taking off weight

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I have a static tip recurve osage self bow that was built 10 lbs to heavy several years ago by a friend who has since stopped building bows. I'd like to find some  one who is skilled enough and willing to try and reduce it. Is it possible? any suggestions? The bow is 52 at 26 and should have been 42 at 26.

[SportHunter]

Very possible to reduce the weight. You'd be surprised how little wood you need to remove to lose the weight. Have any pics of the bow?

[macbow]

Agree very easy. Sanding would be my choice. Especially a palm sander. I,d suggest you do it yourself. I would do it with the bow strung and do the same amount on both limbs in the same areas evenly.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Get a sanding block with 50 grit on it. Take full length strokes from the handle to where the tips recurve. Count your strokes and repeat on the other limb. Contunie on until you liek the draw weight. Re-seal and your done.

[red hill]

PD, would that require re-tillering?

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

i will give it shot.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Originally posted by red hill:
PD, would that require re-tillering?

Nope. 10# is very little wood removal.

[red hill]

Thanks, Pearlie.

[J.F. Miller]

to lose 10 lbs I would start by going over the entire bow once or twice with a cabinet scraper, taking strokes the length of working portion of the limbs, belly and sides, and counting the strokes so you can remove equal amounts from both limbs. shoot the bow a bunch and check your progress. I've never found any virtue in removing stock with the bow braced. string just gets in the way of you tools. I would continue with cabinet scraper until I was within 5lbs of targetd weight. I wouldn't go below 80 grit paper, either. super coarse abrasives can put some awfully deep scratches in the wood that you may or may not be able to sand out as you go to finer grits as you approach your targeted weight. the most important thing is to remove equal amounts from both limbs so you don't affect tiller or balance.

[Roy Steele]

One thing you have to do is take the same amount off each limb as you go.
  I do this take a pencil and shade in the back of each limb in. Sand with 80 grit untill pencil marks are gone. Keep doing this untill you get to about 44 pounds. The last 3 pounds sand with 220 is what I use to get to finish. By the time you get the 80 grit marks out you'll be close to 42 pounds. If not keep penciling and sanding untill you get to 42 pounds.
  This the way I tiler also.

[Walt Francis]

My suggestion is you remove the weight under the watchful eye of an experienced bowyer.  My experience reducing a bow 10#’s is to treat it the same as tillering the last 3-4 inches of any selfbow, especially a recurve.   Depending on the amount of bend in the limb, and where it is, will affect where and how much wood to remove.  Removing wood evenly along the length of the limb will drastically change the tiller.  Think about it, if your tiller is dead on when it is 3” short of the draw length at the desired weight, do you remove wood evenly or in different locations to fineness it into desired arc?

Said another way, currently the limb varies in thickness and width which determines the arc and how the tips open when the bow is drawn.  Removing the same amount of wood throughout the limb will change the ratios of wood to thickness, thus causing it to bend more in thinner areas and less in thick areas.  

Go slow, be careful, use a judicious eye, and quit using the palm sander at around 5#’s above the weight, if you use one.  Oh yea, use 120 grit paper until 47#’s and then switch to 150-180 down to 45#’s, and 220 after that.

[Eric Krewson]

I agree with Walt, if you don't have any bow making experience you are going to muck things up.

It is real easy to drop poundage on a bow, but, dropping poundage and maintaining the correct tiller is not a job for a complete novice.

[John Scifres]

One other thing to consider is that dropping 20% off a bow weight might not make for the most efficient bow.  It really depends on how it was designed in the first place.  Yet another reason why an experienced bowyer should tackle this, or at least supervise.  Got any specs or pics?