shortbow

[Jackpine Boyz]

So I have straightish piece of iron wood.  
I want to push the limits a little bit and go for 58" ntn bow for 29.5 " draw at around 50#.
My stave is roughed to 2 inches wide right now. I am ok with a bendy handle design and would like to avoid backing the bow, but would be ok with rawhide for insurance since it will be a hunting bow.  I've typically done the safe draw length x2 plus handle if needed.  Ironwood is fairly resilient so I think this is doable if I am careful with tiller.  2 questions I have are
1. would 1.5" reasonable or should I stick with 1.75" wide?
2.  I try to get my bows to run about 0-3 " of reflex normally.  With this shorter length though should I flip the tips?  Static recurve?  Worried about my string angle, although I am experimenting with the modified pinch grip for next season.

Appreciate any thoughts.

[KenH]

Why not draw out the string angle, assuming a bendy-handle.  You could just flip the pin nocks the way many of the Haida and other Pacific Northwest paddle bows were made.  They actually notched at the base of the pin nock, bent the pin outwards and then held it all together with dried sinew...

[KenH]

Why not draw out the string angle, assuming a bendy-handle.  You could just flip the pin nocks the way many of the Haida and other Pacific Northwest paddle bows were made.  They actually notched at the base of the pin nock, almost to the point of breaking, bent the pin outwards and then held it all together with dried sinew...

[PEARL DRUMS]

I don't believe a healthy, trustworthy bow can be made to your desired numbers.

[fujimo]

[Forwardhandle]

I have the same problem as you ,same draw length  and like short bows but I use sinew on most short ones ,I have a 57 in. osage sinew backed in the works I have never tried a short self bow like yours but I would opt for the wider limb if I did  you could always side tiller it when you got it bending right , flipping the tips and 3 in. of reflex might be a task to pull off on a short 57 in.self bow at that draw & @ 50 lb with out taking set negating the reflex but I don't know iron wood !

[Jackpine Boyz]

Thanks for the feedback so far.
So what is safe for a working handle bow?  Double draw length?  Then 59” should be doable.  I always hear about the basic rules for handle bows but not for bendy handles so much.  
Does the addition of rawhide allow one to safely remove an inch or two?  I know sinew does, but if rawhide makes a normal dimension bow with violated/compromised back useable, what is its benefits on a bow with a perfect back and carefully tillered bow?
Trying to answer these questions is part of the reason I’m trying this challenge.  I also would like a bow for my spring turkey blind.

[Forwardhandle]

Raw hide doesn't offer  any appreciable tension strength more for holding down splinters on violated backs I use very thin goat raw hide it adds very little mass ,I don't know iron wood but if I where going to make a flip tipped bendy at my draw 29 1/2 osage ,I usually tiller to 47 lb  I would start at 62 in.  it's a good size for blind hunting and would give a margin of safety but The shortest non sinew bendy I made at my draw is a 65 in. osage ,last year I hunted from the blind with a 62 in. Hickory/sinew bow this year I'm using a 68 in osage self bow I just found a little higher stool , a 62 in bow would still make a nice Turkey bow, but all this is just my 2 cents.

[Jackpine Boyz]

Yellowwood,
Thanks for your thoughts.  
I'll aim for 62" as well.  This will make it more dependable long term and I can get a feel for the wood. I have a few 68" bows and they are just long enough to be annoying in the blind.

[Roy from Pa]

I'd be scared to death to draw a short bow to 29.5. I make my bows 66 tip to tip for that draw length.

[Bvas]

Originally posted by Roy from Pa:
I'd be scared to death to draw a short bow to 29.5. I make my bows 66 tip to tip for that draw length.

I thought you weren’t sceered of nuttin’?

[monterey]

[LittleBen]

If the bow is tillered to a perfect arc, then the string angle isn't 90degrees when the draw length is half of the string length.