Mulberry 56"er?? HELP!!

[Mulberry River]

I have a primo Mulberry stave (see the "Mulberry Checks/etc." post for pix) which really wants to be a 56" bow.  It has a really nice backset of about 2" through exactly 56" of the stave, and from there it has 3 clustered knots and it levels off dramatically.  I know I could work around the knots & force a 60 or 64" bow from it, but I'd like to go ahead & make a 56"er from it, since my actual draw is about 26" & my favorite hunting length is 56".  I've laid it out with a 4" handle section, 2.5" fades, 1 & 7/8" limb width to mid-limbs tapering to 5/8" at the nocks.  I laid it    out with the bottom limb 1 & 1/4" shorter than the top. I want it to end up at about 47# @ 26" or roughly equivalent to 52# @ 28".  Will it work?  Any ideas or similar experiences?

[Pat B]

Danny, It is doable. You should try to get as much working limb as possible even to a slight bend through the handle design. Also keep your limb tips thick and wide(5/8") until near finish so you can reduce the width to reduce tip weight and adjust tip misalignment.
   If you find your limbs getting to thin, reduce some of the width as you tiller.   Pat

[Mulberry River]

Great!  Thanks, Pat.  I wanted to hear that.  I was trying to incorporate everything I've read in the Trad Bow Bible (I), mags, this forum, etc.  I was hoping to be able to reduce the limb width a little.
   

[crosseye]

i'll echo what pat said about a bend-in-the-handle design.  with a 4" handle and 2.5" fades, that reduces your working limbs by 9"...i have never worked mulberry, but i would think getting 26" of draw from 47" of working wood will be a challenge.  make it like the design for the bend in the handle bow in trad bow bible 1, and you may make it work.

good luck and keep us posted!

stan

[Pat B]

Have you read Torges' "Hunting the Osage Bow"? He goes into bendy or slightly bendy handles in this book. Lots of very good info for all around wood bow building.    Pat

[John Scifres]

I have done rigid handle bows that short of osage and sinew but they are disappointing in their shooting manners.  Now a bendy handle 56"er drawn to 26" would be great in decent osage.  

Mulberry, like most woods, is extremely variable in its density.  Lighter density woods must be made wider and therein lies the problem with bendy handled bows.  You should leave them full width throughout their length unless you want a trickier tillering job.  Anything wider than 1-1/4" is awkward to shoot in my opinion.  

Great mulberry is like good osage so it really depends on your individual piece.  Personally, I'd make it as long as I could and save the shorter bow for the highest quality wood that I had no other choice on.  But that's just me and I've already done my shorties that I never shoot  

[Mulberry River]

What do you think about shortening the handle section to about 3"??

[Mulberry River]

Well...here's what I have up to now:
   
It's rating 55# @ 21.5" here.  I'd sure be grateful for any tillering advice you guys have!  Looks kinda flat dead center on that lower (right side) limb?


Need to downsize your pic to 600 pixels or forum size on PhotoBucket

[Flinttim]

I hope you make it but have my doubts. I've made several mulberry bows as well as hedge. Mulberry might be kin to hedge but it ain't hedge. M/berry needs to be made longer and wider than osage right out of the gate to hit same weight and durability. A 56" osage bow would be a tough enough project on it's own merit. I made a 48" m/berry pony bow that went 40# at 21" and it held up but it took 3 courses of sinew to do it.
 Pushing the edge of the envelope is a natural inclination in Man. I know why you tried it, you know why you tried it, we all know why. Now you're the guy on the tightrope and we are just peanut eatin' spectators waiting to see if you fall. LOL , Tim

[wingnut]

GOOD LUCK!!

With that math, it would take one heck of a piece of osage to do the deed.  We have had good luck with good mulberry but built it more like white wood with wide and long being the rule.

It might live as a true bend through but it will be a significant accomplishment with a stiff handle design.

For a 56" hunting weight bow next time try a laminated wood bow with bamboo or sinew on the back.  You will be much happier with the results.

Again, GOOD LUCK

Mike

[John Scifres]

Resize that picture.  I want to see it.

[gwhunter]

I made a 55" ntn hickory pyramid(3" wide), but it has a lot more working wood than what you are attempting.  
I made a 57" ntn red oak board bow (cloth backing and 1 3/4" wide to mid-limb).  It broke when I was going from 50# at 23" to 50# at 26".  It was a semi-beny handle.  You can definitely make a bow out of it, but your poundage may need to come down or risk breaking it.  

But I can vouch for 1 thing, a broken bow sure makes a nice kids sword.  And they LOVE them!

Good luck!

[Mulberry River]

Oops! Sorry, guys; I was kinda tired when I uploaded that.  Worn out from mountain bikin/tillerin/flingin carbon/fletchin/blah,blah
etc...........
   

"I know why you tried it, you know why you tried it, we all know why. Now you're the guy on the tightrope"...(Flinttim)

Flinttim: You are the definition of cool. I may frame that & hang it in the bathroom.

[John Scifres]

You're doing great.  Maybe just a little too much bend past midlimb on the left.  Make sure she bends all the way to the fades and you just might do it.  Nice.

[John Scifres]

Look at the angle formed by the string and the limb.  You are about 75 degrees on the left and 60 on the right.

[Mulberry River]

John,
Right on it! I knew it was a good idea to take a picture & ask y'all . After your post, I cut a piece of paper & compared the angles. I hope I have enough leeway left to correct. Should.
I tried to downsize all the dimensions to about 88% of correct ones for a 64"er, and incorporate the "slight bend-through-the-handle" idea from Pat B.  You can't see much (if any) in this picture, but I'm aiming toward a handle which is really rounded in the palm area and then "pours" into the fades, only about 1.25" thick back to palm. I'll do some more & then post some more (resized) pix.  Muchas gracias, Compadres!

[Flinttim]

Naw, not cool. Maybe 30yrs ago I had a shot but now I'm just getting old and full of life experiences.
 Maybe give this a consideration- Stop where you are now and lay down some sinew. I'd make one too cool bow.