Takedown recurve limb questions

[Glyn Stephens]

Hi all,

I'm contemplating starting a TD recurve build and I have a few questions about limb design.
From the reading I have done so far, it seems that it is standard practice to laminate the limbs from several layers of different woods, one of which is tapered.

I presume the taper is to allow the limb to be thinner towards the end, which will allow for more flex down there, but couldn't that be achieved by making the limb narrower near the end? Or would this introduce the possibility of the limb end becoming too narrow and twisting?

Another question. What are the advantages of making a laminated limb over steam bending one piece into shape?

Thanks

[Bowjunkie]

Glyn, how/where a limb flexes, depends on how it is tapered. And "taper" should be understood as the product of the degrees of thinning AND/OR narrowing of the limb along its length.

In order to achieve even flexing... Recurves, since they're generally wider than longbows, will lose more material in width and less in thickness. Longbows are the opposite... losing more in thickness and less in width.

Similarly, in the wood bow realm... a true pyramid bow is tapered entirely in its width... while its thickness is consistant from dips to tips. Conversely, a narrow English longbow does the majority of its tapering in thickness... losing very little in width compared to the pyramid design... but both have lost sufficient material due to tapering to achieve even flexing of their limbs.

As far as the number of lams, most laminated wood/glass recurves have 2 of wood and 2 of glass... most... not all. Sometimes one of them is tapered, sometimes both of them. That's up to the bowyer. I make mine with one parallel and one tapered.

There is always the possibility of limb twist. But it is due a lot more to misaglignment, or material consistancy and quality that it is limb width.

The main advantages of a laminated recurve over a recurve induced by heat are... they are comprised of several thin layers of material which are easier to bend into sharper more radical curves without breaking, which can enhance performance... and the many glue joints maintain rigid shape with use.

That said, personally I prefer narrow limbed, all wooden recurves... sometimes heated and bent, sometimes sinewed, and sometimes laminated(all wood). My wooden recurves are typically no wider than my longbows. From the front view, you couldn't tell them apart from a longbow.