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Author Topic: Red elm youth bow design advice  (Read 1743 times)

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Offline dane lund

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Red elm youth bow design advice
« on: July 01, 2017, 12:56:35 pm »
I have a nice little red elm stave, approx 52" long..  I'd like to build a 20 to 25 lb bow for my grand daughter.
Any advice on bow design?
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Offline tattoo dave

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2017, 01:29:23 pm »
I'd say make it a bendy handle bow. But I say that about every bow ;). I like to make kid bows with long draw lengths, so they can grow into it a little. Example, if her draw length now is only 18" shoot for 20#@18", but tiller it all the way out to 24-25". A bendy handle red elm bow at 52" will easily give you 24" draw. The draw weight will increase the further she draws as she grows.

Tattoo Dave
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Offline stuckinthemud

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2017, 04:03:27 am »
+1 on everything TD says, although most of the youth bows I built are stiff handle. They end up narrow to keep the weight down, but the one I built full width was hollow limb and really thin (3mm) and is one of the best pound-for-pound performing bows I've built. The sweetest shooting is a mini-elb. Next one I build will be a bendy handle d-bow with flipped tips for string tension.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2017, 07:23:47 am »
I personally like a stiff handle and wide, hooked arrow shelf for kids. No arrow hassles that way and more fun for them. Make a 3" handle and 1.5" fades. Pyramid or flat bow design is fine.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #4 on: July 02, 2017, 07:24:06 am »
1" wide is plenty.
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Offline dane lund

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2017, 10:37:00 am »
Thanks all.  Pearly, that's what ,I was looking for.
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Offline paulsemp

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2017, 02:54:45 pm »
I've built a lot of kids bows and the one piece of advice I could give you is do not make it too heavy for them. when shooting a bow you use a lot of muscles that the kids may have never used before. 15 lb sounds like nothing to us but for my six-year-old daughter it's too much. I lowered it down to about 8 to 10 lb at 18 in and she has a lot more fun shooting. The key is getting a light enough arrow that flies so the kids have fun. A 10 lb bow with a quarter inch Arrow flies like a dart and  sticks in targets. If the arrow don't stick the kids instantly lose all interest. Ever since I lighten my daughter's bow her form has gotten excellent. Definitely better than mine
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Offline bjrogg

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Re: Red elm youth bow design advice
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2017, 04:14:38 pm »
I agree completely with Paul. It is way to easy to be to heavy. Especially for beginners even adults. Keep it very light and use very light arrows. I like forsythia for kids arrows with a piece of heavy gauge copper wire for a tip.
Bjrogg
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