How do you measure draw length?

[stuckinthemud]

Just a quick question.  When you quote draw length, are you measuring the distance the string has moved from the back of the bow, or from where the handle touches the tree- the length of the tree plus the thickness of the bow, or, the length of the tree/stick only?

[mullet]

I measure to the Back of the bow.

[bjrogg]

to back of bow.

I think the best way to measure someone’s draw length is to put a clothespin on your arrow.

Draw the bow to your normal anchor point and let clothes pin slide towards tip as far as back of bow touches it

Then carefully let off

Then measure distance between arrow notch and clothespin

Bjrogg

[stuckinthemud]

I’m not so much interested in what a person draws but how I measure draw length while tillering. For the record I have been measuring to the inside of the handle, and as I always make bend through handle bows it doesn’t really make much difference but it’s amazing what bad habits I am capable of slipping into….

[Hamish]

With wood bows, the bow's draw length is always measured from the back of the bow. It is the draw length that the bow has been tillered to. It's not necessarily the same thing as measuring a shooter's draw length.

[stuckinthemud]

Thanks Hamish, I think that is the misunderstanding I have been operating under

[Hamish]

Quite easy to be confused, especially as AMO draw lengths of modern/non wood fg recurves and compounds etc are measured from the belly side, usually from the dip in the pistol grip. The riser is much deeper.
 On a wooden bow, especially one that is highly stressed, it might make the difference between a great shooting bow and a broken one, as the archer effectively draws the bow 1" or more further than the bow's draw length to get to their own full draw length.

[Selfbowman]

I always measured from the throat of  the handle tell I started building flight bows. At that point it is easier from the back .

[PEARL DRUMS]

Throat of the grip is the only way. Back of the handle changes with every bow. Your draw length doesn't. I draw 28" with a bendy handle bow and I draw 28" with a deep, contoured bow. But, if you measure from the bows back then that number can change by 1-2".

[bjrogg]

Throat of the grip is the only way. Back of the handle changes with every bow. Your draw length doesn't. I draw 28" with a bendy handle bow and I draw 28" with a deep, contoured bow. But, if you measure from the bows back then that number can change by 1-2".

This is how I measured when I started making Selfbows and makes sense to me.

When I asked the same question as you did I was overwhelmed by to the back replies.

Now I’m confused again.

Kinda like the old question “how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

The world may never know

Bjrogg

PS I was thinking I got the tip for measuring a persons draw length from Pearl, but maybe my old brain is getting tired

[Selfbowman]

Pearl the reason I measure from the back is thats as far as you can draw a broadhead arrow for flight shooting. That way the poundage of the bows are equal for the contestants. But yes what you say makes since. Your draw is as long as your arm is.🤠🤠

[Pappy]

The back of the bow never changes, the throat does. Pappy

[bentstick54]

I agree with Pappy. I don’t measure my selfbows using the AMO method used on modern recurves. I measure from back of handle to string at full draw( which is the throat of the nock). Correlates to actual length of arrow draw from back of point to throat of nock.

[superdav95]

The back of the bow never changes, the throat does. Pappy

well said pappy!  this is how i measure also. 

[simk]

The back of the bow never changes, the throat does. Pappy

well said pappy!  this is how i measure also.

not agree  at least if you measure at your tillering rig, where your scale normally is fixed. here you cannot measure from the back or your measurements will differ with thickness of handle.
in ther words: If you measure from the back how do you adjust your tillering tree to fit various bows with different thickness in the handle?
just asking   

amo makes sense to me - even in result it favors the thicker grip.

In the end its not very important. Umless you are interested in comparisons - here you see a lot of "wrong" results comparing apples and pears. If somebody comes up with a 200fps bow always ask how they measured dl 

cheers