What to make of a stave

[JW_Halverson]

I have a nice hickory stave from Mike Yancy 66" long, taken down to 1 7/8" wide, 33 1/2 upper limb - 32 1/2" lower limb.  The handle section is drawn on at 4", with 1 1/2" fade outs.  The limbs are sawn down to 5/8 thickness at this time with the handle section at 1 5/8 thick.  The handle section is still full width, not narrowed.  The upper limb has 2 1/8" recurve gently along the full length while the upper limb is perfectly straight.  Twist is virtually nonexistant. 

The goal is a 27" draw @ 60# suitable for hunting antelope on the open plains, deer in the woods, and even elk in close dense woods here in the hills.  Also, I intend to shoot arrows of about 660 grains or 11 grains per lb of draw weight.  Not a target bow, English war bow throwing phone poles, or a twitchy wild hare flight bow ready to blow at a change in the breeze, but a bombproof big game slayer.

Options on the table include sinew, rawhide, snake skins and options strictly off the table for now include bamboo backing or veneer backings. 

I have an idea how I want to build the bow so that I get enough limb to push heavy arrows as fast as possible, but I am not really sure if I am really on the best track.  I have a healthy respect for many of you bowyers here on the site, some of you really understand the physics and have the experience to make the best of it.  So, I am asking for your input on the limb design to acheive the parameters I have set out.  What design would you choose and WHY?

This is open to all, young and old, new to the sport, or the guy that built bows with Maurice Thompson.  Pitch in one and all, this is gonna be interesting reading, I bet.

[Thwackaddict]

I would think that recurving the bottom to match the upper would be a good idea and a gradual taper to say last 10-12 inchs then taper to .5 would store energy well.As for backings I'm still experimenting there as well so jury still out on that one.I have never worked hickory so maybe some of the hickory guys will chime in and correct me if i'm wrong.

[Eric Garza]

We all have our preferences, and on dense woods like hickory I prefer bows that have a profile similar to ELBs.  I'd make it 3 cm (about 1-1/4 inches) wide at the handle, leave it 3 cm wide for 10 cm (about 4 inches) above and below the bow's middle, and taper to 1 cm tips.  I've got a hickory stave I'm working on a similar layout on as we speak.  I really like the aesthetics of this design, and its simple and durable when made to modest (under 70 pounds) draw weights.  No recurves, no backing, maybe some heat treating on the belly.

[Badger]

   For the time being I would leave the width as it is, I like the 4" handle with 2" fades on each side. For a good solid hunting bow I also prefer paralell sides and the last 14" or so tapering to the tips. I have two hickory bows at home identical demensions of about 1 3/4" wide. One bow is draing 95# and the other is drawing 55#. Very different densities in the wood for some reason. With paralell width limbs I prefer to use an elyptical tiller with the bend increasing as it leaves the fades until it starts into the tapered area. Leave the last 8" or so of the tips stiff. I guess to start off I would get the bow beding pretty good at floor tiller and then weigh the bow to get some idea how dense it is. I would be looking for a finished mass weight of about 25 oz. You control the mass by narrowing the bows width. Steve

[George Tsoukalas]

The stave is too long for sinew which will add mass and decrease cast.I like thee same type of bow Badger likes. Having one end sinewed and the other not adds some difficulties but it's possible to do. . You could reflex the other end using dry heat. More on my site. Let us know what you decide. Jawge

[JW_Halverson]

The stave is too long for sinew which will add mass and decrease cast.

Granted, a 66" bow with sinew would be a waste of time and sinew, but I am not married to the full 66".  I have a saw and I'm not afraid to use it. 

Eric posts, "I prefer bows that have a profile similar to ELBs"  When you say similar, are these bows rectangular in cross section or are they rounded bellies?

Keep posting guys and girls, and be sure to give the why's and wherefor's for your preferences.

[walkabout]

i just posted some pics of my latest bow, its 66" overall, pulls 50#@24" so far. limbs are roughly 2 inches wide( a bit under due to rounding edges) and tapers from about 12 inches in from the tips. this design takes advantage of alot of wood near the fades to help with set, and some stiffer thinner tips to keep weight down. i used a caul and heatgun to toast the belly and reflex it about 3 inches, which some of it came out but its still nothing to complain about at all. profile is kinda similar to an R/D. as far as backings you could use rawhide if you want a little bit of insurance, although hickory has a tough back already if the bark was peeled while wet. hickory being hydroscopic i would probably be wary to incorporate sinew into the mix, just seems like a recipe for a noodle in bad humidity.

[JW_Halverson]

Not worried about the Hick/sinew hygroscopic effect.  Hunting seasons out here tend to be bone dry, many landowners shutting down their places from hunting due to extreme fire dangers.  Some counties have even passed laws making it illegal to smoke outdoors (not kidding!)

Wood was aged with bark on, debarked, and cured yet some more.  Current moisture reading is just about 7%.  Plenty dry.

[walkabout]

yea i just now noticed where you live. still id probably keep as much of the working limb a bit wide, if you plan on going skinnier id suggest trapping to make the back more narrow than the belly, allowing the belly to have more working wood. i agree that hickory is probably not ideal for an elb profile, however i have never tried it so i cant say for sure.

[bubby]

I use hickory boards for most of my bows,d bows, rigid handle bows r&d , it's a super tough wood and 60# at my 29" draw is no problem, backed or unbacked, badgers layout is a good one, so is a pyramid

[JW_Halverson]

I've done at least 60 hickory board bows and several stave bows.  I think hickory is a fantastic performer and as close to bombproof as you can come by, providing it is kept dry as bone. 

I have given thought to the pyramid bow, they have a higher harmonic pitch due to the lighter tips (thinking in terms of inertia).  Unfortunately, that means those selfsame tips are underpowered for heavier weight arrows.   Am I thinking wrong?

[walkabout]

not really sure about the diference in casting heavier arrows with diferent tip masses, but i think that by physics that a tip with more mass would impart more energy to the arrow. kinda like the diference in a semi truck hitting a tree and a car hitting a tree. the semi does more damage because its got more mass and thereby more energy. i think thats correct anyway,lol been a long time since i thought about physics like that.

[walkabout]

thinking about it though this seems a tough question because mass can also rob the bow of efficiency, so really you may be just fine with the pyramid tips.