How do you determine the lenght of your handle for your longbow.I see some people use 12"
through 18".Is it preference,shape of the bow,lenght,type of woods,materials?Hope this isn't a dumb question!
Ernie
The style of bow has a lot to do with how long the riser needs to be. A Hill Style bow will have a shorter riser than a R/D longbow. The lenth of the riser is part of the formula used to get the desired poundage. Also a shorter riser will give you a longer working limb resulting in a smoother drawing bow.
So,if i'm going with a Hill style, 68" bow out of Ipe and Bamboo,want it around #50lbs.Would a 16" riser be about right?
Ernie
16" is what I use, but I think the bows made by Craig Ekin and John Shulz are/were shorter.
Here's a pic of one of my risers just after glue-up and sanding off the glue boogers.
(http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/ae23/jsweka/BowBuild/CAM_1733.jpg)
On my BBI I put in a power lam about 10 to12 inches long.
Then the handle is 4 inches plus 2 inches for each fade.
I glue the handle on in 1/8 to 1/4 inch slats, usually,four with each layer getting shorter from the original 8 inches.
Mine are R/D shaped this way I can bend the stack to match the concave shape at the center of the bow.
I alternate the pieces with Osage and walnut for visual effect.
Your desired weight can be reached at the 16" riser just as it could be reached with a 14" or 18". Each of those will require a different stack thickness to reach your desired weight. The trick is figuring out your stack.
I generally use an 18" and follow the bingham guidelines for stack to acheive the desired weight. Their stack recommendations are for a 1.5" wide bow.
Having no experience calculating results with a shorter riser, I'll leave that for a braver soul than I! :D
I guess I'm a bit confused. Are we talking glass bows or bamboo backed?
I just checked my bamboo backed bows and the longest is 12 inches and usually never over 9 or 10 inches.
I can't see any reason on a longbow for a bulky handle.
On a glass bow a heavier longer riser adds to stability and helps with hand shock.
This particular bow is a bamboo backed bow.
Ernie
I agree with Mac