Used bows: reducing bow weight

[T.L]

Hello all.

 Does anyone have any experience with reducing bow weight on a used bow? There are some good buys in the classified section but most are about 7-10 pounds more than my preferred draw weight.

 I was curious if anyone has ever tried reducing the weight on a used bow and if so, how much weight did they get off?

thanks,
 Tom.

[Lamey]

Tom,  Belcher bows (www.belcherbows.com) offers weight reduction, not sure how much they can take off though.  May be worth an email or call.

[macbow]

Tom getting 5 pounds off a long bow is pretty easy.
Recurves can be a little tricky.
On the longbows the easiest way is to reduce the width. sanding the faces will work well but it's hard to quantify what you've removed.

I usually start by just tapering the length of each limb side from the belly to the back sort of a trapezoid shape is left remove on the belly but not the back. do a small amount at a time then measure.
If more is needed then remove a little of the back edge. Always sand the edges smooth before drawing. A good large file is a good tool, with long strokes. Try not to run up and down hill.
I've removed as much as 12 pounds on the standard reflex deflex long bow. The fancier hybreds I wouldn't try for as much.
Ron