Quadlam 96# @ 29"

[cool_98_555]

Kyle,

Good question.  At just over 400 grains it was louder on the release and felt "less-smooth" when I released the string.  As I moved up in arrow weight, it got progressively quieter and more smooth as I released the arrow.

[BowEd]

Yep.Good point.

[bradsmith2010]

it would be nice to shoot a 10 grain per pound arrow if you have one,, I bet it would really be smooth,, I am sure Badger could calculate the speed but I would have to shoot it through the chrono  to see,, congrats on your bow,,    probably hickory or birch would hit 1000 grains at the right spine,,,maybe maple,,

[upstatenybowyer]

Yo Cool man, that's cool man! All 4 woods look awesome together. I'll bet you could take 2 deer in 1 shot!

[cool_98_555]

Haha yea I bet I could if they were lined up properly!

[Badger]

it would be nice to shoot a 10 grain per pound arrow if you have one,, I bet it would really be smooth,, I am sure Badger could calculate the speed but I would have to shoot it through the chrono  to see,, congrats on your bow,,    probably hickory or birch would hit 1000 grains at the right spine,,,maybe maple,,

  Brad, I would like to see that test also, I am estimating about 178 FPS which is very respectable. World class bow there if he decided to compete in flight with it.

[bradsmith2010]

wow thats amazing,,, I love the thought of the 1000 grain arrow going that fast,, I guess it would never slow down,,:)  and for sure pierece  heavy armor at a long distance,,

[Philipp A]

what an awesome looking bow! What did you use for glue for the laminate? I have also noticed that for my bow that is 75# in draw weight I had to use heavier arrows to have a smooth shot.

Did you use a bandsaw to cut the laminates?

Cheers,

Phil

[cool_98_555]

Phil,

For the laminates I ordered them from the hardwood shop at the correct thickness, then I used a table saw to cut them the right width.  I used Titebond III and I have really good glue lines.  Used black electrical tape to clamp the lams down evenly and applied a bit of parry reflex while it was drying.  Did the job really well!

Badger,

When I get my hands on a heavier arrow i'll put it through the chrono and I'll share the results.  A 600gr arrow seems like it hits the target pretty hard...can't imagine a 1000gr arrow!  This is the thrill I love when making high draw weight bows!  Can't get enough of that hard-hitting power, especially knowing I made it!  I just love it

[cool_98_555]

Wow....I put Badger's speed estimation into a KE calculator and what I came up with is that with a 960gr arrow (10gpp) and a velocity of 178fps, the KE would be 67.56ft-lbs.  That's some serious stopping power!  I have to get a heavier arrow to actually try it out...now i'm even more curious.

[Badger]

 183 would not surprise me. They become more efficient as arrow weights increase so KE will go up with heavier arrows. Also we tend to get cleaner releases from heavy bows getting more power into the arrow.

[Marc St Louis]

Lovely looking bow for sure

[Philipp A]

Thanks for the answers on the laminates. I am interested in the other dimensions of the bow. I think I want to try now a laminated bow as well. I have beach, HHB, yellow birch, cedar, white ash, cherry and aspen in my bush. What would you recommend for a quadlam combination?

Thanks in advance,

Phil

[cool_98_555]

I got my osage lumber and bamboo from 3riversarchery and my bloodwood and purpleheart from a hardwood shop.  Starting dimensions were: osage at 5/8", bloodwood and purpleheart both at 3/16" each, and bamboo at 1/8".  Bow is 1 1/8" wide at the fades and is parallel for half the limb, then tapers to 3/8" wide tips.

If you are only restricted to the woods you mentioned, I would say HHB, ash, and cherry are your best bet, for a trilam.  If you are willing to spend a little on quality, i cand recommend osage enough for a belly wood and hickory/bamboo for a backing.  If you're aiming for a high draw weight bow, in my opinion getting quality wood for the back and belly is even more important.

[Springbuck]

Also we tend to get cleaner releases from heavy bows getting more power into the arrow.

HA! Yes, but the better cast assumes we get to full draw, which I likely could not with a #96 bow.    

And that is a GREAT looking bow.  Can I ask, about how thick would you say the osage lam ended up on the belly?  Say, a hand's width above the fades.  I'm interested because it looks not that thick, and you said it runs out toward the tips, but the draw weight is so high.  And, my experiences with purpleheart have been mixed.