Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: punch on July 08, 2015, 11:03:42 pm
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I haven't built a bow in awhile so it's time to start again. This is actually two questions since I will be building two bows. I need to make a 25#ish bow for my wife and a 55# to 60# for myself. My wife is 5'3" with a 23" draw. What dimensions would you recommend. I have a 30-31" draw how long should I make my bow. I was planning on using maple lumber. This will be my first time making a mollie.
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Punch, send half eye a PM and I'm confident he will help you. He is very knowledgeable about Mollegabet bows and how to design them....great guy too.
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I always go with 10" levers nowadays, good length for lateral stability at low width. No taper in the working limbs so every inch should bend the same as the next. Count the levers as part of the working limb, yes they put more stress on the inner than bendy outer limbs but not by so much that I've had to build them any longer than my other shorties.
If you rough out the belly with a hatchet or machete start at one fade and work toward the middle of the working limb, then finish from the other fade. I usually start with the grip end and finish with the lever end.
I make my outer fades 1" long and they taper to about the width of my thumb at the base of the levers. I start my width taper an inch or two from the base and worth the tips down to about 1/4" by the time I'm at low brace, a bit less when it's all said and done. I work down the thickness after establishing width a few scrapes at a time, checking the brace and draw until there's just the tiniest hint of bend at the base of the levers.
Overlays are essential and in my book side nocks are just unnecessary weight.
It might not be completely true to the artifact but we don't actually have all that much of the bow >:D
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Depends on what wood your using? ??? And are both for target shooting? Or ya gonna use yours to hunt?? ???
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It might not be completely true to the artifact but we don't actually have all that much of the bow >:D
The more recent discovery is much more complete and confirms the speculation as to the typical shape.
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Nobody knows lever bows like Blackhawk. That hurt me to say :) , but its true as Ive seen way too many examples in way too many varieties of wood.
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Nobody knows lever bows like Blackhawk. That hurt me to say :) , but its true as Ive seen way too many examples in way too many varieties of wood.
Don't hurt me one bit to say it
nobody I know understands them like Blackhawk does
Huiseme also does fine work
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The more recent discovery is much more complete and confirms the speculation as to the typical shape.
Huh, I must have missed it. More than the limb portion and base of the lever, or is that the more recent discovery?
Blackhawk has probably made twice as many lever bows as I and seems to post his more often, his post history is a gold mine ;D
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The more recent discovery is much more complete and confirms the speculation as to the typical shape.
Huh, I must have missed it. More than the limb portion and base of the lever, or is that the more recent discovery?
Blackhawk has probably made twice as many lever bows as I and seems to post his more often, his post history is a gold mine ;D
Yeah, all of one limb plus the handle and a good portion of the other limb as well.
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I always go with 10" levers nowadays, good length for lateral stability at low width. No taper in the working limbs so every inch should bend the same as the next. Count the levers as part of the working limb, yes they put more stress on the inner than bendy outer limbs but not by so much that I've had to build them any longer than my other shorties.
If you rough out the belly with a hatchet or machete start at one fade and work toward the middle of the working limb, then finish from the other fade. I usually start with the grip end and finish with the lever end.
I make my outer fades 1" long and they taper to about the width of my thumb at the base of the levers. I start my width taper an inch or two from the base and worth the tips down to about 1/4" by the time I'm at low brace, a bit less when it's all said and done. I work down the thickness after establishing width a few scrapes at a time, checking the brace and draw until there's just the tiniest hint of bend at the base of the levers.
Overlays are essential and in my book side nocks are just unnecessary weight.
It might not be completely true to the artifact but we don't actually have all that much of the bow >:D
I've never made a Molly, but I was a bit worried by your "no taper in the working limbs" statement...
I felt this can't be right... Google pulled up this old PA thread where Rich (Half Eye) suggest a degree of taper... not a lot, and ... heck I shouldn't be spouting other people's opinion :-[.
Read it yourselves... it made a heap of sense to me. (It's his second post... number 7 I think)
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=33491.0 (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=33491.0)
Del
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Whoops, I meant no width taper, I definitely tiller with thickness :o
You can see the taper pretty well here.
(http://i.imgur.com/IhI1ES3.jpg)
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here ya go....have fun
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So any suggestions on the width and or length? I was thinking 68 non but not sure how wide it should be.
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What wood are you useing, personally I'd try and get maple but the wood dictates dimensions
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Most of my locust molles feel best around or just under 1.5" wide with low crown. 68" for a 28" draw should be fine, even a little longer than I'd go but that's no problem for the molle ;D
You da man Half Eye!
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So any suggestions on the width and or length? I was thinking 68 non but not sure how wide it should be.
Your working limb width will depend on what percentage of the length of a limb your devoting to being a lever. Longer the lever the wider your working limbs need to be. Lately I've come to the conclusion of liking my levers 33-40% of the length of the limb as a lever. And making the width of the working limb parallel for 6-8"(pending on the bows stats) and then gently tapering to the transitional fades into the levers. It makes it easier to transition from working limb to lever this way,and creates less mass in that area....plus it just looks smoother aesthetically. For yours with maple lumber I'd go a full 2" wide for 6-8" then gently taper to 11/4" at the start of the lever fade...make the lever fade 1 1/2" long and 7/8" wide parallel to the tips for rough starting dimensions...you can reduce them later after you know where your string is tracking. Make your levers an 1/8" thicker than the thinnest part of your working limbs(should be right before the levers) for starters to get ya in the ball park for rough dimensions. Once tillered reduce at your own risk...lol.
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This thread has been bunch of help. Thanks! Bookmarked it, but within couple weeks I forget that it's bookmarked and waste time doing searches or, worse, ask same question. ??? ::)
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Thanks for the replies. I might be able to start tomorrow.
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Let me say I know little to nothing about mollies.
I did want to mention though that a 23" draw is more typical for someone of 4'10" than 5'3". Her draw should be more like 25" if she has normal limb proportion I would think.
My point is I would build the bow for the greater of the two draw lengths unless you're absolutely sure about the 23". Also people's draw length, especially with trad bows, sometimes increases as they shoot more, develop form and also build strength. So if she's not done a lot of shooting, it may increase.
Couple extra inches of bow may save you trouble later, that's all.
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Thanks for the replies. I might be able to start tomorrow.
Great!
Don't be bashful about posting pics of progress.
good luck!!