Light weight bows

[wizardgoat]

I get asked to make light weight bows occasionally. I find it easier to make a good shooting 50# bow than a good shooting 30# bow.  I'd love to make a great performing low weight bow for a well deserving old timer, and am looking for design input.
He's more of a long bow kind of guy, but the few longer low weight bows I've made shot a little slower than I'd like.  I was thinking of making a shorter recurve, maybe 55/56", 30# is not much so I'd like to stress the wood to some degree.
Any advice on design or experience with fast light weight bows?

[PEARL DRUMS]

I'd lean towards an ELB man. The longer limbs will provide more cast for his 30#.

[PatM]

 What is his draw length? I'd go with a shorter narrow recurve every time for cast in a lower weight bow.

[wizardgoat]

His son told me 28", but figures it's probably a little less. He struggles with his 35@28, so I figure 30@28 would be a good aim.
I like Pats suggestion, shorter recurves are my thing, but maybe an ELB tillered a little more elliptical would work too. I guess I'll just make both

[PEARL DRUMS]

What does Pat know?

[bradsmith2010]

I think it is hard for me to get the mass right on a lighter bow,, I am not used to making them,, so the tendency is to overbuild them,, and then they just dont have the cast( to much mass),, I made a nice flat longbow that shot hard for its draw weight,, it looked tiny,, it was barley an inch wide osage, 30#@ 24 inches of draw, it would shoot a 500 grain arrow bout 133fps and 380 grain arrow 147fps(b50 string),,, it had just a touch of follow,, I think if you had a longer power stroke,, narrow limbs and a bit of reflex, you could make a very nice shootin light bow,,,

[PEARL DRUMS]

And, odds are the fellow only plinks paper with his bow. May as well make a slow, sloppy, accurate, fun to shoot ELB.

[Badger]

   I made a 35# bow for a young lady at the flight shoots and she shot the bow 328 yards, further than any woman has ever shot any primitive bow. The bow was 1 1/4 wide and drew 26". I feel like as long as the outer limbs are narrow keeping them wide enough to avoid set trumps everything else.

[wizardgoat]

Brad, I think your right, it's hard to get the mass right for the light weights.
Pearly your probably right too, but I really want to make a zinger at 30#

[wizardgoat]

Thanks badger, was the bow Osage? Do you remember any more specs on the bow?

[Badger]

  It was about 64" long with the standard reflex cawl they use over at twin oaks, about 3" reflex. I used Gary Andersons cawl design with about 3 1/2" reflex in it. The bow only lost about 1/2". Stiff handle and fades with cut in arrow shelf. The bow came in at about 18 oz I believe.  This is where I used to build my 50# bows.

[PlanB]

Whatever the type, maybe as narrow an arrow pass thickness as possible so you can get the brace height low for a longer power stroke without  forcing a lot of paradox on the arrow?

[bubby]

Make him an elb and give it some good reflex, maybe fpip the tips a bit, seems the few I've made like that shot better than one with no reflex

[bradsmith2010]

I think the lighter bow has a better chance of holding the reflex,,,

[Josh B]

Your on the right track with the elliptical tillered elb.  Josh