Stacking

[gudspelr]

I got to shoot my first bow today for its first good round (only shot a couple prior to putting finish on).  I shot about 50 arrows and it was FUN.  My back's a little sore-probably from the 63#'s I'm not used to pulling...

So here's the question-when building a bow what gives you the best chance at not having it stack so much?  Mine's not terrible, but I can certainly feel a definite rise in the resistance the last few inches.  Is it the amount of taper, materias used, etc.?  Just in case it matters, mine's a R/D longbow, 64" nock to nock, glass belly/back and actionwood throughout.

Do the different materials used also give the 'smoother' draw I've felt in some bows?  Thanks for the help-just thinking to the future bows....      


Jeremy

[TheFatboy]

Design, length, width, thickness... and I'm guessing that a good tiller is very crucial.

That aside, bows made of conifers (yew, juniper...) feel really smooth to draw, in my opinion    

[4est trekker]

A lot has to do with the angle at which the string approaches the tips when at draw.  The less the angle, the less stacking will occur.  If you use a stringer for your bow you can recreate this effect.  If you put your foot on the center of the string and pull you'll notice it's a lot smoother to pull than if you spread your feet out about two feet, at which point it's much harder to draw and brace the bow.  

Generally, longer and/or recurved bows have less stack because the string angle will be less at full draw. Also, slightly stiffer tips (or even static tips) work to reduce stack because they work as efficient levers to bend the inner 2/3 of the limb, all the while reducing string angle.  Of course, this all depends on your draw length, the bow's materials, etc.

Here's a picture of the smoothest-drawing bowing I own.  It's a horse bow that I finished several months ago.  Notice the string angle at full draw and the way that the siyahs work at stiff levers.  VERY efficient, smooth, fast design.

 

Hope my $0.02 helps.  Others will no doubt shed more light on the subject.

[Jeremy]

Originally posted by 4est trekker:
A lot has to do with the angle at which the string approaches the tips when at draw.

Yup.  As the angle at the tips approaches 90 degrees the bow will start to pick up weight faster.

Thing is, a lot of people mistake finger pinch for stacking.  
I can't stand finger pinch and don't shoot bows shorter than 60" comfortably for any length of time.  I've shot bows where the owner tells me "this thing stacks" and it's smooth out to my draw (30+")... they're just noticing the finger pinch (string angle at the fingers).

[Pat B]

That's a very good explanation, 4est! String angle at full draw is the main cause for stacking.

[gudspelr]

Thanks guys-I appreciate the explanation, it makes sense.  By the way, great looking bow, 4est.  Don't suppose we could get some specs on it?  Is that horn or a different wood for the siyahs?


Jeremy

[George Tsoukalas]

Very nice, 4est.  Yes, and whip tillered bows will stack  unless they are left extra long and done so on purpose.I like the bending to at least start at the end  of the fades. So that's why bows that bend in the handle can be made shorter.  gudspier, I assume you are talking selfbows. Jawge

[mater]

To much overall taper also makes them stack. On short bows I have been using all parallel lams with very good resalts.