Author Topic: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?  (Read 1389 times)

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Offline IrishJay

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Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« on: October 27, 2021, 08:52:21 pm »
I'm finishing up rough out on this 74" apple stave. Limbs are 1 7/8" wide only tapering in the last 7". It has natural deflex in it, and I can't makeup my mind if I want to try to heat it out or leave it be.

Thoughts?



"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline Fox

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2021, 10:22:57 pm »
I'd probably heat it out, but I usually heat treat and add reflex anyway so up to you. 74" by 1 7/8"? you making a war bow? or something with a super long draw?
Why must we make simple things so complicated?

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2021, 10:35:19 pm »
Going for 55-60# @ 31".
"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

bownarra

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2021, 04:18:10 am »
Narrower it or shorten it a little. Apple is premium bow wood and doesn't need to be so big :)
Persoanlly I'd heat it out but be careful apple will check in a heartbeat :)

Offline stuckinthemud

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2021, 07:29:52 am »
Apple is the easiest wood of all to heat-bend, it will take very little heat to take that out. A word of caution, grown-in deflex can be very difficult to deal with as the wood really really really wants to be that shape and the heat treatment can pull straight out as soon as you start flexing it. It can be more effective to reflex a different part of the limb and live with the character

Offline sleek

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2021, 02:36:25 pm »
Deflex reduces a bows strain at full draw and can be a good tool to use if you are working an unfamiliar wood, or really want a bow to survive.  I'd leave the deflex personally.
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

Dont seek your happiness through the approval of others

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2021, 05:21:17 pm »
As always, the feedback is much appreciated. Just to guve everyone a better idea of what I'm thinking of doing, I was going to use this form. I'd leave the handle section alone and apply clamps to the outer limbs only. And, only tighten the clamps enough to pull the tips about .5" forward of the handle.

"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline Eric Krewson

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2021, 07:49:27 pm »
I would take it out in a heartbeat, a deflexed place in a reflexed or a straight limb is an anomaly you have to tiler around, it will always look like you have a hinge in the limb there.

Offline sleek

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2021, 08:01:46 pm »
Honestly, id take out that reflexed area and make the entire stave a deflex. The reflex looks like the anomaly in that stave.
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

Dont seek your happiness through the approval of others

Offline IrishJay

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2021, 11:16:13 pm »
I've had some durability issues with my past bows, with only 2 still being shootable. So with this one I wanted to get back to basics with a simple, wide, over built longbow. Durability and simplicity over speed for this build. That being said I dont want it to be a total dog either. The only reason I'm worried about the deflex is that I'm afraid that with the extreme length and width it may make it too slow.
"The best camouflage pattern is called, 'Sit down and be quiet!' Your grandpa hunted deer in a red plaid coat, think about that for a second." - Fred Bear

Offline sleek

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2021, 01:15:43 am »
Thats  it too wide, bit long, but too wide, nah.
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

Dont seek your happiness through the approval of others

Offline simson

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #11 on: October 29, 2021, 02:43:03 am »
I would definitely heat that out!
Maybe this is helpful for you (look at dimensions): http://primitive-bows.com/86-apple-flatbow-tutti-frutti-7028-no-86/

good luck!
Simon
Bavaria, Germany

bownarra

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Re: Would you leave this deflex, or heat bend it out?
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2021, 02:49:20 am »
Thats  it too wide, bit long, but too wide, nah.

apple can be made to similar dimension to osage. It is dense, hard and very elastic.
Trust me leaving it 1 3/4 wide is highly unlikely to be necessary, especially with some deflex....
so too long, too wide and deflexed....;)
Of course you can alter (reduce) these dimensions as you go but starting somewhere close to where you will likely end up is helpful :)