nock questions

[65x55 swedis]

hey guys i am biulding a hickory war bow and i need help with the nocks. here are some pics to help. i thinking of renforcing it with hahogany and balck walnut and filing into the wood but you guys tell me. by the way i don't have any horn. so i have to do wood.

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[adb]

I'd just make self nocks... hickory is very hard.

[Del the cat]

Self nocks are fine, My self Yew bow is 90 lb @ 31 1/2" self nocks ...no problems.
(I usually shoot it as 75@28")
This may sound like some bonkers heresy...but...wait for it...
There is very little strain on the nock of a bow!!
It is all in shear, there is no actual bending moment at the nock...has anyone ever seen a bow fail at the actaual nock???
If you don't believe me push a bit of arrow shaft into a hole in a block of wood clamped in a vice and try to shear it off by putting a string over it, right up close to where the shaft enters the wood and pulling as hard as you can.
Tell us how you get on
Mind if you want to put  4" of ornately carved horn that looks like it's escaped from a chess board on your bows, then go for it
Del

[Rod]

There is very little strain on the nock of a bow!!
It is all in shear, there is no actual bending moment at the nock...has anyone ever seen a bow fail at the actaual nock???
Del

Several times over the years.

Whilst it is true that nock failure is not common, it does happen.
With self nocks due either to poor grain orientation or under dimensioning.

But it is slightly more common to see overlays shear off or English nocks be pulled off if badly made and applied.

As for the "chessboard escapees", I would try to use the type appropriate to the style of bow as it was made.
I wouldn't put an Edwardian bowyers fancy signature nock on a mediaeval style livery bow, nor would I use a self nock unless I had evidence that it represented the style I was trying to reproduce.

Rod.