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Author Topic: Bow width/taper  (Read 6785 times)

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Offline DC

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Bow width/taper
« on: September 01, 2015, 03:16:55 pm »
Up to now I've always tapered my bows evenly from the fades to the tips(pyramid I think). I've seen a few builds where the sides are parallel until some distance from the tip. When would I use one over the other and why? Also if I decide to go with the parallel sides how do I decide when to start narrowing?
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Offline Aries

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2015, 05:01:02 pm »
Dc. I think parallel limbs represent an over built design leaning more towards durability>performance. I think this is something I would use on less than optimal bow wood,  or maybe on a bow you were going to try to get more poundage out of. I'm sure others will have great and varied input.
Ty
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Offline bowandarrow473

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2015, 07:11:13 pm »
I usually do a bow that is 1 5/8 in wide until 10-12 in from the tips. I see no real performance difference from this compared to pyramid bows. Sometimes I might do eastern woodland bows but this is the norm for me. I think that a well executed AFB or eastern woodland bow will shoot just as well as any pyramid bow.
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Offline bubby

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2015, 07:30:34 pm »
in the bows I've made the pyramids seem a little faster than a AFB but it's all just conjecture unless you have a crony
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Offline wizardgoat

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2015, 09:37:27 pm »
As far as I know, a correctly tillered bow of either style should shoot pretty similar. On some of my narrow parallel limb bows I aim for a more circular tiller
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Offline KS51

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2015, 09:48:47 pm »
You may find that if limbs are too wide , too far out the limb that the limb will get too thin when tillered.  This can create torsional instability in the limb and lead to twist.  If you think of the cross-section, a square is less likely to twist than a wide thin rectangle.

Ken
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Offline DC

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2015, 10:22:41 pm »
I'm getting the impression that this is a choice of style rather than function and that evenly tapered is the functional way to go.
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Offline Selfbowman

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2015, 12:12:04 am »
Yes DC me too. I like osage ! I build a1-5/16-1-3/8 at fade mid limbish 1-1/4 to 1-1/8 tips narrow and lite as possible . One inch limb for every inch of draw .  Some times the stave tells me what I can get.
Arvin
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Offline Pat B

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2015, 10:17:07 am »
It is personal preference as far as what works best for each person. There are also design considerations as far as the wood used, whether it is tension strong or compression strong, the bow length, shooters draw length and draw weight.
 I think some folks choose to build a pyramid style bow because they think just tapering the sides would be easier when actually tillering is tillering, no matter what style bow you are building.
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Offline Wooden Spring

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #9 on: September 02, 2015, 11:50:24 am »
For what it's worth, when I've made bows with limbs parallel out to mid-limb or so, they seem to take less string follow... Maybe it's just me?

Also, it seems that the parallel limbed bows are more accurate and consistent, but just a tad slower. Once again, maybe that's just me, and I readily admit that I'm wierd.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #10 on: September 02, 2015, 12:16:10 pm »
When a pyramid is bending right, it wont take anymore set than a parallel bow.
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Offline Dances with squirrels

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #11 on: September 02, 2015, 01:43:27 pm »
Are we using the term "pyramid bow" correctly? I think some folks think if a bow has a single, straight width taper, that alone is enough to deem it a pyramid bow?

What I had come to believe however is that a pyramid design has a single, straight width taper, but it's also wide enough to accomplish all of its total tapering in width.... with vitually none needing done in thickness. Yes/no?
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2015, 01:56:07 pm »
That's my spin Jeff. I feel if a pyramid is taking more set it is because it is tillered into an oval, like a parallel limbed bow would be. Obviously that causes the inners to work overtime = set.
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Offline George Tsoukalas

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #13 on: September 02, 2015, 02:13:49 pm »
Jeff, is correct. Pyramids are tillered from the width.

I start off with parallel limbs which taper to the nocks at just past mid limb.

Invariably, I begin to narrow the width to bring the tiller in as sometimes the limbs get too thinto suit me.

In other words, I feel strongly both ways. :)

Jawge.
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Offline DC

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Re: Bow width/taper
« Reply #14 on: September 02, 2015, 02:35:36 pm »
Quote from: Dances with squirrels on September 02, 2015, 01:43:27 pm
Are we using the term "pyramid bow" correctly? I think some folks think if a bow has a single, straight width taper, that alone is enough to deem it a pyramid bow?

What I had come to believe however is that a pyramid design has a single, straight width taper, but it's also wide enough to accomplish all of its total tapering in width.... with vitually none needing done in thickness. Yes/no?

Back in December 2014 Del did the test with two plastic pyramids and showed that a 3" and 1 1/2" of the same length had the same bend so in a perfect world it looks like the width of the pyramid doesn't matter. The only bug in the ointment that I can see is the width of the tip. We need a minimum thickness to tie a string on. The thinner the pyramid gets the more we have to cut off the end to get that thickness. In the perfect world I just mentioned we would be pulling from the very apex of these pyramids. But we're not, we're in effect piking the narrower one, and by a substantial amount. I have a tough time thinking in tillerese so what effect would this have on the shape of the bend? And I have a follow-up question please ;) 
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