RECURVES ARE NOT FAST!

[Kegan]

a fast straight bows that gets harder to pull as you draw is not such a pleasant experience to shoot.....in my opinion

Most of the faster straight bows have low string follow, which means it won't stack. Unless it's toes over the edge, bows with one good quality usually have several others

Steve- I'm just starting to tinker with glassies, and by my fifth and sixth I'd got a design that kicks the pants off of some of the store-boughts. Every design characteristic I built into them came from wood bows too Now to transfer some of that back to woods to create monsters of shooting euphoria, hahahaha!

[Justin Snyder]

recurves may not always be faster, but a good recurve produces a lot of stored energy and good string angle which makes for comfort and ease of drawing and aiming whereas a fast straight bows that gets harder to pull as you draw is not such a pleasant experience to shoot.....in my opinion

Good string angles on the limb can still pinch at the finger. 

[DuBois]

OK, so I just read this whole post. Couldn't stop! Great discussion and I thought I would see if anyone has anything to add or revise since 2010.
And as always, thank you 

[Thesquirrelslinger]

I don't feel qualified to comment on this. Minus one thing- a recurve more or less acts as an adjustable lever in my understanding. It makes the bow shorter(and higher weight) when at low draw length. Later on it makes the bow longer(and lower weight) when at longer draw length. so it reduces stack by adjusting the length of the bow relative to string angle.
Thats my understanding. I think this is a great thread... I learned a lot. I think I am going to make a molly bow

[mikekeswick]

I just read the whole thing too.
For what it's worth my thinking on recurves goes a little like this.
The whole point of recurving is to reduce string angle leading to more stored energy over a straight limb design.
More stored energy is good but can be lost to excess weight in the tips.
Recurving also increases strain over a straight limbed design.
Increased strain = crushed belly cells which in turn reduces the return speed of the limbs.
To lower overall strain but still keep the benefits of reduced string angle deflex the limbs near the handle and reflex the outer limbs to blend into the recurves.
I agree with Badger 100% the keys to fast bows are simple. Low string angle, low weight outer limbs and more important than anything - FRESH wood.
The fastest bows i've made are reflex/deflex recurves. The best shot 212 fps with a 8.9 grain/lb arrow and that was without an optimised string but the bow was still 'fresh'. It has since been shot a lot and now shoots 185fps @ 10gpp. It is an absolute dream with literally no handshock and so quiet for a recurve.
I have been planing on trying to really optimse that design but getting good enough staves is more than a mild problem... and then there is the time needed.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Statics are sexy, who cares how fast they are!

[toomanyknots]

Haha, I remember this post.  Sadly I do not remember what I was on when I made it,  .

[Joec123able]

I like static recurves only for their looks I don't care much about how fast they are

[DuBois]

Statics are sexy, who cares how fast they are!

Can't argue with that 

[Bryce]

Heck ill stir the pot.


RECURVES ARE NOT FAST!"

Yes they are

[blackhawk]

Yup....recurves are fast...and sexy to boot 

[burn em up chuck]

 I too have learned a little from this thread, and I haven't been so amused either. keep em coming, who doesn't like those curves. 

[Gordon]

I've made recurves, reflex/deflex, and straight limb bows and to be honest I haven't noticed much performance difference between these designs. But I haven't run them through a chrono either so maybe I'm missing something. I just make what I make because I feel like it.

[Pappy]

What Gordon said +1
   Pappy

[mikekeswick]

I don't understand all this sentiment about 'I don't care how fast they are' sort of talk. If you don't care how fast your bows are just go and cut a green branch and tie a string on it, hold it in the right place and bingo.....you've got a bow. It won't be very fast but it would probably get the job done 
If people really didn't care how fast their bows are then almost by definition they wouldn't care if it's the slowest bow on the planet (taken the point to its logical destination).....and I KNOW this isn't true of anybody who makes good bows. You don't make a good bow by chance (or not often anyway!) which proves that you are putting a fair amount of brain power and effort into the job. Who wants to waste their time by making slow bows? As with all things in this world there are
What fires the drive to make more and more bows?
It's the desire to make something you are proud of in one way or another dependant on what criteria 'pushes your buttons'.
For me I like making the very best bow that I can. Performance AND beauty all wrapped up in the same package. Ever since my first one it's been a long journey learning how wood behaves in different designs, what factors affect arrow speed and general shootability etc etc. 
At the end of the day making wooden bows is a fasinating craft that can be all things to all men.....and has been for a long time. As long as you are having fun doing it that's all that matters.