Shelf vs no shelf

[BMorv]

I've always made my bows with a shelf built into the riser, close to center shot.  It's just what I started with and I'm comfortable doing it this way.  I'm starting to take a liking to the look of no shelf, just shooting off of a built up leather rest or something similar. 
For you guys who have shot both, looks and ease of construction aside, which style offers the best for shooting in your opinion?
 
 

[Forwardhandle]

I have always shot my self bows off the knuckle only recently started shooting with a shelf glass bows, but with no rest I have always spent time bare shafting & spining,tunning  arrows once done and if the bows are close weight & draw the work for most but out to 25 yards I dont see a lot of difference but I primarly use my bows to hunt , I always put a indexing mark on my bows so my knuckle goes in the same spot ! Knuckle shooting is less forgiving with bad form in my opinion !

[Exiled_Archer]

I've always made my bows with a shelf built into the riser, close to center shot.  It's just what I started with and I'm comfortable doing it this way.  I'm starting to take a liking to the look of no shelf, just shooting off of a built up leather rest or something similar. 
For you guys who have shot both, looks and ease of construction aside, which style offers the best for shooting in your opinion?
 
 

I just finished my first bow with no cut in shelf, and I put a separate piece of wood glued to the side before leather wrapping. the only real issue I'm seeing is with arrow spine. You need to go much lower on arrow spine to get around the thick handle.

 I've got a 1 inch wide handle on a 50# longbow and I will need an 1816 aluminum if I go that route. I am not familiar with woods but I'm guessing I'll need about 35-40 spine. Excuse the bad pic, it's all I had on my phone at the time.

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[Wolftrail]

I prefer a shelf cut close to center because its better for spine correction.  " take a liking to the look of no shelf"  I only just got into this addiction a few years ago but have noticed bows through out the years since 1964.  Traditional FG bows with shelfs always intrigued me and never thought they were ugly or out of place just because.  Sexier looking I thunk.

[Wolftrail]

Knuckle shooting is less forgiving with bad form in my opinion !

I agree but try telling the die hard Selfie users that..!

[Bowjunkie]

I do it different ways depending the the type of bow. With regular selfbows, backed bows, trilams, sinew backed bows and other natural material bows, I usually build up a very minimalistic shelf with leather. When I'm shooting, it looks like I'm shooting off of my knuckle. Sometimes I make selfbows that I DO shoot off the knuckle. Depends.

When I make glass/wood laminated longbows and recurves, I cut a narrow shelf into the riser. Some cut closer to center than others.

They all shoot fine for me.

[Roy from Pa]

[Forwardhandle]

Nice looking bows guys ,this is what works for me Ben I usually put a mark on the back of my riser where the top of my arrow shaft sets mostly as a reference, I find after a while muscle memory kicks in and I automatically put the arrow where its suposed to go but every time I see a dear when hunting I always double check with the reference , with your long draw, mine also I find I had to go with 32 in. 60-65 Douglas fir arrows to spine for a 3/4 thick riser & 50 lb bow @ 30 1/2 draw !

[BMorv]

Thanks for the replies guys.  I'm going to give it a try on one of the 2 I got going on right now.  It doesn't look like it will affect my accuracy if I make sure I'm placing the arrow in the same spot and placing my hand in the same spot.  I should be able to make a bulbous style where my hand will be indexed some to help with consistent placement.  I just didn't want to downgrade in accuracy just to get a different look. 

[Exiled_Archer]

Was able to get some better pics.

With the locator grip it keeps my placement consistent and gives me about 3/8 inch from hand to arrow.

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[BMorv]

Exiled, so you are from Opelousas...I'm in Thibodaux.  In my 3 years of bow building, I haven't met a bowyer within a couple hours drive of me...Nice to have you on board.  Let us know how that tri lam works out.  I have 2 of them in the works, just getting to the tiller stage.   

[Roy from Pa]

Nice, Matt.

You posted a thumbnail picture, which is fine.

After you select your picture from your PC or phone, just to the right of the little window where the picture name appears, click ( Insert Attachment 1 ). That will make the picture full size in your post.

[Exiled_Archer]

Nice, Matt.

You posted a thumbnail picture, which is fine.

After you select your picture from your PC or phone, just to the right of the little window where the picture name appears, click ( Insert Attachment 1 ). That will make the picture full size in your post.

Oh okay good to know. I'm on my phone so I don't see what computer users might see.



Bmorv. I wouldn't call myself a bowyer just yet. Im just getting cranked up, but it's an addiction!
My wife's already scared and asking where all these ideas are going to end up...she doesn't like the idea of hanging them all over our walls. Lol

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[BMorv]

haha.  She'll get used to it.  I now just tell my wife I'm "going in the garage for a little while".  We both know that's code for I'm working on a bow.  I find if you don't mention it directly, she doesn't get too worked up about it. ...lol
I always say, there's a lot of worse addictions to have...

[Bowjunkie]

They're like guitars, guns, and power tools... once you get past 10 or 12 of them, they cant keep track and quit counting. Just put the new ones in the back rack for a while 

Actually, my wife couldn't care less how many bows I have.

[Roy from Pa]

I'm the boss in my bow shop....

Until the door opens...

LOL

[C. Johnson]

I'm the kind of guy who has to have a project.  It's the only time I'm ever really happy.  My better half understands this well and humors my idiosyncrasies.

A lot of times she'll ask if I got kidnapped by aliens while I was in my shop.  It explains the "missing time".  I'll say I'll be done in an hour, next thing I know, it's midnight.

[Exiled_Archer]

Yah I'm afraid once I get my electricity run to my shop my wife will have the same problem. She's okay with it though.

 I got lucky, she even comes shoot 3-d and tent-camp with me

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[Forwardhandle]

My wife will get on her broom and fly around the shop once in a while & say are you having fun with that none sense , and my answer is always Yep !! 

[Roy from Pa]

Yup, my wife goes to trad 3D weekend shoots and camping all the time. She shoots too.