wood advice

[Frosty the Bowman]

O.K. as you know I am a beginer, but my intrest in short bows breeds lots of questions.

If you were to be wanting to build a really short bow say 46" or less (yes crazy I know, just hypothetical (for now    ). Since such ashort bow would be under greater stress, what would a good choice be?

In my mind this is a laminated bow, with a Boo core, just my idea so far.

Well what do you all think of my latest crazy question  :D  

Thanks to all,

Kevin

[Roy from Pa]

Yer Nuts....  

But a glass bow will be your best bet..

[Ron Foley]

I don' see a need for such a short bow. However if you are serious try actionwood. Very strong, stable and easy to work. It is my opinion only that a 46" bow would only allow a 23" draw before stacking. Finger pinch is a concern. Careful and thoughtful design can help all these. Glass is a must as stress would be a major concern. You can do it. I would certainly like to see the finished product

[red hill]

Check out some of the Turkish and Mongollian style horn bows. They look very short to me.

[vanillabear?]

[Frosty the Bowman]

Thanks Roy, now i can save the money I was gonna spens going to the doctor to see what was wrong with me    

I have seen a few done on here and other places, and recentlly was sent the profile drawings and info on how to copy a Herters 46" bow, Trux Turning and bjansen supplied those. They said they used the same ones for their bows of the same style.

Red hill- I have seen some videos and pics of people making and shooting horn bows, amazing stuff. WAYYYYYY out of my leauge (for now anyway    


Thanks to all so far

Kevin

[soy]

What kind of draw length are you trying to get??? I plan on doing a sinew backed 0sage..... hoping for 23 inch draw with a 40 inch Bow  

[Roy from Pa]

Yunzs are both nuts then, Frosty and Soy:) Do ya all realize that a short bow is not very accurate? They are noisy, they are ugly, and they are short!

[petalumapete]

kind of like that old Randy Newman song
Short people got short bows
Short people got nobody to love  

[D]

Awww those poor short people.

Gee Roy don't hold back on your opinion of a short bow.  Tell them how you really feel. lololol.

[Roy from Pa]

Actually it is true. A longer bow will out perform a shorter bow. Longer bows draw smoother, have less limb strain, are easier to tiller, shoot more accurate, are quieter, and are faster. And they are prettier:) I never seen a short longbow.    

[soy]

It's too bad really that you  live so far away roy as o would love for you to shoot a short long bow      in addition I would invite you to take a longbow of your choosing and show me how much more accurate it is then my short bow  

[psychmonky]

Roy is forgetting the fact that frosty has magic on his side in that old top hat they found. For when they placed it on his head....he blew up a bow...

In all seriousness I'd like to see how it pans out. There was a thread a while back about a SUPER SHORT osage bow that had perfect tiller.

[stringstretcher]

Did you all notice how Roy just described him self?

"They are noisy, they are ugly, and they are short!"

[LittleBen]

I make short bows and longbows. the shortest was a 48" red oak bow I cannot bring even nearly to full draw. Maybe 22-23". My draw length is only like 25" so it's manageable I guess. It is a complete POS though. It is slow, it is ugly, it is uncomfortable to hold, you cant hit a darn thing, and it scares the heck out of me to draw.

I prefer a longer bow as Roy has stated. 60-66" ideally depending on design.

[gringol]

I may be mistaken, but short bows were common among indians of the west.  I believe some in northern CA were called "modoc" style bows.  Short fat, ugly things, look kind of like two canoe paddles lashed together by the handles.  They were widest at mid-limb and backed with sinew.  I've heard they are very hard to tiller.

The western indians shooting style was very different from ours, so draw length was typically pretty short and short bows were ok.  They were also much better at sneaking up on critters than most of us are, so effective accuracy was perhaps easier to acheive.

If I were you I'd start with something a little less extreme to get the hang of tillering and then work your way into your midget bows.  

[John Scifres]

Many of the shorter native bows you see were not drawn nearly as far as we typically draw bows.  I really suggest two things:

1.  Get a hold of one of the Bear Super 48 and  draw it to 28" and see how you like it.

2.  Make a few bows in the 60" range and see if they meet your needs.

However, if you really want to try a 46" bow, use good osage, make it bend in the handle and tiller for a very round profile.  You will have to do something for the tips to keep the string on if you are drawing past 26".  Either recurve them or add overlays with deep string groves through the  back.  Good luck.  Have fun.  Post pics.

[Osagetree]

There are a few stands I can remember hunting that would only allow 10 or 12 yard shots & lots of tree limbs getting in the way of my longbow limbs.
A short bow has its place.
Try shooting a 64" bow from horseback (I know who does that?) or something more real like turning around in you tree stand to shoot at something that's just behind you.

[Frosty the Bowman]

Roy, and your kinda cranky, and did not look so good dancing in them funny pants I saw in that Christmas video, kinda looked like some cheap old half broke robot that did not work so good anymore    

I have a draw length of about 26", and am only shooting for about 42-43 lbs, just enough to be legal, and seal the deal.

I am not gonna be doing this crazy little guy for awhile, just wanted to explore the idea a bit. But I promise whatever I build I will post as many pics and info of as I can for you all to make fun of, oh, I mean enjoy.

Roy, I think short bows are sexy little things, and way under appriciated. Have you ever seen someone put together a 36 or 40" horn bow out of Buffalo horn or Elk antlers?
Time consuming, and hard yes, but amazing, and a true work of art. They amaze me, kinda like red heads, and big racked muley bucks      

Heres a cup o'joe for you Roy:coffee: , so maybe you wont through me on your thumpin list.

Thanks guys

[Roy from Pa]

Coffee? That stuff will kill ya:)