Bow Design Question...

[Weylin]

If your question is which design will reliably put meat on the table the answer is, all of them. We all have our preferences and all the designs have some minor pros and cons put any of those designs will make a perfectly deadly and dependable hunting bow.

[Wooden Spring]

I'm kindof getting the impression that my question could just as easily been "which is better, blondes, brunettes, or redheads?" Answer? Whatever you like... But most like aspects of all three...

[Don Case]

As long as they're female

[Aussie Yeoman]

In your Molly schematic, the bending portion of inner limb needs to taper in thickness if it is to also have consistent width. Otherwise the stress will be concentrated near the fades.

An important one you left out is a bend through the handle longbow, with the widest and thickest portion at the handle. That's what I'd go for for putting meat on the table. You can use narrower saplings to make them, require less tools, and is quite forgiving to make.

[rossfactor]

If I could only build one bow it would be: 50# @ 28", 66" long, 1.5 inch wide for the inner 2/3 of the limb, with an elliptical taper for outer 1/3 to a 1/2 inch wide tip,  a barely bending handle, slightly deflexed inner limbs and gentle recurve on the last 8 inches.  I would build them out of 3 inch diameter, pipe straight purple leaf plum.

This design, from this type of wood and limb, produces a really comfortable, beautiful, hard hitting, easy to build, durable bow, ideal for shooting heavy arrows. Its not heard enough wood to use as a battering ram.  If you want that, build your bow out of Osage, or Almond. Most of all it this design has a magical quality that makes you smarter and more attractive to women.... oh wait, I got carried away.

Gabe

[Jim Davis]

I not only would, but do hold to  the "pyramid" design. It is efficient, straightforward to tiller, durable and fast

Paul Klopseg, an engineer and archer, wrote about how to make this design in May of 1932. He and Clarence Hickman, another engineer, sang  the  praises of this "new bow" as having limbs that returned to their neutral position faster than an other design of which they were aware.

"Archery, the Technical Side," which contains their writings, is a fascinating read that makes it obvious that a lot of what we are experimenting with now is an effort that is related to reinventing the wheel.

I highly recommend  this book. If you can borrow or buy it, you will find Klopsteg's construction advice beginning on page 110.

[Wooden Spring]

I not only would, but do hold to  the "pyramid" design. It is efficient, straightforward to tiller, durable and fast

Paul Klopseg, an engineer and archer, wrote about how to make this design in May of 1932. He and Clarence Hickman, another engineer, sang  the  praises of this "new bow" as having limbs that returned to their neutral position faster than an other design of which they were aware.

"Archery, the Technical Side," which contains their writings, is a fascinating read that makes it obvious that a lot of what we are experimenting with now is an effort that is related to reinventing the wheel.

I highly recommend  this book. If you can borrow or buy it, you will find Klopsteg's construction advice beginning on page 110.

I'm sure it's a great book, but unfortunately the publishing nazis want $200 for it on Amazon.

[Aussie Yeoman]

It really is a great book.

It is actually a collection of articles written by the contributors that were first published in mathematical, engineering and archery magazines at the time. Be aware that a few hypotheses presented early in the piece are refuted in later entries. Still, it's all worth reading.