Reverse tapers

[D.E.B]

a while back i built a binghams pronounced t/d/ longbow exactly to the instructions and it shot very poor. this was not my first bow, i have made many good shooters.i was wondering if anyone could tell me why reverse tapers were used in that design? since i still have the form i was thinking of building another without the reverse taper. any suggestions of what the results would be are appreciated. thanks DUSTY

[kennym]

I'm not sure, the only reason I can think of is so the thin end will bend over the wedge easier.

It is basically a parallel limb when glued up, IMO.

I had one of those forms, and wondered how it would react to a .002 or .003 taper in it!Never tried it tho...

[bjansen]

I agree with Kenny....I never really understood it, as it is essentially a parallel lam stack once it is all together.

I do know that some will argue that the placement of the lams is somewhat critical when composing a stack and as such that may be a reason why Bingham makes the stack like that but I am not sure.

I would try the next one with .002 of total taper. I am sure it will work out fine.

[rmorris]

An old man ( don't know if a wise man) once told me I needed to use reverse tapers on my bow because it makes them smoother. I guess it causes more bending around just past where the wedge starts as kenny says and keeps the bending of the limb more constant...my bow started to stack at 32" and was plenty smooth for me so I told him if I wanted it smoother I would make it longer... Other than the smoothness I think you sacrifice speed and gain more un-needed material at the tips... I may add this to my long list of experiments i would like to do with bow making

[PV]

pronounced R/D. .002 total forward taper in a 62" length worked well for me.Moved the wedge forward to get the shorter length. Also slimmed down the width of the limb out past the riser.

[GREG IN MALAD]

Elmont told me he used the reverse taper to keep the tips reflexed at full draw. At 68" it is really overbuilt and kind of sluggish. I used the limb design with a 15" riser and .003 taper to build a 62" bow. It shot really well and didn't stack at my 29" draw.

[D.E.B]

I  want to thank you all for your insight. my form is set up for a 62 in bow using  a 17 in riser. i have a pair of .002 tapers and some .030 glass but i am lost as far as what my stack should measure to get 50# & 28in. ? I am willing to try a 15in riser if anybody thinks it will help.     DUSTY

[Robertfishes]

Looks like PV and Greg built a couple of nice ones maybe you can use their modifications? I am thinking 040 glass is what I would use in the limb stack.