Why is my bow so loud?

[paulsemp]

Try raising brace height.

[Badger]

     Bare shaft testing is a very useful tool, but it has to be done right. The first step is to make sure the arrow is not bouncing off of the bow. If it is hitting the bow all bets are off. The arrow he is using is grossly overspined in any world I have ever been to. I will just leave it at good luck and maybe you can mask the problems instead of fixing them. Overspined arrows will often kick to the right and read as underspined if they are so far off to bounce off the bow which I am pretty sure what is happening in this case.

[WhistlingBadger]

     Bare shaft testing is a very useful tool, but it has to be done right. The first step is to make sure the arrow is not bouncing off of the bow. If it is hitting the bow all bets are off. The arrow he is using is grossly overspined in any world I have ever been to. I will just leave it at good luck and maybe you can mask the problems instead of fixing them. Overspined arrows will often kick to the right and read as underspined if they are so far off to bounce off the bow which I am pretty sure what is happening in this case.

I misspoke above; got mixed up with another bow I'm working on.  These arrow shafts are static-spined 40-45#.  So?  I think I did that part right.

[WhistlingBadger]

It sounds like the arrow is hitting the bow to me too. (Alternate post-April Fool's theory: The air displacement from the string is causing the brim of your hat to crack like a whip.  Try a John Deere cap with the brim backwards.  If that works, and you really want to learn about making bows, you can rotate the brim forward by 5 degree increments until it starts making noise again, back off 5 degrees, make a note of that angle in your bowmaking journal, then switch to a wool watch cap.)

Tim!  I missed this one somehow.  Thanks for the laugh.  But let's suppose it is the arrow hitting the bow.  How does one know for sure, and what does one do about that?

[Badger]

  Start with the basics
  1. Weight of your arrow
  2. Tip weight
  3. length of your arrow
  4. How wide is the arrow pass ( how far from center)
  5. draw weight at your draw.

  In your case you said the bow has some twist. This can give you some trouble so you need to verify your grip position. Hold the bow loosely in your bow hand, pull it back several inches and then grip it hard. Now look and see if it is in the same position you would normally hold it. Just a little bit off here can affect your spine and the handshock and this would be my biggest suspicion for this particular bow.

[bjrogg]

I just watched your video. On my phone so not the greatest view or sound quality.

It does seem like a lot of wrist slap.

Like Paul suggested maybe raise your brace height

Also it looked like when you notched your arrow it was fairly close to center shot. (Remember I’m just looking on my phone.

A wide handle doesn’t necessarily mean you need a weaker spine if your string alignment is not centered.

If you put an arrow notched at same point, but opposite side of handle does it look further from center shot?

That’s sometimes how I test my string alignment.

Your arrow spine might be correct, but the string alignment might be a problem for wrist slap.

Still a pretty bow Thomas. Sure hope you can figure it out.

Bjrogg

[WhistlingBadger]

I just watched your video. On my phone so not the greatest view or sound quality.

It does seem like a lot of wrist slap.

Like Paul suggested maybe raise your brace height

Also it looked like when you notched your arrow it was fairly close to center shot. (Remember I’m just looking on my phone.

A wide handle doesn’t necessarily mean you need a weaker spine if your string alignment is not centered.

If you put an arrow notched at same point, but opposite side of handle does it look further from center shot?

That’s sometimes how I test my string alignment.

Your arrow spine might be correct, but the string alignment might be a problem for wrist slap.

Still a pretty bow Thomas. Sure hope you can figure it out.

Bjrogg

It is fairly close to center shot, because with all the bends, the string is off center toward the right side of the handle.  Does that make sense?  This photo exaggerates it because it's hanging on an arrow, but gives you a pretty good idea.

  In your case you said the bow has some twist. This can give you some trouble so you need to verify your grip position. Hold the bow loosely in your bow hand, pull it back several inches and then grip it hard. Now look and see if it is in the same position you would normally hold it. Just a little bit off here can affect your spine and the handshock and this would be my biggest suspicion for this particular bow.

Not sure I'm following you, here, Badger.  Please clarify what I'd be looking for.  Do you suspect the handle is torquing and throwing off my grip?

I did raise the brace height to 6".  It helped a little.  I also tried putting a few 650 grain arrows through it last night.  It was a lot quieter, and I was able to read a magazine while I waited for the arrows to arrive at the target.   

Anyway...here's what I think I'll do.
1.  Put this thing back on the tillering tree and see if the tiller has gone wonky for some reason.  Several people think it sounds like the limbs are out of sync.
2.  Try Badger's grip/twist suggestion, if he can get through my thick skull what he's getting at.
3.  Keep trying to modify my form so the string isn't slapping my wrist.

[Badger]

 I will try and explain the grip suggestion. Most of us will grip the bow where the string lines up over the center. It is very easy to subconsciously try to hold it in that position. Your grip should be where the bow sits naturally when pulling on the string; even just a little off with a tight grip can make a big difference. If a bow has a little twist. it might line up real well, but want to go off when we pull the string. Limb timing in my opinion, has to be radically off to make much difference, if the limbs are sitting even at brace chances are that is not a problem; the string connects the two limbs and that keeps them pretty much exactly equal throughout. The exception is when, after the shot, the string loses all of its tension because of limb distorsion and that can cause some shock. The grip is the easiest to check and the easiest to correct. If you put all your specs in a spine calculator it will probably tell you 35# to 40# spine. What you are doing right now is very easy but you do have to follow some steps or you will be jumping all over the place. Your grip is the starting point, and finding the right spine is the next step.

[WhistlingBadger]

OK, Badger, that's kind of what I figured you were going for.  Make sure the handle isn't wanting to shift in my grip as I draw.  I pulled it to full draw several times, not gripping the handle at all, just letting it rest against the crook of my thumb.  I didn't feel any tendency to want to shift as I came to full draw.

I also held a level up as I let the bow hang horizontally from the string balanced on a finger tip, and I was surprised to find that the string actually is dead center on the handle at the arrow pass.

Limb timing?  I put it back on the tree, and it Looks like the upper limb is bending maybe a couple inches more than the lower at full draw.  Is that enough to cause the problem?  I don't think it would take more than a few scrapes to get the mid limb on the bottom (left) bending a bit more.  It's actually bending more than it looks like, as there's a pretty big kink into reflex there when it's unbraced.

[willie]

wonky staves are hard to judge from pics.
could you post a pic of the unbraced bow sitting in the saddle of your tiller tree so we can see the "big kink into reflex there when it's unbraced."

[bjrogg]

Hard to say from here, but looks like it is bending a little more than I would prefer right on inside of the hingy looking thing on left limb.

Honestly those ones I almost trust my fingers more than my eyes

Bjrogg

[WhistlingBadger]

wonky staves are hard to judge from pics.
could you post a pic of the unbraced bow sitting in the saddle of your tiller tree so we can see the "big kink into reflex there when it's unbraced."

Here you go.

[Eric Krewson]

Do you shot three under or split? I have had bows that were abnormally loud when I shot them three under but were quiet when shot split. Then again, I am not a good three under shooter but had to learn how to shoot that way to match bows to customers who had that preference.

[WhistlingBadger]

I shoot with split fingers.

[Badger]

  Have you tried flipping the bow over just to see how it acts and sounds? I was shocked when I saw all that reflex,
I would think that bow would have more speed in it than 145fps. Does it have high string tension at brace?