Doomed?

[Mihai]

First time on the board, fist bow and not a lot of experience in making anything out of wood, so don't assume I know anything (as I probably don't).

I am trying to build a strange bow for my first bow: a hybrid between a recurve riser and long bow limbs. I didn't see anybody building this before, so maybe there are good reasons for it. My main reason for building a recurve riser is because that's all I know how to shoot (and it seems easier to shoot than a long bow, at least for me), and the main reason for sticking to long bow limbs is simplicity: it's almost a self bow.

So what I went with is a red oak backed with hickory and then in the handle area I added two more pieces of red oak (about 12" long and 1" thick). Then like a nincompoop I cut through the hickory in the handle area (for the handle and for looks). Now I put the bow on the tilering tree and it seems to be bending mostly in the handle  . That's very worrysome.

Now, it's true that the limbs are way, way too stiff, so I'll work on them, but I wonder if the whole project is doomed and if I should start again (and maybe not cut through the hickory lamination. The thing is that I don't want a super-strong bow. On the contrary. Maybe a 40#? Less than 45# for sure, and I can go as low as 35# and still be happy with it. Do you think that there is a chance in hell that the handle as is now can take 35-45 pounds?

Let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback.

[DC]

The area the arrow is pointing at looks dangerously thin and mostly cross grain. Could you take another picture of that area? Maybe from both sides?

Honest, that was supposed to be an arrow

[mullet]

Just from what I can see in the picture I think you might have cut your shelf in a little too much. The top, right hand side is going to be pretty weak when you go to bending the limbs.

[Marc St Louis]

That thing is likely to pop at full draw and wack you on the head

[JoJoDapyro]

That thing is likely to pop at full draw and wack you on the head

One of them anyway. 

[bradsmith2010]

I agree, the handle has some issues,, maybe 25#,,

[mikekeswick]

Risers like that are best saved for glass bows. You would also need an I-beam of some kind to make the sight window stiff enough.

[Del the cat]

Cutting an arrow pass, shelf, grip etc... is part of the finishing... which as it's name suggests, is best left to end... that way it can be done by degrees and you can quit hopefully before if falls in half.
Carry on with the build... if it fails learn your lesson .
On a more positive note, if you want to see how the rest of the bow performs without risking a break, you could always glue some timber up the left side and turn it into a shoot through design .
http://bowyersdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/quick-test-of-flight-bow.html
E.G You can always do the planning after the event and call it research
Del

[Pappy]

Looks a little scary to me, who knows if it will hold or not but if I was where you are I would do some serious floor tillering to try and get some weight off before I'd string it and start pulling on it. Lots of folks do it but I have never figured why people spend so much time on handles and such before it is even a bow  I save the finish work until it is shooting.
 Pappy

[Eric Krewson]

Most of us start into the selfbow arena with a recurve center shot mentality and try to make a modern handle on a primitive bow. I did and the bow broke in the handle if I remember correctly(20 years ago).

Make a selfbow, you don't need a fancy handle.

[bradsmith2010]

a bow with no handle shoots really well,,  

[DC]

Where would you hold a bow with no handle?   

[sleek]

Put a long string on it and a scale. Pull it until it starts flexing in the handle and let us know how much weight that is.

[mullet]

I think if you pull it enough to flex in the handle it is finished the first time it flexes.

[sleek]

The key is how much weight makes it flex in the handles and make sure you pull ot less than that on final draw weight.