D bow questions

[bearbowman]

I am going to attempt my first D bow. I have ash and hickory staves. I'd like to try the ash. I have made a few non bending handle bows. Is there any pointers you guys may have to help me along? I want to end up around 56" to 58" long 50-55# @26".

Thanks in advance.

[DanaM]

Don't get the middle(handle) section to thin. Leave it thick and tiller last. Good luck

[JackCrafty]

There's a lot of good info on D-bows on this site.  The only advice I can give you is start with larger dimensions than you think you'll need.  You can always remove wood.

[Kegan]

DanaM hit the only real trouble with D bows: the handle becoming too thin. Most of mine are twice as thick in the middle as they are at the tips (3/4" at the center and 3/8" thick at the tips usually)

[Dauntless]

It's all about the handle bending just a bit at full draw.  Other than that, D bows are probably the easiest to make.  26" of draw is pretty reasonable too but if you go for a 58" long stave, you could draw 27 or 28".

[adb]

I think D bows are much easier to tiller. I find it easier to see good tiller with a bendy handle, rather than the elliptical tiller of a non-bending handle.

[Gordon]

Leave the handle area stiffer than you think and then adjust the thickness as you approach final tiller. Making the handle bend too much is a common mistake when you are starting.

[bearbowman]

Dauntless, are you saying that I could or should go shorter? I'm not a really tall guy or anything. If I could go shorter, that wouldn't bother me a bit.

[PeteC]

Bob,I agree with everyone above,but I'll mention that I ,with a 26" draw(when I'm feelin' good),have had success building D-bows ,both whitewoods and boisd'arc,by building them 60" long.The lenght is still very handy as a hunting weapon,and it's easy to keep reflex ,(thus higher performance),and  less stack than a shorter bow.I leave the last 6" of tip stiff on this style of bow.God Bless

[Dauntless]

If 26" is your natural draw you could definitely go with 56".  I recently made a red oak bow with exactly the same specs you are proposing.  It bends a little too much in the handle though  .  If you keep the bow a little longer, you'll get less stacking and you will be able to pike a bit if you get under your target weight.

[Parnell]

I've only made a few, but so far, I like a more rectangular cross section than having a 'crowned' belly, which I tried at first.  In hindsight I would have gone with the flatter belly, more rectangular shape to make my first.

[ballista]

  i like d bows alot, almost every bow ive made has been a d bow. one thing i learned is before you start to tiller, make sure the back of the bow is rounded and all the tool marks are worked out of the bow. my mistake was i defined that as final sanding, so after i got a good tiller on the bow, id sand the hell out of it to get a nick or gouge out of the bow,v haha. good luck, post some pics of the progress man. -jimmy

[George Tsoukalas]

Bear, D bows are probably the easiest to make. Start the handle 3/4-1 inch thick and about 1.25-1 3/8 inches wide. Mark out a 4-5 inch handle area and then leave that area alone when tillering. The handle area should give a little. You'll feel it in the hand but it won't be noticeable to the casual observer. When tillering be sure the middle is not bending too much or she'll kick like a mule. Jawge

[bearbowman]

Thanks for all of your input. I will definitely post some pictures. George, I wrote down those specs. Thank you.

What do you think as far as the rounded belly? One person said flat and another said rounded. Will the wood type dictate how the belly would be done? 

[Parnell]

Hey Bearbowman,

I just wanted to clarify what I thought for ya.  Even the flatter bellied D bows I've made have their edges 'rounded' off slightly.  I made some D bows that were crowned so that the belly was noticeably a U in cross section.  It seems to me that the bows I've made with the more rectangular cross section have done better to avoid chrysaling or pressure fractures, because I think the more crowned shape concentrates the pressure toward the peak of the crown and flatter belly spreads pressure out more.    Don't know for sure, though, as I'm still new at this.  The chrysalling could have been from incorrect tillering, earlier on.  Hope I'm not feeding you misinformation.  Good luck!

Parnell