Need plans for a short backpack bow...

[arachnid]

Hi guys.

I wat to make a short bow I can take with me to hiking trips. Something like the 45-50"  long so I can tie to the side of my backpack (my shortest bow is a 60" longbow).
I don't know where to start- design, dimentions....

I what it 40# and I'm taking about a FG lam bow. Any directions would be welcome.

[arachnid]

Anyone?

[stickmonkey]

I would suggest looking at big Jim’s thunder child.  Jim also has a 10 part video showing how the makes the two piece. I took a lot of inspiration from his thunder child in designing my 56” .  

As for a 56” design that’s up for sale I don’t know of one. I run .004  taper, stabil kore , no tip wedge lots of glass in my riser. The riser length will be critical with such short limbs.

[Robertfishes]

If a 3 piece works for you...You could buy a 13" or 15" ILF riser and make your own ILF limbs..that's what I did and so far no problems.

[Bvas]

Start by looking at proven designs being produced in that size range.  Look for pics of unstrung bows to give you an idea of what limb contours are being used.  I don't think you will find many(if any) longbows that short.
I would guess for the most part you will be looking at recurves.

[monterey]

Stick, I'd sure like to see a pic of your 56"!

[stickmonkey]

Originally posted by monterey:
Stick, I'd sure like to see a pic of your 56"!

I will be building another one in a couple weeks. Need some foam for the cores first but I have a strung pic of I one in the rough.

[stickmonkey]

I have since tweaked the limbs a bit and will be glad to show it finished in a few weeks. This is the orginal strung and unstrung profile. 5 shot avg at 10gpp (51lbs @ 28") 186fps. It likes 7 5/8 brace. Its not smooth drawing but I believe i fixed that with new limbs but we will see.

 

 

[KenH]

Lots of 48-50" designs around here.  If you want really short, look into the Pacific Northwest "paddle bows".  I have one in planning that will be 40" tip-to-tip, about 3" wide at mid-limbs, and draw around 40#.

[EwokArcher]

Id make a herterz bow if I was doing a shorty.

[YosemiteSam]

Why not do a take down recurve?  I've packed a Samick Sage into a daypack with the quiver strapped to the side so I can bike to a destination & save some travel time.  Everything packs down at about 2' lengths (except the arrows, of course).  It can also fit into standard luggage for airports.  The TD is undoubtedly heavier than a 1-piece.  But an inexpensive TD bow will take a lot of abuse without a lot of worry.

Alternatively, a bow is easy to carry while backpacking.  Unless you need your hands free to climb or use poles, it's pretty easy to just grab & go.

Are you backpacking with a bow in Israel?

[arachnid]

Originally posted by YosemiteSam:
Why not do a take down recurve?  I've packed a Samick Sage into a daypack with the quiver strapped to the side so I can bike to a destination & save some travel time.  Everything packs down at about 2' lengths (except the arrows, of course).  It can also fit into standard luggage for airports.  The TD is undoubtedly heavier than a 1-piece.  But an inexpensive TD bow will take a lot of abuse without a lot of worry.

Alternatively, a bow is easy to carry while backpacking.  Unless you need your hands free to climb or use poles, it's pretty easy to just grab & go.

Are you backpacking with a bow in Israel?

I don`t like recurves in general... I prefere longbows.I was thinking more about a 5 curve design.

I don`t bow-backpack alot since it`s not very comfortable to hold the bow in my hands while walking. But I do like to do it more and a shorter bow will make it more comfortable.

[quail]

Kenny M has a takedown longbow plan now available that is awesome. Check him out here and I'm sure he can help you out.

[quail]

www.kennysarchery.com

[monterey]

Stick, looking forward to seeing the results with the tweaks.

[Brock]

My Robertson Stykbow Wolfer is 58" but uses bow bolt...and I was able to easily break apart and stick it in side pocket of my pack and strap in place for a 4 mile hike out after shooting my bear in Canada.  Very compact and solid design.  He also now has a CoyWolf which is the same riser setup with more of a hybrid longbow limb design.

He is developing something that will pack even smaller too.....he hinted around to on the TradQuest Pod Cast he just did.

[YosemiteSam]

You might be chasing a unicorn.  48-50" are recurve dimensions.  Longbows of that length are short-draw bows (paddle bows).  String angles are pretty wide at those dimensions, which creates stacking and extra stress on the materials (inducing set).  If you want to short-draw, then you're good to go with a longbow design.  But if you're drawing somewhere in the 26"+ range, you're going to need a longer bow.  Or, make your peace with the recurve.

Where abouts are you packing in Israel?  Up in Yehudian NP?  Most of what I remember was pretty rocky for stump shooting -- except up north.