Let's Talk Bendy Handle Bows

[ChristopherO]

Hello Gentlemen and experienced bowyers,
I've made quite a number of stiff handle bows at this point and am considering what to do.  I have a brother with ape arms and one pretty osage/almost a complete stiff handle bow and one pretty osage stave with the ring chased, dried and 1 inch + width in the narrowest portion about mid limb.  Both are approximately 65" in length.
I keep reading where some of you fine folks are enjoying your bend in the handle bows with much delight.  
I want to make a bow for my long armed brother out of one of these pieces of wood.  The nearly finished stiff handle bow should be workable, BUT, (there is always a BUTT) the charactor knot hole in the limb near the fade did develop a crack longitudinally (SP?).  Yes, I superglued it yesterday and believe it will hold.  But looking at the second undeveloped stick of osage I go to thinking he may be better served with this one.  With the width being a bit narrow the thought struck me that a bend in the handle may be just the ticket.
What do you surmise from my situation?
Are the D bows more difficult to master shooting than the stiff grip types?
I could wrap the crack with sinew.  He would never know and that would be the end of that.  But this may be an excuse to try something different.

[Pat B]

If you haven't tried a bendy handle bow you should and now is a good time for it. I don't find them more difficult to shoot but I don't find many bows that are.

[John Scifres]

I'd say 65" is too long for a bendy handled bow.  I'd go with 60-62".  The lower mass in the limbs really cuts down on hand shock on bendy handled bows.  

I think they are easier to shoot.  

Really skinny limbs will make them a pleasure to shoot.  I'd go with 1" for the middle third of the bow and then taper to 1/2" nocks.

[talkingcabbage]

Keep us informed on what you do -- I'm gonna start a D bow in osage in a week or so.  I'm interested in where you'll take this.

[Art B]

My first hunting selfbow was a hickory with a working handle. To this day I don't think I've made a bow that will match it's cast. I think you'll find that there's quite a difference between a working handle and a so called bendy handle bow.

Bendy handle bows bend with a arc of circle profile where as the working handle bows will show an elliptical profile and only bend slighty through it's handle. Bendy handle bows are often short to reduce hand shock and the working handle bows can be as long as you like without having hand shock like the bendy version.

Personally, I favor the working handle myself!

ART B

[ChristopherO]

WOW, all good advise and a couple of things to consider.  
I guess I was thinking that the bendy handle bow and the working handle bow were one in the same but from reading these replies I was wrong.  
I suppose I am leaning toward the working handle as opposed to a complete bendy as that was what I was thinking originally.  The hope is that with a longer draw length a handle that gives will prevent undue set.
John, I caught a while ago you were pleased with this design and I saw where Pat posted his osage recurve with the bend in the handle/ or was that a working handle?  These comments have influenced me into trying this style.
My idea was to start at 1 1/8" tapering to 1/2" tips to begin with and whittle it down from there.  
Thanks for the comments.

[Traxx]

Good Description and distinction between the 2 Art.

[Roy Steele]

Indains built there bows that bentinto the handle.They did this for a reason.This  mades a longer working limb.And a shorter bow it need be.
   No I don't think there harder to shoot.I've made a few for myself and other people.And have shot and hunted with them and I think shoot find.I think after a few a person gets a preferance.I think most of us start out with a stiff handle bow a compound ,longbow, recurve,and simpley thats what we get use to by the time we get to a self bow.
   But theres one main thing.That is you muist tiller your handle so it's STIFFER than your limbs.This will a good fast durble bow.
   You don't hear much about this but if you have a splinter raiseing up.Super glue it down and bone the back of your bow.It compress's the cells of the back of the bow and will fix your problem.Anything smooth and hard.I've use'd a beer bottle for years.It's like backing your bow without the backing.
   Finish your bow stain it,then after it's done,bone the back.Then seal it,I use wax.This is the old way.Indains boned there bows for over 20,000 years.