Question to the Pro Bowyers?

[cacciatore]

You professional bowyers, do you think that for some reasons a certain bow,with the same specs like the hundreds similar ones,can have for unknown reasons some better performances than the average ones?...And can you guess what makes such a difference?

[A.S.]

[Gen273]

   

[jsweka]

     

I'll be watching this one.

[Mike Mecredy]

Lots of things, materials can come into play, the length of the riser, the mass of the limbs, the string material.  I've never used carbon or foam cores, but I've heard that if you incorporate those into the limbs they'll perform better than the same bow without it.  Also different woods perform better thna others.  Limb profiles come into play.  Less mass at the tips, make a faster shooting bow.

[jess stuart]

I am certainly not an expert.  I will offer an idea that I think has some merit.  I have in the past built one or two bows that just seemed to shoot perfect for me, nothing I could ever measure or put my finger we just meshed.  Unfortunately I sold or donated them, always thought I could build anohter just like them.  Which I did they just don't seem to shoot as well for me.  So yes I think cetain bows have mojo for some and not for others.

[wingnut]

Yep, every once and awhile you run into a hot set of limbs or a hot bow.  It could be the glass or carbon or it could be the bamboo.  But for some reason it shoots a bunch faster then the norm.

Mike

[Sixby]

Having built a lot of carbon bows when you get a bow that is less than spectacular or is more than good it is usually the carbon if your build is all else equal . You did kind of state it that way. All things similar build but an exceptional bow. Either glass or carbon is usually the culprit. Cores can make way more difference than most believe. However we are making the assumption of the same build. That would mean using same core material. Temp range of cook and cooling time could make some difference too.
When you micrometer every lam and glass and carbon and all components the same It almost has to be glass strength or carbon strength.
I know that Kirk and I have had to carefully assess each different batch of carbon though and find it very difficult to get exactly the same stuff every time . Different carbon mfgs and quality vary from being no better than glass of same thickness to being almost three times as strong.
Therefore I usually build a proto or stock bow with each batch of carbon in order to test it out and know how it is working.

God bless and have a great New Year. Steve

[eflanders]

I am not a pro bowyer but as others have said, there are lots of subtle material differences from lot to lot even though you have ordered the same material from the same producer to the same specifications.  It doesn't matter what material you use either.  All materials can and often do vary from production lot to production lot even with all man-made materials.  But don't forget that no two trees are ever the same and even the same log will vary in strength from the outer layers to the inner layers.

[Rick Wiltshire]

This is why, when I am at a shoot and find a bow that I like I BUY IT and do not have one built to my specs.  In my experience, the bows I have had built never seem to shoot the same as the one I shot at the shoot.

[KentuckyTJ]

Felix, your wonderings are correct. I have had a bow and had two identical sets of wood core limbs at the same pounds that were vastly different.

I do think most bowyers have got the process down pretty well where their bows are consistent. When I went to visit Bill Dunn I shot many different bows of all his models and they were very consistent from model to model.

Good thread hope some other bowyers chime in...

[ron w]

For some reason it seems that the bows I have that have black glass seem a cut above in performance. I may be nuts, but it seems that way.

[cacciatore]

Ron,I heard something about the glass color that confirm what you are saying!

[TxAg]

This is an interesting thread. I'm tuned in.

[legends1]

I agree with all my fellow bowyers, only thing I may add is tapper rate and parallel.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I cannot add a thing to what's already been said except when you do get that exceptionally hot set of limbs now and then without any red line activity going on.  it will drive you absolutely nuts trying to figure out how to do it again consistently...    

[Bow man]

Originally posted by Kirkll:
I cannot add a thing to what's already been said except when you do get that exceptionally hot set of limbs now and then without any red line activity going on.  it will drive you absolutely nuts trying to figure out how to do it again consistently...      

Yeah we have all tried so many times to figure it out.

[Sixby]

Next time I get one I will keep it and build another bow for my customer. NOttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!


God bless you all and Happy New Year, Steve

[cacciatore]

TTT more bowyers must be here!

[FerretWYO]

Interesting thread Felix.