need some opinions

[walkabout]

i have a 48", 1/2" thick piece of red oak that i want to make a short "D" bow out of. its 1.5" wide. my question is, what type of layout should i use to take advantage of the thickness and get the most draw weight? i had considered a pyramid design tapering to 3/4" nocks, similar to an eastern woodlands but shorter, however i wondered if maybe a flatbow design with much of the limb the full width and the final bit tapering would give me more weight in the end. any opinions would be appreciated.

[Pat B]

If you are thinking about a hunting weight bow the thickness might be a issue. At that length I would go with a Cherokee style, bend through the bow and leave it full width at least until you are done tillering. You can taper the outside 1/3 of each limb to 3/4" at the nock. Later you may be able to narrow the handle area for a more comfortable grip if the handle area doesn't already bend too much.

[walkabout]

thanks. that was pretty much my plan, to have only a slight taper to the tips. i found a similar bow while browsing search results that was roughly the same dimensions as i was thinking, only it was 7/8" at the tips, 3/8" thick at tips, so i think i can get what im looking for.