66" reflex-deflex hybrid longbow

[LittleBen]

This is basically the culmination of lots of trial and error on my trilam designs. Basically a standard r/d shape with tips flipped enough to just barely get string to limb contact.

Performance is excellent, accuracy is really great, and it'll draw to 30-31" without stacking or exploding.

This one is hickory back and core with an ipe belly. Chose hickory for eh core just cause I had a lot of it and it's cheap, although I do think it costs you a few FPS. I had the tip shear off of one with a walnut core so I'm trying to avoid that with a tougher core material, after all these are not flight bows so FPS is secondary to durability.

This is the third one built, the first went to my young cousin, the second to Fujimo (that lucky duck) and is one is going to a friend of my father in law who is an Amish woodworker up in NY. He's also getting some oak dowel arrows spine and weight matched to 5#spine and 10% mass. Average arrow weight 830-900gr    :D . Wanted to give him something that will perform well on game and be basically indestructible.

Specs: 66" AMO, 65# @ 30", 12strands of 8125 with padded loops. Bocote and curly maple riser with hickory accent stripe. Cut to center. 1.4" wide at fades, 1.25" at mid limb and 7/16" tips.

[LittleBen]

[bornofmud]

That is awesome!  Amazing work, would love to see a full draw pic as well!

[Pheonixarcher]

Very nice Ben! I like that one.

[LittleBen]

Full draw
 

First two shots at 20yds by Dave Grant aka Canopyboy
 

[timbermoose]

looks slick.

[takefive]

Very pretty.  Nice work, Ben    

[chall]

Looks great !

[bigbob2]

Very impressed!

[JGR1269]

That has some sexy curves Ben. Nice work!

[chackworth3]

That's a sweet bow!

[kennym]

NICE, Ben!!

[delongbows]

Sweet!!!

[mwosborn]

Very Nice!

[red hill]

Very nice, Ben! What is the thickness of the ipe?

[rockkiller]

Beautiful bow and nice shooting too.  

[jsweka]

Wow Ben!  It is really hard to believe that bow doesn't have glass in it.  You do some amazing things with just wood.

[LittleBen]

Hey thanks for all the kind words.

Stan, the ipe is .190" butt thickness with a .002 taper.
I try to keep all the lams roughly the same thickness so they bend easily. Core is around .175 w/ .002 taper. IIRCThe backing is slightly thinner at around .150 also with .002 taper. Backing is thinner just cause it had to bend more around the riser. Just makes life a little easier on glue up.

[LESKEN2011]

Sweet bow, Ben. I wish I could get as much out of my all wood bows as you. I sure would like to know the lam thicknesses and tapers, if you would be willing to share.

[canopyboy]

I was wondering when Ben was going to post about this bow. It truly is amazing to see in person, and hard to believe it's not glass. Those first two shots were at 25 yds I think? That bow has some karma too, because I don't shoot like that. We took it to 40 yds and I just assumed it'd drop and put the first arrow into the top of the target frame. It has some amazing cast for a non-glass bow.

Ben's a great case study in the "if you want to get better -- practice, practice, practice" mantra. The guy cranks a lot of bows out of his little apartment and each one turns out better than the last. Although at this point, I'm not sure how much better there is...