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Author Topic: how high can you go?  (Read 3209 times)

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Offline P.W. Smith

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how high can you go?
« on: May 31, 2008, 01:37:07 pm »
I've got a very nice vine maple stave thats 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 68 inches long...how high of a draw weight can I conceiveably get out of this log? (I'm planning to make it about 2 inches wide @ the fades, and most of the limb, and taper it from there, and am hoping to make it  about 70-80lbs...) is this a good idea or should I scrap it and make a lighter bow?
Derek
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Offline Kegan

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2008, 03:49:50 pm »
I've made bows from hickory and oak that are 70" long, 1 1/2" wide at the middle two feet tapering to 3/8" wide nocks, about 3/4" thick at the grip and 3/8" thick at the tips, bending the full length (D bows)and pulling 70-80#. They weren't heat treated either, though that would have helped. Bearing that in mind, I'm sure you can get a bow that heavy from a stave 2" wide and 68" long. Again, heat treating is always an option.
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radius

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2008, 04:55:00 pm »
Kegan, do you mean heat treating the belly?  Is this done before or after tillering?

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Offline P.W. Smith

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2008, 08:44:45 pm »
Kegan- are you talking about a bend-in-the-handle D bow, or a stiff handled bow?
Radius-this is normally used before or during tillering...
Derek
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radius

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2008, 08:57:33 pm »
thanks for the advice, but if your name is PW SMith...well, how do you get Derek out of that?   O:)

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Offline Kegan

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2008, 10:52:21 pm »
Derek- I mean bendy-handle. So stiff handle should yield even higher weight.
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Offline P.W. Smith

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2008, 01:05:05 am »
radius...P.W. Smith stands for my choice of hobbies...(all sort of "Primitive Weapons" Smith)...believe me, I've even been confused with a east-coast talk show host named Paul. W. Smith before... ::)
Kegan...I'm wondering why you prefer the "D" bows over the stiff handle bows...? is there some sort of a difference in arrow speed/bow stability, or what?
Derek
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Offline Kegan

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2008, 06:16:17 pm »
Quote from: P.W. Smith on June 01, 2008, 01:05:05 am
radius...P.W. Smith stands for my choice of hobbies...(all sort of "Primitive Weapons" Smith)...believe me, I've even been confused with a east-coast talk show host named Paul. W. Smith before... ::)
Kegan...I'm wondering why you prefer the "D" bows over the stiff handle bows...? is there some sort of a difference in arrow speed/bow stability, or what?
Derek

Alot easier to make. I'm very lazy, and long D bows are less trouble. My staves are usually from smaller trees and would need a glued on handle, and all the short wide limbed flatbows with deep handles that I've made were pains to tiller. That said, I haven't tried a long, narrow bow with a stiff handle yet. There doesn't seem to be any difference in speed or stability.
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Offline P.W. Smith

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Re: how high can you go?
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2008, 07:34:39 pm »
ok...I'll probably do that with at least one of my staves...just to give it a try...
Derek
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