Recurve adding poundage?

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Hey guys. I tried to find this in the search bar but couldn't find a direct answer so my apologies if this is out there already. My question- How many pounds are gained from adding static recurves to a bow? Do bows usually take an amount of set to match the draw weight they had before they were recurved?

The bow I have is a yew bow 74" ntn right now 68# @ 31".
I would like to bring it up a bunch honestly. It's a pretty wide and flat bow so I figured I can pike a good 2-4" off to gain 10 to 20#. I was then wondering if recurving the last few inches of each end would add any substantial poundage or would the bow just take set and land right back where I started?

Thank you. 

[Pat B]

Recurves will only add weight after the string leaves the recurves so on a 74" bow you are going to have to draw the bow a very long draw.

[TimBo]

Sounds like it would be 70" long and 31" draw - that should get some liftoff, right? 

[Badger]

  If it hasn't taken set where it is now it might be a good candidate to pike and reflex a little.

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Pat B- Thank you. New fact to tuck away.

TimBo-  Yeah I'm almost 100% I will pike it if nothing else so it should end up at a length that would have string lift off.

Badger- Yeah it has held stead fast. The stave started with 1" ish of deflex. Another reason I wanted to give recurving a shot.

Thank you guys.

[DC]

Maybe it would work to heat treat it and put a couple of inches of reflex at the same time. Pike it if that doesn't work.

[peacefullymadewarbows]

I would heat treat if only there wasn't a belly crack I had just filled with superglue.  I figure heating that up would be if not dangerous simply damaging to the glue. But I agree that thought did run across my mind.

[Del the cat]

There are plenty of ways to make it worse.
Leaving it alone won't.
IMO safest way to gain is heat treating regardless of the belly crack... sure the heat will open it, but it will only open what is already there lurking in the wood anyway. If you filled it once you can fill it again.
You could pull it into a slight reflex while heat treating, e.g strap it down to a length of 2x2 but put a 1/2" block under the grip.
When I do this I protect the back with several layers of masking tape and I clamp thin slats to the sides to direct the heat and also help keep it off the belly.
Shortening it and adding heavy reflex will just  add stress IMO.
Del

[PatM]

The wood should be able to take a total  re-build.   A 64-66 inch recurve will shoot better than what it is now.

[Badger]

  What style of bow is it? Stiff handle?   Can you check the physical mass weight of the bow?

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Del the Cat: I'd Like to do that and then just thin the tips but the crack is about 12" long through out the midlimb of one limb and I looked up how CA glue reacts to heat. At just around the boiling point of water it turns into rubbery mush apparently. Heat treating usually happens at about 400deg F if I'm correct. I don't know if I'd be able to fish it out to re glue and I think it has pretty hazardous odors. I know being near it burns my eyes at room temp already.

PatM: Yeah it is pretty clunky now and I'd like to take a shot at my first recurve. Even if it ends up a tad slow I need to start somewhere. I might split the difference and try 69-70" ntn as it follows the curve of the wood. But maybe that's what you meant as after recurving the as the crow flies length would be about 64-66".

Badger: It's a bend through the handle bow. 24.1 oz. Tips are definitely too big right now but that was part of the reason for this query. I have lots of room to fiddle here. It's kind of a rough pyramid long thing haha. 46mm wide at handle/center.

Thanks guys!

[Del the cat]

I've checked the health and safety sheet for CA 'cos it gives out a lot of vapour if you soak it up with paper towel ... the smoke and vapour isn't toxic. (but obviously don't inhale it more than is avoidable)

I stand my opinion about heat treating etc, and as my mate JY said the other day:-
My opinion comes in two flavours..
Take it... or.... leave it 
Just joshing of course  ... you are the best one to judge as you have it in your hand.
But bear in mind you can't have it both ways... if it is two weak to withstand my relative conservative suggestion, how can it be strong enough to take shortening and reflexing?
You say it's plenty long... but so is a 31" draw!
Anyhow, best of luck and let us know how it fares
Del

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Oh no! I think there is a misunderstanding. The crack was already present in the stave as a partial laminar separation before I even touched it. In fact that's why I'm here with this wide flat thing. This was supposed to be a big long bow stave but had horrible laminar cracking along some heartwood rings only about 26-30mm from the bark. So I decided to try to shave it away leave it wide and experiment. Since gluing it has held fast. And I understand. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth in terms of your advice. But I think mislead you in thinking the crack appeared as a stress problem maybe? Rather it was there from the start and actually bent it half way to draw before I glued it (very foolish of me  ) but glued for reassurance. So I guess I'm trying to say the bow is not too weak in its current state and could stand some augmentation. I am very grateful for your time given.

[leonwood]

To maybe help you decide... I have done at least 10 recurves with splits through the middle of the recurve. I even steamed recurves in a few of them with 6 inch drying cracks. All of them are still shooters. In my opinion people toss away good bow staves because of some cracks

[peacefullymadewarbows]

Wow. Now that's a good sample population. But you are also quite the bowyer.  I think I will go ahead and try the shortening and recurving simply because I want to learn something new. And like many of us I already have made plenty of bows for my personal shooting. So if it fails I won't be out an essential piece for my collection. Thank you Leonwood.