Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Holmegaard build along
adb:
If you don't get this first line straight, your bow will end up with the nocks and handle not lining up, causing limb twist, and all manner of nasty gremlins. If you're building a pyramid, and you're 1" out at the bottom, it's going to be 10' out at the top. Take your time, and get this part right!
After you have your string centered, and pulled tight and clamped, mark some reference points with a pencil. Remove the string, and draw your line. Eyeball down the line, and check that it's straight... dead straight. Trust your eye, it has an unbelievable ability to see nonuniformity.
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adb:
Next, I'll measure 33" from the center line to establish each limb length. As you can see, the center line is not exactly in the middle of the board's end. This doesn't matter. That's because the board isn't exactly straight... your line is straight.
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adb:
First profile will be the handle. I like them to be 4". It's a good fit for most hands, and I like to keep it as short as possible, to allow for more working limb length. More on that later. So, from your center line, measure each direction 2". I also make the handle 1" wide. Mark that out, as well. Keep things straight, and square.
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adb:
From here, I make the fades 2".
With osage, I'm only making the limbs 1.5" wide. White woods (hickory, maple, elm) would require a wider working limb width.., at least 2-2.5".
So, from your center line, draw your working limb lines 1.5" wide, and connect these with the 1" handle width. Sorry, I cut off the last bit of the fade profile, but we'll see it better later.
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adb:
From here, I usually establish the length of the outer, non-bending, limb portions. Regardless of overall length, i never make these more than 12". Your final product has to be functional, but it also has to be pleasing to the eye, at least for me.
For this bow, I'm making the outer limbs 11" total. So, with 1/2" pin nocks, they'll be 10.5" long.
The fades, from bending inner working limb, to outer non-bending limb, are also 2". How did I arrive at these dimensions? Trial & error. The bow has to be proportionate.
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