Recurve length

[DC]

When you're measuring a recurve to decide on draw length and stuff do you follow the curve or just go from the center or fade to the tip? Static and working different?

[PatM]

There is more to it than that.  You need to consider working limb length and width and how much limb is devoted to recurve. A working recurve  effectively allows more limb to work.
  How you measure the raw limb won't tell you much.

[DC]

Thanks. How does limb width enter into it? I'm not concerned with draw weight at the moment.

[Marc St Louis]

There's a lot of factors that come into play, such as style of bow, width of limb, wood choice and the intended use of the bow.  Adding deflex to the handle allows you to make a shorter bow, how short depends on how much deflex.  More limb width, which gives you more working wood, allows you to make a bow shorter as well and using a more elastic wood does the same thing.  If you want a target bow as opposed to a strictly hunting bow then you must make it longer for it to last longer.

[DC]

So, deflex gets the bow closer to brace height without using up bend, more width allows you to thin the limb,which allows it to bend more? Right so far?? I think I'm getting off topic now but it's my topic.