Rest above center?

[rmorris]

What is the lowest anyone has cut an arrow shelf above the center of a bow? I typically try to make the deepest part of the grip the center of the bow and then cut the shelf 1-1/8" above center. Has anyone ever cut the shelf at the center of the bow? I assume that would make for an awkward pivot point at full draw??? Well this is just me thinking again so I better stop...

[jsweka]

I'd think it depends one how you are defining the center.  It could be the center of the bow (i.e. equal distance from the nocks on both ends) or it could be the center of the riser (i.e. equal distance from the ends of both fade outs) if the the bow has working limb lengths that differ.  I really don't know how it would affect things.  I cut mine 1 3/4 above center (center of riser AND center of bow) in the Hill styles I make. I don't play with limbs of differing lengths to keep things easy for me to wrap my mind around.  Hasn't Dean Torges written about this sort of thing?

[Pat B]

You can put the shelf anywhere if you tiller the bow to it.

[T Folts]

Pat B could you give some exaples of your statement you have my curiosity?

[BeNoIt]

Originally posted by Pat B:
You can put the shelf anywhere if you tiller the bow to it.

Pat - I'm in that stage of my first flatbow build and about to cut the rest and ironically researching where to put this now and I'm curious what you mean by this as well. If you have any recommended reading links that you can provide I would greatly appreciate that!

Thanks all.

[Pat B]

The Yumi of Japan for instance. The arrow pass is at the lower 1/3 of the bows overall length. These bows are tillered like 3 seperate bows working together as a single bow.
  I make my bows symmetrical. The center of the handle is the center of the bow and both limbs are the same length. This puts the arrow pass about 1" to 1.5" above center. When I tiller my bows I like a circular tiller with the bottom limb bing slightly stiffer.

[George Tsoukalas]

Yes, I've had the arrow pass at center before on bend in the handle bows. Like Pat said...Jawge

[BeNoIt]

Thanks Pat. Greatly appreciate the quick feedback.

[Buemaker]

I have the shelf 7/8" above the riser`s center, the limbs are both the same lenght. I know that one of America`s top bowyers uses 5/8" above center and an additional 5/8 above center for three fingers under.
This is for take down recurves. Bue--.

[George Tsoukalas]

...but I don't "cut in" shelves. Jawge

[Bowjunkie]

Pat, doesn't making the bow center and handle center the same place, assuming a 4" handle, make the arrow pass 2" above center? Maybe I'm not understanding something correctly.

I make my bows with a shorter bottom limb. How much shorter depends on the length of the given bow. If the bow is 64" nock to nock, say, I'll measure up from the bow's center 1 1/8" to locate the top of the handle and shelf. Then measure down from the center 2 7/8" to locate the bottom of the handle, making it 4" long. This makes the center of the handle and center of the bow offset by 7/8". It also makes the center of the bow close to equidistant from the fulcrum points, or centers of areas of pressure, of my bow hand and string hand. Bow hand pushing from slightly below bow center, string hand pulling from slightly above it.

I don't 'cut-in' shelves on my wooden bows either, but rather, build them up with leather.

[Pat B]

Junkie, It depends on your hand size. For me it is somewhere between 1" and 1.5".