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newbie hickory bow

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tahirsdt:
Hi guys, I'm a newbie to making bows, need some advice on making my first bow.
I have a hickory board that is 2" wide (iv been told that should be a good width for a hickory bow) and 2.4m long. Firstly I'd like to know should I use a pyramid style layout or should I usea layout where it starts to taper after mid limb? And is my 2" width suitable? What length should I go for?was thinking around 1.7m. Keeping in mind that I would prefer something easy to make and shoot as this is my first bow.thanks

RyanY:
Well the first thing you need to do is figure out what draw weight and draw length you want it and also if you want a bow with a stiff handle or one that flexes throughout its length.

tahirsdt:
Well the most I can draw is around 26" and because I'm new to archery I'm not sure what weight I can shoot to because I've shot lighter bows so far but because I'm average height and build I would guess I could do 50# maybe? As for the handle I'm not sure, that's what I plan to ask here, what would be easier to build and shoot as a first bow? Thanks for the help btw!

steve b.:
You new guys that jump right in and start building bows with minimal instruction, impress me.  The 2" and 1.7 m are good numbers.  Generally a D-bow, or one that bends slightly through the handle is more complicated than a rigid handle.  The pyramid is a little more complicated too.  So I would go with the rigid handle and parallel bow.  Just don't make a bow that you are pulling as hard as you can in order to get it to bend because you might be capable of pulling 60+ lbs. and that might cause the bow problems.  Not sure.  Better to just overbuild the first bow in order to get all the moves down and then make some better later.

So make it long and wide and make the handle and tips rigid and tiller it for increasing bend from handle to tips.  Don't worry about cutting in a shelf.  You can glue one on later.  I just finished an oak bow almost identical to yours that came out very light.  If you want some pics of that or any more help let me know.

sb

RyanY:
If you've never shot before I'd go with 40#@26" or maybe even a little lighter. Not that you couldn't shoot a 50-60# bow right now but the lighter weight will help your endurance and form.

A lot of guys recommend a stiff handle bow to start off with but the only problem is making sure that the handle stays glued on. But if your board is deep enough then you may not have to glue on the handle. Either way I think 1.7m is a good length. If I were you I'd suggest the bendy handle bow. Here's the dimensions I'd use. 1.5" wide for the middle two feet, then tapering to 1.25" wide over the next foot, and finally to 1/2" wide at the nock. As for your thickness taper I'd start with 3/4" thick for the middle foot and then tapering straight to 1/2" thick at the nocks.

When tillering the bow make sure the bend is almost like the arc of a circle but with a slightly stiffer handle section.

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