Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: make-n-break on December 17, 2016, 02:48:05 pm
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I have a few really nice Hackberry staves seasoned and ready. They're 72" long and real straight and clean. The one I've chosen has enough meat for just about any design. Before I ruin one of my nicest staves, does anyone think Hackberry can handle a heavyweight flat bow design? Im thinking 90ish at 27-28". I'm currently shooting between 75-80 pounders and I'm ready to start shooting something heavier.
I've made heavy trilams over 100#, but never a heavyweight flat bow from white wood. I need some pointers from the veteran bowyers on an efficient design or maybe some rough width and length dimensions.
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I've never made any that heavy and only use white wood when that's all I've got. Only advice I can give is go wide and longer.are you 7' tall?
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If a wood can make a bow it can make any weight of bow really.
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Haha nope, 6'1" :P.
Hmmm.. maybe 68" long, stiff handle, 2" or 2.5" wide to half way out the limbs? I'm not experienced
with unusually heavy flat bows so I'm not sure where to start for an efficient design.
I did one with a clean piece of hickory a couple years ago that came out to 84@28 and iirc was 2.5 wide and 68 long. It was more of a straight taper to the tips and the fades ended up with too much stress. The upper let go rather violently at FD right at the fade after about 200-300 arrows.
I know it seems kinda pointless to go so heavy, but I've always kinda liked H. Hill's thoughts on the matter:
"I started with a bow that I could pull easily. By practicing constantly and gradually increasing the pull of my bows, I developed, over a period of years, the muscles to pull very heavy bows with no undue strain. For many years I could handle perfectly bows pulling up to 100 pounds at 28 inches, though my favorite weight for hunting was between 80-90 pounds."
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well ok,, take the width you make a 50 # bow and double it,,
when you get it strung and start to tiller you can always side tiller if the mass is too much,,
but start with the design overbuilt, and fine tune from there,,I am sure it will make a fine bow,, just getting it braced the first time gonna be a bit of a strain,, :)
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My first Hackberry bow was 90 pounds at 28 inches and over a hundred at 32 inches. It was 76 inches long but only an inch and a quarter wide at its widest. It was quite thick and more of a D bow or Warbow. My experience with Hackberry is that it always takes set whether 40 pounds or 90 pounds but seems to be almost unbreakable, I have very much abused it.
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well being as your inspiration is Howard Hill and his heavy bows, why not build a hh style bow. The dimensions are in the book hunting the hard way
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Brad, sounds like a good start! I like that idea.
Raylbird, I hear ya. I'm fairly new to hackberry and only built a couple with it but I'm impressed by the abuse it can take.
Bubby I do really like the Hill style bows. I've taken on a little bit of an obsession with self bows though! They enrich the archery experience for me!
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You can use any design but the key is starting width enough/long enough then side tiller,reduce length as you go. Watching the set is key. A Pyramid is normally where I start with a new wood because they are easy to keep strained evenly.
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I also like the idea of gaining some muscle and shooting heavy. Apparently they could tell the archers from the foot soldiers in old battles they dig up because the archers develop thicker bones in their arms from bracing heavy bows. I think i read somewhere that the bows for mongol warriors were almost always above 100 lbs and frequently got up to 160 lbs.
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Brad, sounds like a good start! I like that idea.
Raylbird, I hear ya. I'm fairly new to hackberry and only built a couple with it but I'm impressed by the abuse it can take.
Bubby I do really like the Hill style bows. I've taken on a little bit of an obsession with self bows though! They enrich the archery experience for me!
The bow build I'm talking about is a selfbow😃
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Gfugal, I've read similar reports. I find that type of stuff very interesting. If the warriors of the past could easily handle well over 100#, I don't see any reason why I can't too!
Well shoot now I'm gonna have to order 'Hunting the Hard Way' bubby. That's one I've always meant to add to the library and never got around to it. Thanks!