Poundage on Bow and Handle

[justlooking]

I'm building a 55"Osage bow.  The handle is about 1 1/4" thick with an arrow shelf.  I have the bow narrowed down on the limbs to about 1/4"-3/8", and I can't get the poundage low enough that I like it (40 lbs).  Do I need to take the handle down narrower?  The handle is approximately 8" long including
fade.

Thanks.

[Pat B]

I assume you mean the limbs are 1/4" to 3/8" thick, not narrow. How wide are the limbs? When I find my limbs are getting too thin(thickness) I narrow(reduce width) then, a little at a time until I get near the desired weight then continue with the tillering.
Do you mean the handle is 1 1/4" thick or wide. I usually start with my handles at about 1 1/2" to 1 1/4" thick and as narrow at the arrow pass as 3/4" to 1" wide.

[PatM]

A cut shelf will limit how much you can fool with the handle area.

[bassman]

Leave the riser as is, and add limb extensions to the limbs.  An arrow shelf can create a weak spot in the riser. I have had them crack at the arrow shelf cut out in the past. You need some mass in that area. JMO

[HH~]

If your cutting arrow shelf in on a 55lb bow tiller to 28" you will need to have about an inch of wood in riser opposite of the shelf. Ensure you fade isout well past the shelf area.

I have never had one crack or break in riser with a shelf, ever.

Shawn~

[bassman]

Mine cracked, because I got carried away with the depth of the cut with just a few, pushing the envelope. I  have made well over 100, and more towards 200 hundred that didn't crack. Handles have to be the right thickness, and width, and in his case sounds like he needs to leave well enough alone, and thin the limbs ,or make them longer with add ons.

[justlooking]

Thanks,  but how do you do a limb extension?

[Pat B]

Don't worry about limb extensions now. Just get your bow tillered out and go shoot it. Limb extensions is in the wood bow building 202 class

[PatM]

Limb extensions are not THAT advanced.

[Eric Krewson]

You can loose a lot of poundage in the fades quickly. When I have a bow that is tillered well but a little over poundage I start scraping the fades, always going up, not down or you will dish out the limbs.

If your fades are blunt and not a smooth transition this won't work for you.

[bjrogg]

If I’m reading correctly you have 55” Osage and you are wanting a stiff handle with a arrow shelf and looking for 40 lbs. I don’t see what draw length you are looking for.

55” is a bit short for that design.

55” would probably be better suited for a bend in the handle. Or as Bassman suggested limb extensions.
Bjrogg

[HH~]

Yeah, I think I blew by the 40lb part!

Yeah, it would have to be a mighty stiff very short handle if your working with 55" of wood even at 25" of draw. The back on 55" of wood at 28" of draw would be rough on it. Prolly get away with it with some type of elm but its gonna take some set. Like Brian said, bend in handle be better off and I concur.

Shawn~

[Eric Krewson]

You can drop your poundage down to zilch in your limbs with wood removal, the problem is the lower you go the more critical every tiny scrape is going to be.

I have found that well tillered kids bows are the most difficult to make, when the limbs get really thin, one extra scrape can hinge a limb.

[bjrogg]

I agree Eric. I made a quite a few kids bows. Really nice ones. They teach you a ton about tillering.
Bjrogg

[HH~]

A good Kid selfbow is way toughter than making 60lb man selfbow without question.

Why I was tickled to see the cast of BOWNADO. Like I had said, "Pound for Pound its prolly the fastest bow I ever scraped out".

Long as you leave enough off side shelf wood you'll be fine.

Just finished a 54@27" almost center cut Hedge bow that's gonna make a really nice elk huntin bow. I think it has only .800" of offside shelf wood.

HH~