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Heavy bow strings

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markinengland:
SimonUK,
In the Bowyers Bible they give the four times rule and also one in which you measure the poundage at 10 inches and mulitply by fifteen or maybe at 15 inches and multiply by ten. The important thing is that these are all SAFE guidelines for strings but give a durable string with much fewer strands than is normal practice.
ChrisD,
Lots of people are using high tensile low stretch strings. Fastflight is one of these and linen is another. Linen is very low in stretch compaired to linen and behaves on the bow much like fastlfight, excpet it weighs more and won't last as long. Old archery books talk about linen strings being made with enough strands to be four times bow strength. I think there is as much chance of a string breaking a bow because it is too strong as too weak, breaking and hence breaking the bow. A longbow of say 50lbs with a 16 strand fastflight string is way over-stringed! 16 strands would do a 400lb bow! Even 16 strand of decron is good for a 140lb bow even if stretched like anything.
I got a variety of linen string materials from a local ships chandlery here in Gravesend by the Thames. A spool of Barbour 6 ply cord waxed or unwaxed costs about £15. I found that my first linen string used on a 40lb primitive bow broke on the knot end I made a new string with extra threads at each end and it has lasted many months. I have since got some Barbour linen machine thread that looks very promising. At about £35 for a large spool it had better be!
Personally, for a heavier bow and one of any great value I would use a slender but maybe still double the needed number of strands flemish twist string, using a modern string material. I like 450plus as you can get it in small spools that don't cost the earth. I've not had a string break of bow break using this and I have pushed the limits as far as I dare.
Mark

ChrisD:
Mark

Thanks for the tips on sources and types of linen. I guess I've been putting off the string making jig for long enough and should get on with it. At least its an activity that needn't involve being banished to the garage because of noise,  bad smell and general dust production that goes with bow building.

I'll give it a go.

C

markinengland:
Chris,
For a flemish twist string you don't need a jig.
Mark

ChrisD:
Oh.

Showing my complete ignorance of string making there  ???- I'll look it up and get on with it - but it'll still be a while. Its taken since our last conversation on

ChrisD:
Oh.

Showing my complete ignorance of string making there  ???- I'll look it up and get on with it - but it'll still be a while. Its taken since our last conversation on the NFAS site just to make a couple of bows that didn't turn into firewood. I had a couple of great barbecues on the back of last years efforts and I'm now getting somewhere on that front - I've largely ignored arrows and strings for the present simply because of lack of time.

Question for you. I went to timberline and found them very helpful as you said, and in a rush of blood to the head, I bought a great big chunk of Pau Amorello (about 80x 10 x 4). I was thinking about taking it to a sawmill and taking out a load of belly wood from it in order to make backed bows but then I heard that its really better as a core wood - and in any case got too busy making hickory/lemonwood bows because I found them an easier(not to mention cheaper) learning experience.

The questions I have are
1) Do I need to pay strict attention to the grain or can I just take it out along the length and not worry too much where the growth rings are.
2) What do you reckon on it as a belly wood?

Sorry for going off thread, but I'd be grateful for your view.

Chris

PS Good luck with the 'primitives'

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