Tip wedges.

[Buemaker]

There is of course a lot of variables, but those of you who use tip wedges in your recurves and also RD bows, how long wedges do you use and how thick at the thickest end?
I have a sled that have a .002 forward taper that goes into a .004 reverse taper and I have let the reverse taper start 7 1/2 inch before string nock. That gives only a small increase in thickness. That is in my recurve.

[Crooked Stic]

My R/Ds go from .040 to zero 5 in. pasted the string groove. so a .005 per in. taper being 7 in. starting out.

[4 point]

Bue, I use a 0.050, 4.5 inch long tip wedge with 2 inches tapered in my recurves. It finishes to 4.25, I leave it long so I can tape it in.

[beachbowhunter]

In my RD Longbow I use a 6" that tapers from 0.050.  I just finished my first recurve so I don't have a formula yet. That one uses Kenny's Superlam, which after trimming from the tip end has about a 5" wedge. Not sure of the rate.  It worked out though!

[kennym]

The rate on tip of SL is .008 pi , works for my D/Rs

[ztontonz]

On my D/R I did 10” with a 0.005 taper. But I found it a little too long. Trying 7” now

[Shredd]

I do a super lam like Kenny...  Mid limb is a .003 total taper and about 9" from the nock is a .000 to .014" on my super lam...  So that is about .0015 per inch tip wedge...

   I did a lot of experimenting and if I remember correctly, too thick of a tip wedge will give me more preload and smoother draw but slows the bows speed a little...  I think because it makes it bend closer to the base of the limb and you have a smaller working limb area which has to move more limb...

  Each bow is different and you have to find the right recipe that works for your design...  Factors like taper rates of width and thickness all play into it also...

   In my experience with my designs I have found that very subtle changes can really change your performance... I have found that I get best performance When most of my limb is working and only the last 3 to 4" is stiff...  If you notice in previous posts most are doing a 4 to 7" wedges which will or may give you a similar effect to my 9" wedge but mine is more subtle taper rate and reaching for a nice consistent bend which I believe gets you the most performance...  But again it depends on your limb design, in which a 4 to 7" wedge might work fine with the taper rate and / or radius in your limb curvature that you have going on in the rest of the limb...  Plus I don't believe you don't need all that thickness in the last two to 3" of your limb... Unless a bow is whip ended, that last 3 inches is really hard to bend...  It's just added mass that could slow the limb down just a hair...  But you add up this hair and that hair and the next thing you know you are losing 4 -6 fps...   So for those of you doing a 7" wedge I suggest trying a taper for the first 3 to 4 inches and then going parallel the rest of the way...

[Crooked Stic]

If string angle is what you are after here is an idea that happened to me by mistake but worked out very well. I had made a new form. the last 5-6 in. had a slight kick back in the reflex adding about 3/4 in. more reflex in that 5-6 in. created a stiff spot and a lever that you could see at full draw helping string angle.