hey guys, i have a question. more outta curiosity than anything else really. could one increase the draw weight on a fiberglass laminate bow by adding another layer of glass to the back and belly of the bow? like i said, i am more curious than anything.
Don't know about glass, but with wood you can just add another lam of 1/8" or whatever you need to increase another 7# or so.
You'd have better results by cutting new string grooves and shortening the length of the bow. Adding more glass would have less predictable effects and would likely overshoot your intended weight increase.
I have added another layer of glass on two occasions. Both times were first builds of new to me design and my swag was off. Figured I had nothing to loose, mine were way to light to cut off a couple of inches. I don't recall the beginning weight but mid twenties I think, I added .030 glass and turned out around fifty pounds. Still shooting well after several years. If you only need a few pounds I would try piking but, if not well, nothing to lose.
i can tell you my first attempt on a bow the glass slid a 1/4" off the back , i didnt know to put tabs to keep it from sliding , lesson learned. so after building a bow i could use i went back and added another piece of glass to the back of the bow.the bow is a 64" r/d longbow , original target weight was 55# @ 28" after adding glass on the back it added 10#.
so it would add to the draw weight by atleast 10#? would it work for a recurve...im asking because im curious if its possible on a recurve...the bow is 41# and isnt worth much so im willing to try something to bring it up to maybe 50# ish...i can shoot 60# so im not to worried about the weight gain...lol