Recipe for Kids bow

[JamesV]

I need to build several kids R/D glass longbows before christmas for gifts. Don't have much time to experiment so I need your help. Kids 6 thru 10. Any formula you have will get me in the ball park and will be appreciated.

Thanks guys

[rmorris]

James, I had the same idea as you last year and I built a form for a kids r/d longbow and made a few bows on it. Here is my advice to you... Do not do a kids r/d bow instead do a more Howard Hill type of bow for kids. R/d bows are nice because they tend to have less hand shock but kids bows (15- 25#) should not have the problem of hand shock because of the light weight. My advice on building a form for the kids bow is also very simple get or make a form that is about 56" long and 2" wide and get a perfect straight cut on the board with a table saw. You will then have the perfect form for the backside of the HH type bow. This form will allow you to make any length bow up to 54" and for a bow in the lower poundage you will only need one or two lamination. Here is the best part you can buy  2" Black .030" glass for about $10 a piece and using 2" glass on a 2" form you can then cut the final glue up down the middle with the band saw and make 2, 1" wide bows at a time. Hope this helps and if you decide to go ahead with kids r/d bows I wish you the best of luck. I think every kid should have a bow and I love it when people make kids bows.

[soopernate]

I have built a few kids bows of the HH variety.  Quick and easy.  I built them 48 inches with a single lam between two .050 pieces of black glass.  I cannot remember if I used a taper or a paralle but I do seem to remember that it was .110 or .120 in thickness and they were about an inch and a quarter in width.  Came out nice and both boys love them.  They kids were seven and nine and those little bows flat sling their little arrows.