I thought it would look good.

[Lost Arra]

>>Other than yew selfbows, most tip overlays are not essential<<

Overlays on yew might be insurance for most of us but maybe not essential.

Yew selfbow by Jim Fetrow, that I've been shooting for quite a while and I got it used:

[Pappy]

They look cool and also help protect the tip.By the time I work down the bottom side of
the wood I ant sure how much weight it adds but don't seem to hurt anything.I would
suspect cow horn is lighter than Osage or Hickory. I have made a lot bows without them
and they did just fine also.
   Pappy

[Justin Snyder]

I think the point is if you want to cut a string groove into the back of the bow it needs extra wood there.  Some do it with tip overlays, some do it by leaving extra wood up there to begin with like in Lost Arra's pictures, but it is essentially the same thing.  If you cut through the growth ring that is the back you risk a failure. You can build a bow without. Pin nocks like on my 65# Ipe. Grooves cut into the side and belly but not the back.  Sinew wrap to build up the nock. There are many ways to deal with it, but tip overlays allows some extra color and is usually easiest.  Justin

[Badger]

    Most of the time when I do an overlay I try to select edge grain wood. I have had overlays peel on me more than once. I think overlays are almost essential when you are going with narrow tips, if you cut into the backing of your bow the chances of failure go way up. Hickory, elm and a few other woods are a bit more forgiving. Steve

[adb]

Hey, Lost arra,
Looks to me like the bowyer left extra material to act as an "overlay." Same effect. Is it FF string?

[OldBow]

Oh well, I'll stick on this picture again.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[richpierce]

I agree they look nice and offer protection, and are appropriate when replicating certain bow types including 1940's-1960's recurves as well as the English warbow, etc.

But I will still think it's funny when I hear from guys who use overlays, "you got to reduce the mass at your tips; be sure to narrow them another 1/16" and you'll see a real difference in performance."

[Rich Saffold]

I know its subjective, but you don't run your Ferrari on retreads do ya? Some of us just like to make real fast bows, and part of it is lowering the tip mass and making sure the skinny no-stretch string doesn't saw off the tip of the bow, and yes if done right they do reduce the mass, and speed up the bow...

It is much more than just trying to look pretty... Even though I think they are