Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: NTD on October 02, 2009, 11:24:13 pm

Title: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: NTD on October 02, 2009, 11:24:13 pm: I've been thinking about what I want to do with my stack of Ipe that I can't start working on until I get some Bamboo from Mr. Knight. I've been trying to think of what I want to build. The 3 boards are 72" long and 1.25" wide and 3/4" thick. I was wondering if I could make a D bow with pyramid style limbs but with no narrowing of the handle area. Would this be an efficient design? Has anyone done it?

Thanks Guys....I can't stop thinking about bows and what I'm going to build next...I'm a sick sick man LOL ;D
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: woodstick on October 02, 2009, 11:25:28 pm: you aint sick your a junkie, but its ok we all are.
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: NTD on October 02, 2009, 11:35:01 pm: Ok Junkie works too...I have another red oak board in the works for a friend but had to stop due to blisters I would have kept working on it but I don't think he'd want his bow stained "blood" LOL

Nate Danforth
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: knightd on October 03, 2009, 12:24:53 am: Shoot me a PM I might a piece of boo around here.. ;)
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: MaceG on October 03, 2009, 03:14:11 am: Sounds like that handle would be awful wide.
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: George Tsoukalas on October 03, 2009, 10:00:55 am: Yes, you can. On boards my handles are wider as much as 1.5 in. Jawge
http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: M-P on October 03, 2009, 04:45:09 pm: Hi Folks, Ipe is dense and the pieces you have are 72" long. You can certainly make a bow as you described, but you may end up thinning the handle area much more than you would have expected. You've got plenty of length, why not make a stiff handled bow? I can tell you from experience, that a long BBI with a stiff handle and bend in the midlimb, produces a sweet shooting bow. You can shorten the limbs a little and go for a pyrimid/ arc of circle tiller and still have a stiff handle. Of course the original suggestion gives you something more like a real elb and could be a real shooter, especially in heavier draw weights. Ron
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: George Tsoukalas on October 03, 2009, 05:08:26 pm: Well for a first timer, it's hard to beat a 1.5 in red oak board that is straight grained and bends in the handle. The tiller in the bend in the handle bow is much easier to visualize. When I feel like building a board bow that's the design I choose. That gets me in the 50-55# range. If 1.25 wide then 45-50# is doable. At 3/4 in wide I would not narrow the handle. You need to be an inch wide at least before doing that and the handle would still bend if the handle is narrowed to 1.25 in. That's a little down the road. A bit harder to make but that design is a good one too. 1 inch boards are hard to find these days. :) Jawge
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: NTD on October 03, 2009, 07:22:29 pm: M-P,

Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm nervous about doing a stiff narrowed handle because when I've tried them before they always ended up bending in the handle ::) But I suppose it's time for me to try again. I'm not stuck on the 72" though I was just giving the measurments of the stock I had on hand. You had said that your original suggestion would make a bow more like a real ELB...don't ELB's have a handle as wide as the limbs??

George,

Thanks for the advice as well but I'm not wanting to work with redoak d-bows. I've made 2 out of oak (see links below) and have one in the works right now...I was just wondering if I could bastardize that first time d-bow concept and just make pyramid limbs with a handle being the widest part of the bow?

I think I'm going to go with a stiff handle bow though as they sure are comfortable to shoot. But still curious if anyone has tried what I asked and how it turned out. Heck I may just try it on the last piece of Red Oak I have for the the heck of it.

Thanks Guys.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,15163.0.html

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,14905.0.html

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,14886.0.html
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: Del the cat on October 05, 2009, 04:43:02 am: It seems like a contradiction in terms to me.
A D section has the variation in thickness giving the tiller, a pyramid bow it's the variation in width, you'll and up with something which looks like neither or is hugely whip ended.
Neither fish nor fowl...
If you keep the pyramid shape the D will be virtually flat, if you keep the D the...oh...i dunno...go for it...just be sure to post the pics.
Maybe stick some Holmie levers on the end :o (Joking...I'm joking don't throw shoes at the cat!)
Del
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: nickf on October 06, 2009, 01:11:03 pm: I've succesfully made 3 bbi hybrids, all with a pyramidal limb shape. Varying from 58-60" ntn they're great bows :)

Nick
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: NTD on October 06, 2009, 01:31:48 pm: Any Pics Nick?

Nate Danforth
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: Del the cat on October 07, 2009, 09:03:16 am: Quote from: nickf on October 06, 2009, 01:11:03 pm
I've succesfully made 3 bbi hybrids, all with a pyramidal limb shape. Varying from 58-60" ntn they're great bows :)

Nick
bbi ????????????????????????????????????????
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: Et_tu_brute on October 07, 2009, 04:05:13 pm: Bamboo backed Ipe IIRC.
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: Del the cat on October 07, 2009, 04:12:19 pm: Quote from: Et_tu_brute on October 07, 2009, 04:05:13 pm
Bamboo backed Ipe IIRC.
Ta!
Title: Re: D-Bow/Pyramid Hybrid??
Post by: Et_tu_brute on October 07, 2009, 04:20:48 pm: No worries :) I'm yet to try a BBI but I've just finished a Hickory backed Ipe bow which I'll post pics of soon.