Fade help

[DC]

I think I've been leaving my fades too long so I thought i would get some opinions. The way this bow is the handle section including fades is about 11". That's a 4" handle, so, 3.5" fades. I drew in how I think it would look with 2" fades. The fades have a 2.5" radius. The handle is 1.5" deep, that will probably be a little less. Does the drawn in view look better? Maybe too abrupt?

[sleek]

Either would work honestly. I base my fade length on how long the stave is and how much i want the bow to bend.

[DC]

So, the bow is 69" NTN so I've got lots of length. All longer fades is going to do is move the tips farther apart??

[Justin.schmidt23]

I like the curvature of the way you have it drawn. Makes a smooth transition

[sleek]

So, the bow is 69" NTN so I've got lots of length. All longer fades is going to do is move the tips farther apart??

At 69 inches it wont mater.it only decreases your working limb length.

[SLIMBOB]

My take, the way you have it now shape wise is more preferable to the way you have it drawn.  If you round off the edges and leave it fat in the middle, it wont bend and it will look sweeter.  3.5 inch fades are long, and as Sleek said it just reduces your working limb length.  If you like the looks then go for it, but 1 inch will work.  2 inches is plenty and that's where I usually end up, though I have done them longer.

[bubby]

My take, the way you have it now shape wise is more preferable to the way you have it drawn.  If you round off the edges and leave it fat in the middle, it wont bend and it will look sweeter.  3.5 inch fades are long, and as Sleek said it just reduces your working limb length.  If you like the looks then go for it, but 1 inch will work.  2 inches is plenty and that's where I usually end up, though I have done them longer.

×2 with slimbob, the one drawn in might work just fine but it doesn't look good to me, smooth lines work better for me. I use a french curve to lay mine out

[DC]

Good idea, where did I put that french curve? You guys can't help me there

[SLIMBOB]

I want to add something.  You said 3.5 inch fades.  Looking at your drawing....at what point does the flare out end and the limb begin? Where does the flare out begin and the handle end?  What I'm seeing cant be 3 1/2 inches.

[SLIMBOB]

Here's a couple of picks that represent, what I believe to be, great looking functional fades.  It is not a bow I made.  Greg B sent me this one in the PA bow trade a few years ago and I think his fades are done nicely.  The whole bow really.

[DC]

I want to add something.  You said 3.5 inch fades.  Looking at your drawing....at what point does the flare out end and the limb begin? Where does the flare out begin and the handle end?  What I'm seeing cant be 3 1/2 inches.

3 1/2" is to about the edge of the picture where the pencil line runs out. If I follow the limb thickness from the tip in that's where it starts to thicken substantially. I can't think of another way to determine where the fades start. Could you take a picture of Greg's bow from the side, like the picture I posted.

[SLIMBOB]

The reason I ask is that I see lot's of folks struggle with this area.  I don't know your level of skill and so you may be way ahead of me, but if the right end of the pic is the end of the fade, you need to be really cautious with the thickness running back into the fade.  Your drawing would appear to have it too thin too early.  Again, if I am miss reading this just disregard, but if not, you need to keep the thickness in the fade all the way out to the beginning of the limb (the widest part), otherwise you will be weak right there.  Right where it will be under the most stress.

[sleek]

Here is a very short bow. Note the fades. Those are 4 inch toles btw. This bow does fine. These are as short as I would make them.

[DC]

  Your drawing would appear to have it too thin too early. 

That was one of the reasons for posting. When I drew it out, it looked to abrupt. I used a wax can lid as a template. The french curve idea solved that(I still haven't found it yet). I can see on Sleeks bow that the curve is more elliptical than circular. This is where I'm at now. I still may thin out the handle some. I kinda liked the feel of it so I'll leave it until I've shot it some. The pencil lines are 2" apart. The one on the left is the center of the handle.

[Dances with squirrels]

Much of this is open to personal preference. What MUST be done is, upon leaving the handle, the dips must be brought into working limb thickness AFTER the flares have reached full width. Other than that, you can pretty much shape things how you like. I like flow in a bow from end to end and I try to help my handle/flare/dip shape work toward that end. I like the handle to flow into working limb such that it's hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. I've made stiff handled bows that range from 9" dip to dip, to 15" dip to dip. Depends on the bow, the material available, my mood, my intentions for it.

This bow is 12" dip to dip...