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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: bowhunter15 on January 09, 2016, 02:37:00 PM

Title: Bow dimensions. 1st string vs 2nd string wood
Post by: bowhunter15 on January 09, 2016, 02:37:00 PM

I've read that when building bows out of woods like red oak, or other woods with low SG, you need to make them wider than you would a dense wood bow like osage or ipe. Does that hold true for laminated bows as well? Or just self bows?

Making a practice hickory/cherry/red oak bow short with heavy R/D and would like to know if I should build it wider than normal? I don't care about draw weight, just whether or not it would crack trying to make 56" long and say 1.375 to 0.5 wide, which are the dimensions I plan on trying for the eventual bamboo/walnut/osage.

Title: Re: Bow dimensions. 1st string vs 2nd string wood
Post by: Bowjunkie on January 09, 2016, 03:07:00 PM

The same basic theory applies. A lesser wood on the belly needs more surface area to resist compression forces than a better wood.

So, yes, a hickory/cherry/red oak bow should be wider and/or thinner than a bamboo/walnut/osage.

Depending on draw weight and draw length, I might go 1 1/2" like you said, where the same could be done with 1 1/4" with boo/walnut/osage.

I might even swap out the oak for another piece of hickory.