LOOKS NICE

Pat B,

Do you have any pictures of the form you used to recurve the tips?

I want to build one of these next and can't find a good form design for bending the tips.

Thx

This isn't the same form(different curve) but the same basic idea.

Good work, Pat.  That is a nice weapon!!!
Wells

Thanks Pat...

This helps...a couple of additional questions for you.

1. What dimensions do you rough the bow to before you put it in the form...specifically what width and thickness on the tips?  I've read that leaving tips wider and thicker helps with handshock.  

2. What length of the stave do you start with - something in the low 60" range for a 28" draw?

3. What's the radius of the curve that you usually use?  In other words, what have you found to be the best curve from a shooting perspective and not raising splinters, etc?  

4. Tillering...I assume you bend the tips before you tiller.  Is that an accurate assumption?  Is there anything I need to be aware of during tiller that's different from tillering a longbow.

5. Backing - do you usually recommend backing these bows with rawhide, or something due to the more limited "working" part of the limb.

Sorry for the newbie questions, but I'm interested in doing this and want to learn as much as I can before I jump in.

I usually take the stave to floor tiller stage(tip movement of about 4")and leave the tips 1/2" to 3/4" wide and about 1/2" to 5/8" thick. After the bow is tillered I reduce the tip width to 3/8" at the string grove and about 1/2" through the curve. By reducing the width you can eliminate some of the physical weight of the tips thus reducing hand shock. It is the weight of the tips that contribute to hand shock, among other things. By leaving them thicker you still have the strength to support the curves. I try to get the working portion of the limb right up to the curve and right up to the handle. This particular bow bends through the handle.
I have made recurves(mostly osage but a few hickories too) from 60"t/t up to about 66"t/t. I pull 26"(but tiller to 28") and usually between 55# to 60#. You want your stave to be the length of the ultimate bow before you bend the tips.
  I never measured the radius. I just play with it until I find what I like. I have used a large coffee can to trace the radius but I use different radius for different bows depending on how I feel at the moment. Very scientific. If your bend is too tight, boiling is probably the best way to go to prevent splintering but it still happens sometime. If you boil or steam dry wood, you should seal it first with shellac to prevent the moisture from entering the dry wood. I prefer to use a heat gun with oil.I mount the tips in the form, clamp the belly support strap to the limb and heat until gravity begins to pull the bow down. Then I know it is hot enough to bend.
  You have to realize that by recurving the tips you are putting the working portion of the limbs under more stress. You want the best wood you can find to make recurves. I have backed recurves with rawhide and sinew but not all of them. If you have a good, clean back ring, backing is not necessary.

Pat I always ck your post , I just love looking at all the bows you build . Great job

Thanks Wahoo. Fun ain't it?