All wood bows vs. wood and fiberglass?????

[BDann]

What are the differences between all wood bows versus those made with fiberglass limbs?  I spoke with Mike @ Dryad this afternoon about a bow (hoping that he will chime in here in a little while!) and was wondering how they differ as far as hand shock, smoothness, etc.  I'm hoping to make a decision on a bow here shortly.

Brian

[Ian johnson]

I can say that I have a new dryad orion on order

[longbowguy]

Most all wood bows are quite a bit slower, maybe 15%. There are some exceptions. Some really well designed one piece selfbows are fast. And I have an old 50s era Bear Archery bow made from 6 laminations of maple that is fast. I think it may be partly the five glue lines in the latter. - lbg

[Mark Baker]

All-wood bows have a life.   Fiberglass will make a bow more durable, and longer lasting.  Other than that, and some speed concession, all-wood bows are just as smooth, can be much quieter, and have something special about them that appeals to many of us.   I call it "soul" or "spirit", that is lacking in the wood sandwiched between layers of fiberglass.  I love my custom fiberglass bows, don't get me wrong, but the all-wood bows take more care to build, more care to shoot, more care to maintain...and it all comes out in the measure of success I feel when I take them to the field.

[Apex Predator]

Fiberglass allows the bowyer to achieve more radical designs, which store more energy.  Glass is heavier than wood though, so their are some all wood bows that are within a couple of feet per second of the fastest glass bows.

[Mechslasher]

i agree with mark.  a selfbow has character and a soul, especially osage.  as to speed, a well tillered selfbow can hold its own with a glass bow.  i also agree with apex on glass being more versital when it comes to design options.  i have both types of bows, but when i go hunting i usually grab my wood bow.

[wingnut]

Mark said it well "all-wood bows take more care to build, more care to shoot, more care to maintain"  

We build both types of bows and depending on where a person is on the evolution of bows, with a few exceptions recommend glass to new guys and "all natural" to more seasoned veterans.

Performance on our Hunter and SoothSayer will run with glass bows and the horn bellied SoothSayer and BushWacker will perform with all but the fastest of the glass and carbon.

With that being said, performance is really not a factor.  It's the other stuff that Mark pointed out.  When a bowhunter transitions to trad bows from compounds, it's hard sometimes to accept the additional care and feeding that an "all natural" bow requires.  I've shot and hunted with them for years and it's second nature to me to unbrace the bow when I rest, to wipe it down when it's wet and to wax it when the water stops beading up.

This year I'm hunting with an Orion curve and it's weird not to unstring it when I'm done hunting.  LOL

So if your new, you have a lot of new stuff to learn about shooting the bow and hunting with a trad bow that is different from the compound, so we recommend a glass bow, hopefully our glass bow. LOL

Later for an additional challenge, an "all natural" bow is the next step.  Kinda like stepping up to a luxury car.

Then when it's just plain easy hunting and shooting, lets build a selfbow.

That's my approach.  Now if you have your heart set on "all natural" out of the gate, we have you covered.

Mike

[d. ward]

The fiberglass backing well carry 88-90% of the load.Makeing a bow with ie thinner corewood.A really really good selfbow will just about hang with a good recurve for speed,but an mentioned the fiberglass does return to normal faster then wood(bamboo fishing rod versus glass or grafite rods).Fiberglass is pound for pound 10 times stronger and more durable then wood.Fiberglass is produced in a flat peace and thats the only menory is has is to return to normal.As a rule generally your glass backed bows are a little bit faster and may live a little longer then an all wood bow.Generally but not always true pending on how well the bow is made..bd

[BDann]

Thanks for all the info fellas.  With all the choices out there it can be a bit overwhelming. I hope to get a bow soon so I can be ready for next season.  I just set my 3 kids up with bows from Black Rhino, now it's my turn!

[Don Stokes]

I just made the transition from decades of fiberglass. My reflexed Torges longbow shoots a little lower spine than a similar fiberglassed longbow that I have, but I can't tell the difference in cast, which is what's really important to me. I shoot arrows in the same mass range, and I don't have to adjust my "aiming point" for the Osage and hickory bow.

For me, it's really somewhat of a pleasure to get involved in the extra care that an all-wood bow requires. Archery somehow becomes more personal. I agree, though, that if you're fairly new to traditional bows, it's better to start with a good ol' tough fiberglass backed bow. There are more important aspects of your craft to focus upon until you become proficient.