Bendy handle bow question.

[JWMALONE]

Hello Guys, I have a nice hickory stave and would like to get a nice #55 hunting bow out of it. Its 65 inches long I can get 1.75 width easy. I would love to have a Cherokee style hunting bow. Question is for those who have done both, are bendy handle bows more difficult to make than stiff handle bows? I've searched for awhile and cant find a build along that uses a hickory stave. TBB has dimensions for a Cherokee hunting bow but its Osage. What would you guys do, I've only made a few good bows so far all board bows stiff handle.
Pat what were your plans for it had you used it?

[Pat B]

John, I hadn't given it that much thought.  An Eastern Woodland(Cherokee) style bow are quite simple but if done right, quite effective. I've made a few of different woods, osage and locust, don't remember if I made one from hickory. Hickory and locust were the traditional wood for Cherokee bows I think.
1 1/4"wide at the handle tapering to 3/4" tips, triangular nocks or single side nocks and bend through or at least to the handle.
 I think one secret is to get the limbs to bend  and once the mid and outer limbs are bending then bring the bend into the handle. I like to feel the handle area bend slightly when I hit full draw. If you work the middle first you'll get too much bend there and not enough elsewhere.
 The handle area is wide so it takes some getting used to. You could make the handle area a bit thicker and round off the edges for more comfort.

[JWMALONE]

How thick at the handle? nd were doe a bendy start tapering the center of handle or end?

[wizardgoat]

As Pat said, get the limbs bending nice and easy before you get the handle moving.
Too many factors to determine just how thick the handle will end up, but there will be
a swell in thickness at the centre of the bow. I like to make them bend just very slightly in the handle.

[Stick Bender]

I have only made one Cherokee style war bow & like was said I got it to round in the handle & ended up being shocky the hickory lightly back sinew bow in the pic I got stiffer and ended up being a nice shock free shooter I have better luck with shorter bendys !

[Stick Bender]

More

[George Tsoukalas]

I believe bend in the handle bows are easier to tiller. Both limbs kind of blend together so my eyes get a better tiller picture.

The ones I did were board bows and the handle is the widest point and 1.75 inches is pretty wide. Like Pat said 1.25 is better. 1 3/8" is ok too.

The thickness started at 3/4". I mark off a a 4" handle section (2" on either side of center) and leave it at 3/4" thick.

Jawge

[JWMALONE]

Thanks Jawge, I was looking for a starting point. This hickory stave is so fun think I will scrap it down from 1.5 till it bends.

[Pat B]

John, is the stave thick enough to get a belly split(sawn) off the bottom, maybe make 2 staves. If it is close it might not be feasible. A stave in the hand is better than 2 in the trash.   

[JWMALONE]

Way ahead of ya Pat, thought maybe get a backing strip or something but it would be so close I might ruin the stave for a self bow so not even going to try.

[Pat B]

Better safe than sorry.   ....and I'd never forgive you for messing up that nice stave.     

[JWMALONE]

No pressure on this one then huh? LOL

[Pat B]

John, you could start the handle area at 3/4" to 1" thick and reduce it later. Better to be too thick than too thin.

[High-Desert]

On a bendy this long, keeping the handle semi rigid should help with the hand shock as well as tiller slightly more elliptical than circular.

[Springbuck]

  I would do what Jawge said.  I haven't made many longer narrow BITH bows, but with shorter ones I follow the grain and rough out about like everybody said, 1.25" wide and 1" thick or whatever, and I basically make the whole bow those dimensions to start.  Then I narrow or taper the limbs side to side however I plan to.

At this stage it is obvious that the middle is the most likely spot to bend, right?  I spread my arms wide and grasp the bow as far out along each limb as I can and pull the bow against my knee.  When the middle just BARELY bends when I pull pretty hard, I mark out the middle and leave it alone from then on, and only work outside of those marks, thinning the wood in the next section of the limb.  Then the next.  BY then I have it on the tree, and it's often a question of just taking the weight down systematically as you work it to full draw.