The Ante

[Yooper Bowyer]

Light woods can soak up water faster all else equal, but what if the elm bow has a better finish? 

If osage is king because it is so dense and soaks up so little water, wouldn't live oak and ipe be even better?

[bassman]

Not white Oak. It is as bad as Hickory. Contents with in the wood. It is able to fight off rot for years like locust . Yellow wood.

[Yooper Bowyer]

Isn't trapping is a way of adjusting for a wood's moisture tolerance?  Just leave the belly wide and the back narrow for woods like hickory, white oak, and elm in wet climates.

[ssrhythm]

Looks to me like a pretty good handle already...

For me, I think they are graceful and sexy looking, and the smoothness of draw thru the shot aids in accuracy more than the stabilizing aspects of a long bow.  (For me)

My theory is that while it’s true a well designed, near perfect tiller longbow can equal or outperform a well designed, near perfect recurve...I think that most of us (maybe not most on here, because there are some flat-out bad-azz boyers on this site) are not yet where we understand, see, and achieve the near-perfect tiller aspect of building bows yet.  And that fact results in the final product not being of “great design.”   And I have no science to throw behind this, but it seems like recurves can cover a multitude of sins.  While it might be a pile more work, it seems like recurves can add speed back to a bow where minor or major screw ups sapped speed during the progression to completion.   

Did that make ANY sense?  I’m understanding it in my head much better than I’m communicating  it.
Still, it’s primarily a low string angle, smooth non-stacking draw issue for me.

(Sorry...wronged person quoted)

[ssrhythm]

I was obviously replying to “why recurve if not faster” comment.  Wow, I just read this whole thread...did someone slip some acid in my drink?  Did I just hit a wormhole and end up on Archery Talk?  WTF?

[bownarra]

That may be your experience with elm Hedge but the elm I'm using is Ulmus Glabra. Elms vary quite a bit in properties and wood quality. Once heat treated and tung oiled up. They don't soak moisture up and hold profile as well as osage,yew,ipe,other woods great in the humidity. It may not be particularly warm here but it sure is humid the whole year round.

ssrhythm - Its pretty simple really recurves store more energy (the whole point of recurving )due to string angle AND IF you can make the limbs the appropriate width/thickness for the slightly tighter bend WITHOUT losing the return speed of the wood to set....then yes recurves are faster    
Before anybody starts getting het up and arguing the above it is a statement of provable fact

[HH~]

I would tend to agree Bow. I have two elm bows that between the two, prolly have a million arrows off them. One a Winged and other Slippery. Over the years and as Dean talked about when I felt them getting spongy into the attic they went to dry and then another wax job or coat of oil.
I do like Elm recurves and yes they feel very soft from brace to full draw.

For day to day varying conditions in chance of hot humid weather I leave them on the rack. Cool and cold no problems.


What's Archery Talk anyone know? Is that like Archery Spacebook? Don't do social Dis-media.

Shawn~

[Swampman]

Archery talk is a discussion forum in which people spend a lot of time fighting, bickering and attacking each other about their beliefs about archery and other things.  They pretty much only talk about modern compound bows there and it is known as a place where people don't get along very well.

I do not spend any time there but did check it out once.  The negativity made me leave very quickly, never to return.

[Yooper Bowyer]

I'm relatively new at this, but I read that if a recurve outshoots a longbow it's because the longbow has not played it's trump card, the ability to have narrow light limbs.

And I have no science to throw behind this, but it seems like recurves can cover a multitude of sins.  While it might be a pile more work, it seems like recurves can add speed back to a bow where minor or major screw ups sapped speed during the progression to completion.   

Recurves are higher strained and less stable, so wouldn't any imperfection be magnified on a recurve?

However, I would love to have a recurve for it's size and just because they look great!

[HH~]

Tradctaft

I think you’ll find the differences are small in the two. If you have say a 26” draw a recurve is a good way to go. The fastest recurve i have that was not gifted away is long, 68-69”. After years of hunting and being strung and shot it has a tiny tiny portion of set in upper just past mid limb of 1/4” maybe. Never lost any weight. I keep it braced 6 3/8 -6.5”. It is without any question the smoothest brace to FD Rig i have. Very very accurate 15 degrees to 95 no matter.  The jewel of the King of bow woods i have. One day it’ll give it up. It would prolly never take 500k arrows thru it, but ya know when i just need one good arrow to feed the crying grand babies she’ll be there.

Merry Christmas Fella’s

Shawn

[stuckinthemud]

I need to see that bow!  I only draw 24 inch on a good day, please please please post some photos

[Allyn T]

Hedge do you make your recurves parallel limb or pyramid?

[bassman]

Well I got Arvin's speed from his bow build, and distance. According to Badger on distance his  did fine. I will let him post the results. Not my place to do that. Thanks Arvin.

[bownarra]

What's Archery Talk anyone know? Is that like Archery Spacebook? Don't do social Dis-media.

Haha like it

[HH~]

This one is parallel to mid limb or a touch more.

Looking for more here.

SHawn~