What is trapping?

[Lovec]

I've seen this term used a few times, but I don't know what it means.   :confused:

[Col HJ]

Is putting a "trapezoidal" profile on the limbs to counter or take advantage of a particular woods compression or tension properties

[Lovec]

Ok, I understand now.  Thanks.

[Pat B]

Trapping is making the cross section of the limb a trapizoidal shape, generally with the belly being wider than the back.

[Swissbow]

It's used to loose draw weight if you don't want to go narrower with your limbs or to reduce mass in the tips without loosing to much draw weight. There are people that claim that a bow with limbs trapped towards the back of the bow has more cast than one trapped towards the belly ore one without trapping.

----------
Andy

[jsweka]

As far as glass laminated bowyers go, some trap towards the back, some towards the belly.

I'd like to see an experiment where two bows are made with the exact same materials and design, but one is trapped towards the back and one towards the belly and see the differences in cast between the two.

[Balding Kansan]

It's what I used to enjoy until fur prices went in the crapper w/ the economy and gas prices skyrocketed.

Sorry guys...couldn't resist.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by jsweka:
As far as glass laminated bowyers go, some trap towards the back, some towards the belly.

I'd like to see an experiment where two bows are made with the exact same materials and design, but one is trapped towards the back and one towards the belly and see the differences in cast between the two.

You see glass bows trapped to the belly mostly to remove mass weight in the outer limb without loosing draw weight. if you did that with a wood bow the back tension would over power the belly compression....

On a glass bow you can loose torsional stability if you trap to the belly too much in the working section of the limb. If you trap to the back on a glass bow you loose too much of the draw weight to mass ratio..... tiz not worth the trade off IMO

[Lovec]

When you say "trapped to the belly"  does that mean the belly is wider than the back or vice versa?

[Swissbow]

Trapped to the belly means that the belly is narrower than the back.

----------
Andy