What Makes a Forgiving Bow?

[YosemiteSam]

I've been enjoying making my first few selfbows over the past few months.  I finally have been able to get one made for myself (instead of my kids) that came in at 42# @ 27" and can cast an arrow at a good speed.  Functional, anyway.

However, I'm noticing that all 3 of the bows I've made for myself are really unforgiving when compared with my production recurves.  This is good for learning, sort of like a stiff trigger on a rifle teaches good trigger control.  But for hunting or more serious pursuits, I'm inclined to leave my selfbows at home.  So what makes a selfbow more or less forgiving?  2 things I can think of are the weight (light = less forgiving) and centershot (less centershot = less forgiving).  What are the other factors that can dampen or amplify form flaws?

[Roy from Pa]

Nothing beats limb timing when building a bow.

[monterey]

And grip fit too.

[Crooked Stic]

Longer bows tend to be more forgiving. And a stock car is easier to drive than a hot rod.

[Roy from Pa]

I agree on the longer bows CS..

[Bowjunkie]

FWIW, the most forgiving bow I've made is 58" ntn and 60# @ 28". The arrow pass is over 1/2" from center.

IMO, forgiveness comes largely from dynamic balance at full draw, and in conjunction with appropriately placed longitudinal and lateral centers, they help keep everything in line throughout the shot process and send the arrow straight away, without porpoising, and without the bow unnecessarily dancing around in the hand. Get the spine right, and you're fartin' through silk.

[YosemiteSam]

Originally posted by Bowjunkie:
Get the spine right, and you're fartin' through silk.

That is one of the most eloquent sentences I've read in a while.  No insult intended -- I have Okie roots.

[LittleBen]

Forgiving? IMO a couple things,

Longer bow, higher brace height, lighter weight(because it results in better form), cut farther toward center.

Assuming we're talking about a bow that is less sensitive to operator error. That's what I consider forgiving.

[Sixby]

Forgiving literally hinges on the one thing that will help if you get a bad release. That is vertical and horizontal stability. Timing and tuning all cause efficiency and good arrow flight but human error does not especially magnify these things and they are always what they are. However a bad release magnifys instability.
God bless, Steve

[YosemiteSam]

Originally posted by monterey:
And grip fit too.

Special thanks for that one.  With my latest bow, knowing I had some negative tiller built in by accident (finish sanding was too aggressive), I dropped my grip on the bow by about 1/2" & gave it a few shots.  The shots were far quieter (no more arrow "CLACK!" upon release), flight was much straighter and group size was cut in half.  7 nice shots, pulled arrows, 7 more shots.  All the best I've seen out of that bow.

Funny how small things can make such a big difference.  It's a straight grip with no wrapping on the handle so I'll probably need to put some sort of indicator on it for consistency.

[forestdweller]

The most important thing for me regarding forgiveness is whether or not you can torque the limbs. The less you can torque the limbs the more forgiving the bow is.

For this reason the longbow can not be beaten in my opinion. As long as you align that arrow on target I have found the longbow will not miss no matter how you grip it.

If you overgrip the recurve it will normally throw the arrow wide left or right. Recurves require a very light touch in my experience which makes them much less forgiving.