Recurve vs D/R Longbow Builds: Which is harder?

[GussieGoins]

I have a question for all you experienced bowyers out there.  Which do you think is harder to build, a one piece recurve, takedown recurve, one piece
D/R longbow, or a takedown longbow?  By harder, I mean all told: deciding on a design, building the form, bow lay-up, and tillering.  What are some of the challenges that are unique to each one?  Is one better suited to limited tools vs. a shop well supplied with a variety of power tools?

[KenH]

If by "takedown" you mean those three piece, bolted on limb things, then any of them is harder than any one-piece build.

Style to build with limited tools?  IMHO a stiff or bendy-handle flatbow,  a Hill style longbow or simple 1950s style recurve.

[Mad Max]

one piece Recurve

[LittleBen]

I personally believe it is easier to build a takedown with limited tools than a one piece, mainly because it's easier to properly taper a wedge for a takedown limb than it is to shape e fade out on a riser block if you are doing both freehand on a belt sander or something. Plus a wedge can be made very effectively on a table saw.

Yes there are alignment challenges for takedown bows, but there's lots of simple solutions to that.

Longbow is easier to tiller, and design IMO.

[Mark R]

It would be more beneficial to answer your question if we knew your situation, having sufficient tools and experience with them, any bow is possible, if  limited tools and experience is the situation, than a kit bow, board bow, or self bow would be the answer, regardless of witch one you make,  experience with making them is the key. Its like comparing apples and oranges. They all take proper planning and skill to make a good one and that comes with work experience.

[Mad Max]

All

X2

[mwosborn]

Originally posted by Mark R:
It would be more beneficial to answer your question if we knew your situation, having sufficient tools and experience with them, any bow is possible, if  limited tools and experience is the situation, than a kit bow, board bow, or self bow would be the answer, regardless of witch one you make,  experience with making them is the key. Its like comparing apples and oranges. They all take proper planning and skill to make a good one and that comes with work experience.

Very well said!

[kennym]

Agree with above comments.

I'll go with each segment and which is easier in my opinion...

Deciding on design...  All equal

Building form ...  TD bow, D/R longbow, recurve

Bow layup .... TD bow, D/R longbow, recurve

Tillering and limb alignment... D/R longbow, TD Longbow , recurve

As far as tools, you can build any of them with minimal tools, but more tools just makes it all easier....

[GussieGoins]

Thanks for the replys.  I have a little glass bow building experience.  Started on Bingham bows in 1980 in high school.  Took shop class just so I would have access to tools to build forms.  Made TD recurve, 60" one piece recurve, and 68" hill style longbow forms from Bingham plans.  Made a few bows.  Lost all the forms, tools, and shop in a tornado in 1982.  I was in college by then and couldn't afford space or money to start back up.  Bow building kinda fell by the wayside except for a few osage bows with sinew.  I always bow hunted from age 12 with recurves, compounds and ended up with a Howard GameMaster Jet.  Loved that bow @ 62#.  Only had it for 1.5 years before I broke it.  Had a cigarette roll up against the bottom limb unnoticed.  Couldn't afford buying another one.  I bought a 66" Howatt Ventura @ 55 lbs.  It was the closet thing to the Jet I could afford at the time.  Good bow, killed a deer with it every year till I moved to Alaska in 1992.  Still, it didn't perform like the Jet.  I still have it and shoot it.
I didn't get back into bow building until Spring of 2016.  Stumbled onto this site and got the bug again.  Plus, I am about to retire in Oct. back to Arkansas to my large extended family.  Going to be the Alaskans Dream: a Snowbird, there in the Summer, somewhere else in the winter.  Ha ha.
Since I started up back glass bow building I have made: four Mildly D/R longbow, one Hill style longbow, three 62" on piece recurves, and three 62"TD top bolt recurves.  I grind my own lams and got the masters for my sleds from kennym (his lams were great).
I bought another Howard GameMaster Jet #55 from rmsgear in Sept 2015.  Was surprised to see that the profile of the Jet and Ventura (riser and limbs) were exactly the same except the Jet had a more acute turn in the last 4".  The Ventura had a little more gradual turn, but they both ended up the same place (ie 90 degrees from the riser).  Difference on my Oehler Chrono 35P was Jet=185 fps and Ventura=175 fps with 478 grain POC arrow with 5" left helical feathers and 3 finger release.
I know people always tried to get Jack Howard to make a 62" bow like the Jet without success.  I decided to do it myself so I copied his limb design on to a shorter riser of my own design.  Also copied it for my TD 62" recurve.  The one piece 62" 49# shoots the same arrow at 184 fps.  The 62" 53# TD recurve  shoots the same arrow at 182 fps.  I felt pretty good about that but the jury is still out on smoothness and accuracy.  They both are as quiet without silencers as the Jet with Jack Howard Bow String Material I got from Charles Lamb.  By the way the JH Bow String material is the same as Premier #207 Bonded Polyester Sail Cloth Thread.  I already had some from my leather crafting.  Same look, same stretch (you would need a 58.25" JH Polyester string to equal a 59" Dyna97 for the same brace height).
Next on my list is a higher performing D/R longbow in the 62" range.

[GussieGoins]

Sorry about the initial posting.  I didn't mean to imply that I had no experience or opinions of my own. I do.  I was interested in what other bowyers thought and why.  Still need some more experience esp. on D/R longbows, pretty much agree with Kenny M post above.
I am hoping to solicit the opinions of more experienced bowyers to help some of the new guys who haven't started to build any glass bow yet. If one was to peruse of lot of this site I could see how it could be pretty intimidating with all the sophisticated techniques and advanced tools.  A newbie might think he has to have all that before you even get started.  Here in Alaska, it reminds me of the guys who think they can't wet a hook until they have $1000 worth of fly fishing equipment.
I offer these thoughts in the hope to encourage others to give it a try.  My suggestion is to start small.  Don't worry about curing ovens, difficult to make forms, and laminations grinders in the beginning.  Make yourself a form for a Hill style longbow out of a good straight board and dowel rods for use with intertube strips. Inflation hose type forms are harder and more expensive to build.  I will admit they are better forms but until you settle on a design, it is easier to make a form that uses tubes or C-clamps or spring clamps. Buy your fiberglass and laminations from some place like Binghams, Big Jim's or OMC (don't mean to leave anybody out, there are a number of good suppliers).  Get some Smooth On and lay up a bow.  Put in a sealed up car on a hot summer day or a heater closet.  you can build a serviceable bow with little more tools than a hand held jigsaw, sanding block, 4 way rasp, chainsaw file, and sandpaper.  I've done it,it is a lot of work, but it is very doable.  You may discover you don't like making bows, but at least you will come out of it with a bow that is your very own.  Get better tools, forms, etc if you decide to do more.
My point is if you are an archer and think you might want to start building bows, start small and inexpensive.  You can do it.  You don't have to go whole hog from the get go.