Overbuilt?

[simk]

That ist my recent 77# @ 34 paddle bow. I had a hard time deciding what length would be appropriate for this project and went with 73" ntn. Better safe than sorry  what ya think? Overbuilt?

Btw: Extremly orange, heavy and dense Osage Orange we have here, from Hungary. Comes from a sapling, maybe 15yrs old - maybe this one comes from the same tree as my 2021 bow of the year. plenty of thorn clusters all over the belly but none visible on the back.   

[simk]

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[simk]

thanks for watching!

[JW_Halverson]

It certainly exhibits all of your usual elements of graceful flowing lines and attention to finishing detail. Tiller, as usual, so close to perfect that I couldnt say what - if anything - is wrong with it. That just leaves performance and "feel". I can't shoot it and feel how it reacts in the hand, so that's up to you to report, but I doubt there is any problem with this bow in that department.

While I may not comment on every bow you post, I NEVER skip anything you offer us. I'd even admit to taking notes if I am being honest. Thank you for sharing, brother. Always appreciate your work.

[Badger]

  I wonder how far that can shoot with a 34" draw? Looks great and not overbuilt at all. I would have been at about 78".

[Robert Pougnier]

That's a really beautiful bow. I've never built a paddle bow or a bow that long but it does not look overbuilt to me. That looks like a serious shooter.
It's pretty cool to see the paddle bow built on something this long in any case.

[sleek]

There is almost no such thing as overbuilt. To qualify for that, the bow will firstly take absolutely no set, it will shoot slower than it should, and likely have some hand shock.

Almost all bows are underbuilt. I made a program to tell you how much to build your bow based on density and draw weight. As soon as I am able it will be attached to this site as a feature.

That is a beautiful bow too, your craftsmanship is superb. Did it take any set?

[superdav95]

There is almost no such thing as overbuilt. To qualify for that, the bow will firstly take absolutely no set, it will shoot slower than it should, and likely have some hand shock.

Almost all bows are underbuilt. I made a program to tell you how much to build your bow based on density and draw weight. As soon as I am able it will be attached to this site as a feature.

That is a beautiful bow too, your craftsmanship is superb. Did it take any set?

Well said.  +1.  Looks very well built. 

[Hamish]

Well executed bow. Looks really good. 34" is a long draw, so its unlikely to be overbuilt at 73" btn. The real test is how it performs and whether it has too much hand shock. I bet it shoots just fine.

[bjrogg]

That is a really nice bend. I agree. At 34” draw it doesn’t look overbuilt

Bjrogg

[Jim Davis]

Very nice job, but I beg to differ on the type.

The following definition is how I have always seen a "paddle bow" described:

A paddle bow is a short (typically), wide-limbed, and, or sinew-backed bow historically used by Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest for hunting in dense brush. Characterized by wide limbs (often) that resemble paddles, these bows are designed for short draw lengths and high efficiency at close range, frequently featuring short, stiff recurves.

[Selfbowman]

Nice bow and no on overbuilt. If I would have built it it would have been about 2-1/2” wide at the fades and about 74-76” long on that draw length.

[Pat B]

Very nice bow and well executed. 

[medicinewheel]

Very nice bow and well executed. 

+1

[simk]

thanks very much guys. I originally thought about making it 70"ntn and I think it would have worked. however a longer draw imho imho does matter more than drawweight for the minimal length - and 34" indeed is a lot. but everything is just a rough guess here of course, not my usual class. I didnt even try to shoot an arrow that bow even if could  maybe draw it a 27". But I made similar design warbows that work pretty good.

Jim, the paddle design seems around all over the world since stoneage and was made in lengths from 50"-80" - for me the paddle is the most sophisticaed and logic design of all bows around. It just represents the pure idea of the bend following the front profile. It just makes a lots of sense