I need some advice

[Thomas Callahan]

Hello everyone, I'm new to making bows but I have been reading voraciously for the past three months and I've been watching hours of build along videos on youtube as well as reading many of the posts on Tradgang. I have begun working on a pyramid, 70 inch, red oak board bow for my little brother and I think its going well so far. (it hasn't exploded.lol)

My biggest problem so far is I have no idea how to calculate how big to make a bow to fit my drawlength (32 inches).

Any wise words, warnings, ideas, advice would be very much appreciated! I would like to build a mullagabet long bow for myself so any particular advice on that would be awesome.

I will post pictures of my first bow attempt when I start tillering sometime tomorrow. I am doubting my abilities as a board selector so I will be backing it tonight.

[Art B]

That's a long draw sir.  Is that with a glass or compound bow perhaps? With selfbows your draw could be 2-3" shorter..........Art B

[macbow]

I don't have any wise words to help much. Have  a friend here this week building BBI and BBO bows. His draw is 29 1/2 inches.
Making long draw bows scare me.
Our BBO blew up just before cutting in some sort arrow pass.
Just finishing up,on the BBI.

I would not trust making a 32 inch draw red oak anything.
Not familiar with design you mentioned.

Good luck maybe we have some long draw bowyers here.

[Bowjunkie]

If you back it tonight, I doubt the glue will be dry enough to tiller tomorrow. What are you backing it with? What kind of glue?

If you used epoxy and heated it to speed curing you may be ok.

[Roy from Pa]

32 is a long draw length. Where, how did you come up with the 32?

[scars]

Simple, and a good place to start a first bow.
  http://www.pabucks.com/bow_draw_length.html


Sorry forgot the rest of the message.
draw length x two + 20%
 So at 32" x 2 = 64 + 20% is 76.8" It is a good place to start a first bow.
Personally I have never made a bow that long 73" is as long as I have made one and it was a molly White oak with a white oak backing.

[T Callahan]

I got that Roy from a 79 inch armspan.lol

[T Callahan]

thanks scars I used that formula on my first bow and it worked well.

[LittleBen]

32" draw is typical of someone 6'8" tall. I'm not saying you don't have a draw of 32", but I would verify by using the yardstick to chest method.

probably .1% of the population is that tall/that long draw.

FWIW, I don't buy the argument that your compound draw will be longer than your recurve/longbow draw. your arms don't shrink when you grab a recurve ...
I think alot of it comes down to people shooting a compound bow with much too long of a draw length.

[Echatham]

littleben a mechanical release can effect it too, but yes to long a draw.  i used to anchor  with my knuckle behind the ear string on the tip of nose.

[T Callahan]

Ben, yeah I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm only 6'3 and it might be that I'm testing it incorrectly but I've tested it with a formula, a bow with a measured arrow, and by measuring it with a tape measure.

Is having a long draw a bad thing?

[macbow]

There are many that say a long draw is desired.
Because it gives a longer power stroke with the shot.
Only draw back is making wood bows and making long enough arrows.
But it can all be done .

[Don Stokes]

Looonnngggg bow. 72" at least. My draw length shortened from 30" compound to 27-29" depending on the style of the trad bow. The full draw weight hold of a traditional bow compresses your body more, shortening your draw.

[takefive]

I've had the same experience going from a wheel bow to a trad bow, Don.  My draw is about 1 1/2" shorter with a trad bow.  A friend of mine just bought a new compound.  80% let off these days