Question about draw length?

[lebhuntfish]

I posted this in another thread as a response. But I believe I needed to start another thread, I felt like I was hijacking. Sorry about that. I'm pasting this here.

 I have a question, now I'm a novice, but in my mind you draw a bow while it is braced back to your stopping point where you are comfortable. You are only stretching the bow only from the grip area on the handle to where the string is held. So, no matter what tillering setup I have seen everything is secured from the handle and is either pulled or held down by pulling on the string. So if you measure from the distance from the handle to the string when drawn it should be the same every time. No matter the thickness of the handle area. If the way you guys are saying then if I make a bow with a 28" draw and a 2 in thick handle them the draw length would have to be 30" and if it had a 1" thick handle them the draw length would be 29" according to the way I understand you all.

Now if you make the draw length 28" from belly of handle to where you draw it to then the bow will only be moving that far and that's it 28" then to make sure you don't put an arrow through your hand add the thickness of your handle area plus one inch and cut your arrow. That's how I see it wither right or wrong. Unless some one can explain it to me better. Patrick

[Badger]

  Patrick, the amo standard is written in stone, from the throat of the bow to the deepest part of the nock plus 1 3/4, doesn't matter who agrees or not thats the standard.

  Self bowers like myself choose to use the back of the bow as our standard because we want to know what arrow length we need. If you draw a broadhead past the back of the bow it will come off the nock, Commercial bows are nearly always 1 3/4 deep or very close to it.

[Pat B]

Patrick, the standard way to measure draw length is from the throat of the arrow at full draw to the back of the handle. You are measuring the arrow length basically. You can measure it any way that is easiest for you. I measure bows tip to tip but most others measure nock to nock. I nock an arrow on top of the nock point but most others nock under. The cool thing about our kind of archery is you do what you want to do. If you are building bows for yourself measure the way you want. If you are building for others be sure your way is the same as there's.

[lebhuntfish]

Thanks guys, that does help. I do understand the AMO because that is the standard way to do it. I may over analyze it but that is how my mind works.  I guess I never really got, draw length, even when I shot wheel bows. Someone always told me what my draw length was. Now I have to do it myself and I just want to make sure I understand it right. I guess I should ask as well, how do you measure draw length on someone. I have seen the one where they put the tape measure in the chest and hold your arms out in front of you and measure to the finger tips. Is this a good way to do it?

[wizardgoat]

The tape measure method works for some people, but shooting style changes everything.
Tape measure tells me I'm 27", but I only shoot 25.5"
Just measure and draw lines on an arrow with tape or a marker, then pull it back and see the length

[George Tsoukalas]

What Pat and Badger said. The reason why the AMO set the standard is because of the confusion involved from differing ways of measuring.
I measure to the back of the handle ion my selfies.
Jawge

[Bogaman]

When I check a persons draw length I do it two ways. First like you have heard, by measuring to the center of the chest to his outstretched fingers with him facing you and his arm pointed toward you. I also do like wizardgoat suggested. I have an arrow marked off in one inch increments from the nock out to the tip of the arrow. When he pulls to full draw I look at the number that ends up at the front of the bow. Usually they are the same, but sometimes the number will vary.
When I say 'front of the bow' I'm talking about the part of the handle facing away from the archer. Some of this selfbow  terminology can be confusing at times to anyone new. I would rather speak in good old north Missouri hillbillyeese.

[RBLusthaus]

Height in inches divided by 2.5
Russ.

[Bogaman]

First I've heard of that one Russ. Comes out close for me at 75". Just a 1/2" off from my actual draw.
Now I've got three ways to check someone!

[Pat B]

A bow having a back and belly are not just selfbow terms, they are archery terms that go way back in archery history. The "back" faces away from he archer the "belly" faces the archer when the bow is drawn.

[Bogaman]

Pat, you and I are familiar with the terminology that is used by many of the present day bowyers. Back and belly can be confusing to people new to the craft. I try to talk in terms they can understand. I personally think the man who came up with some of this stuff was at least a little bit sadistic at heart. Especially now, since the term 'belly' has been changed to 'face' in several archery circles.
It's sort of like saying to someone new that from now on north will be south, and south will be north.

[Pat B]

If you think about it the back has always been the back, the outside of the curvature of the bow. The belly the inside of the curvature. I think it is up to the new guys to learn the proper terminology rather than us telling them to just talk in terms they think is right...yet another form of standardization.
 North is cold, south is cool! 

[Badger]

   A back is called a back because it is considered a spine, it holds the bow straight until something bends it just like our boddies.

[JW_Halverson]

It's simple, rally.  The back is the front.  How much simpler could it be?   

And like Pat B said, the north is cold and the south is cool....until you have to use A/C most of the year!

[lebhuntfish]

Thanks guys for all of the comments, I understand the terminology I'm not new to archery, just building bows. I understand the process now. If I measure everything the same way every time them I should come up with the same results every time. Thank you all so much, you guys are awesome. Patrick.

Oh yeah, I like the hillbillyeese thing too I'm from South West Missouri!