Question: Reverse handle selfbow? Is that a thing?

[RedSpectre]

Hey folks,
As a point of curiosity because I always like to look at different approaches and expand my knowledge as well as experiment, I wanted to know if anyone had made a foward handle selfbow or seen one 'in the wild'?

There was a post on it before, but the image was deleted before I can see the beauty.  Everything made is a tri-lam or backed with fiberglass.

I'm sure there is a very good reason for that.  That being said, seeing exceptions to the rules is always a cool thing.

If anyone has an example though, show em if you got em.

Happy New Year.

[Hamish]

It's feasible. If you left several rings of outer wood at the handle area, then worked the rest of the stave down to the chosen growth ring for the back.
It's extra work, a little harder to tiller. The only benefit would be related to having a slightly lower brace height.

I have a vague recollection, that something similar was made, or talked about in one of the bowyers bibles, maybe a neolithic flatbow. No doubt your idea has been tried.

[Pappy]

I have one I made last year, as Hamish mentioned I left 5 or 6 rings including the sap wood in the handle area and worked the limbs down to 1 growth ring from handle out, worked out fine, I will see if I can get a picture of it this weekend while I am at the cabin.
 Pappy

[Selfbowman]

Pappy I’m  surprised you did that . Not that you couldn’t . Just surprised. Now would you do it again?

[RedSpectre]

I for one can't wait to see it, Pappy.  Super excited


It's counter intuitive when you think about the amount of work that goes into making that for sure but still kinda cool to see people try it otherwise.

[Pappy]

Sorry no picture Red, was looking for it and remembered I gave it away back in the summer, it was pretty cool looking, kind of like a Black widow  Only problem I had with it was early on got a pop up where the handle meet the limbs, had to move the tapper back about a half inch to be sure the limb wasn't moving in that area, Arvin I did it not to be cool, just with this stave that is all I had to work with with out gluing on a handle and i don't like doing that unless it is absolutely necessary, I know yall do it all the time but I don't have very good luck with that so decided to try this and it worked out fine and I think always will as long as the handle don't bend in the area you violated the rings.  Sorry about no picture but I tend to do that, give stuff away and forget about it until I go looking for it, getting old I guess. 
 Pappy

[Selfbowman]

Ya I get it Pappy. Built 300 in the last 20 years and can’t remember where they went.🤠sometimes you have to work with what you have.

[Pappy]

I hear ya Arvin, I like a nice clean straight stave as much as anyone but something about getting a good hunting bow out of what some would call junk is a big part of the fun for me, we all got our reasons for doing this stuff. as far as loosing stuff I was told by a good friend one day when I was looking for something that I need to put a list on the cabin wall somewhere and at least write down a name when I lend something or give something away, good idea , I may start doing that.
 Pappy

[RedSpectre]

Hey, Pappy.  That's a shame really but thank you for taking a look in either case.

I'm that way with my drawings.  I'll give something cool away then out of the blue want to see it again and have to hunt down whoever has it for a picture.

I hope to have that same situation with some of my bows one day.  Thanks again though for the response, guys.

Until next time.