Bow Efficiency: Foundations for Beginners
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- As a new bowyer, we all reach the stage where it is no longer good enough to produce a bow that didn't break - because we are quickly hit with the realization that function and performance do not go hand-in-hand... When it comes to shooting a bow, the operation of that bow is never free of charge and it's currency is FPS... In this video I explain some of the basic inhibitors to an efficient bow and the design aspects to exploit in order to get the greatest "pass-through" from your bow. I have geared this installment toward the new bowyer, although It may be good review for any of us. I keep the subject to mass theory as it applies to a wide flat-limbed selfbow. The content here is only the removing of the lid of the can of worms that is the debate over bow performance - but it is a sound foundation.
Enjoy!
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I loved this video! You explained and demonstrated extremely well some of the issues I’ve had, why I’ve had them and what I can try different on my next bow. Thanks so very much.
Hello from Belarus. Thank you for the information. Great video. A little bit of material science, a little bit of basic physics. And we also should add a tale about the string angle. The result is a huge variety of bow designs.
greetings mr.pettit and everyone out there.every explanation you give us is exstremely important and usefull.thank you sir :)
Fantastic video. I'm new to making bows and my first one came out extremely underweight compared to what I was shooting for. This video really helps to explain where I went wrong. Thank you!
Whilst I appreciate the information and the time and effort to share it, I cannot help but mention that bowyers in the u.s. have such unbounded resources for staves that it becomes almost industrial. The armature bowyer in the uk must pay hundreds of pounds for one single stave, or perform song and dance to obtain some random wood from arborists who know exactly what they’ve got and will only trade it to people that fit, I.e. if you are 6’6” 250lb skinheaded bearded tattooed warrior with hundreds of friends and acquaintances, the arborists over here look at the nerd armature bowyer no matter how talented, like a small cretinous creature that just crawled out of a hedgerow, which actually is what I look like most of the time, but guys - it is only a piece of wood
Are there no lumber yards in the UK..?
I'm new to all this. Still, I've watched a LOT of videos, and this one is BY FAR the best. Thanks a million!
So happy I can help! Getting started is the the hardest part - second to bouncing arrows off of a target lol! That part lasted way too long for me…
@@meadowlarkadventuregearWill, I'm a "head man", so using my hands is challenging!
Just start making some sawdust! The rest will take care of itself.
@@meadowlarkadventuregear 😅😅😅 I'll keep that in mind.
@@meadowlarkadventuregear Hi again :) After reading the first volume of the Bowyer's Bible, I think it's misleading to call the bow with the higher draw weight more efficient. Yes, it shoot an arrow faster, because it's a heavier bow. No surprise. It does so with the same material mass, so in can be said to utilize the mass better. But efficiency is something else entirely. Did both bows have the exact same draw weight while one was shooting the same arrow 30 fps faster, only then could we claim that it was a more efficient bow design. Right?
Beautiful first bow..definitely something to be proud of..both are beautiful...thanks for sharing your time in the workshop
Tysm! I’ve watched dozens of bow making vids and I rly think this one is one of the most important. NOW I finally feel ready to start making my bow .
Imo ... To catch the eye of viewers, vid-makers focus on the "how to" rather than the more involved explanations of the "why to".
Great video, thanks for sharing your expertise on bow efficiency - awesome.
Awesome video and explanation
Wonderful gift to beginner bow-makers. And likely some experienced ones as well, as I raise hand. ;-)
Greetings from Waikato New Zealand, that is a great video! I am into about my 4th or 5th bow, so far I have concentrated on more of a horsebow design, around 54". Now I want to attempt a 66" longbow, so I have found this video very helpful. I have been given a length of greenheart by a guy here who is a very accomplished bowyer. He tells me this is the best bow wood he has found, and he has used mostly osage orange! So when I begin this bow I will be taking careful note in what I have learnt from your video, also I would be keen to hear your thoughts on string follow etc,, thankyou..
As with everything in bow building, there are trade-offs involved in any design aspect. String follow is generally frowned upon as an indicator of lost potential in terms of arrow speed, but can also provide a very balanced and smooth delivery on the shot. Extreme setback can result in higher efficiency but be difficult and unstable in the final product of the bow. Bottom line is to find the best mix of the 2 that you are comfortable with, and go for it. In reality, string follow is neither good or bad just like the color of your hair - it’s just what it is.
I would love to make a horsebow- any ideas or suggestions how to get started?
Thank you sir you explained it so well. Very useful information.
Thank you! Appreciate your watching!
Great information!!! I think my first bow might shoot an arrow in the next few weeks!!! But sadly all the bend is occurring towards the nocks... all the more reason to make another bow and improve on design!!!
Ya might want to think about using that bow to teach ya all it can. Try to fix it. Final draw weight not important.
Well presented Fantastic explanation
I accidentally stumbled in your video and It was for me a big luck! It's a source of knowledge for people like me who begin to make bows. I just would like ti know if adding a walnut insert on the handle part of a maple board flat bow would make the central section more stiff and could cause fractures of the belly sides of the limbs. Thanks very much!
Adding a handle piece can have all kinds of implications... if this is a finished bow that you are hoping to make a little suffer in the middle section, adding a riser to the grip area will more likely end in that handle popping off when you draw the bow. If you are talking about future builds, then yes adding the insert will stiffen the grip area and not affect the limbs. If they fail in any way at that point your issue is with the limb design. Lastly, anytime you ad any wood to the grip area, you have to take care to ensure that you have proper transitions at the fades, or again the handle will pop off. There can't be any bend occurring at the glue line of the added handle material.
@@meadowlarkadventuregear ok maybe it's better to make the handle without amy insert, It will be a little bit thin, Just one inch, but easier to build
Hi very helpful grate thanks
@@rogermajsterski4728 Thank you for watching!!!
Thanks for the info!
Does a center cut shelf shoot the arrow faster then no shelf
I don’t believe I’ve seen any empirical data on that… an arrow is going to have some wobble in the shaft no matter the shelf it is shot off of, but I would imagine that on the extreme margin, it would create more drag if it has to bend more to get around a grip… I suspect a well-tuned arrow would minimize this in any case.
Very interesting though
Thanks for these useful videos, I intend to make an 53" 40lbs laminate Assyrian bow with four slices, two of bamboo and the outer slices of the Glaslaminat | BEARPAW Power 0.8 or 1 mm , but I don't know how thick the bamboo pieces are should be to start .
I'm a big fan of Bogár Assyrian Bow and I'm trying to make something similar to put my own touches Also because the budget .
I want to thank you for your response and your constant advice in the comments .
I really don't have much experience with fiberglass bows... what I can tell you is that if you have any similar bows that you can look at, I would try for a similar thickness of one that fits your criteria. Secondly, I would build it to specs that you think will come out light based on thickness, and then make it a bit wider than your desired finished dimensions. This will give you the margin of safety that comes with the width of the limb (which can be narrowed to achieve the desired weight) without overbuilding your bow in thickness which cannot be altered at all once the components are glued together... Good luck!
I’m making my first bow - I got started with a few other vids that suggested using a 1x2 red oak board. But I love ur design of the dark bow here! I want a bow 70” long with 35 lbs at 30” dl. Will a 1 1/2” wide board still be ok (leaving xtra thickness to compensate?)
Exercise the bow thoroughly… the only topic I didn’t cover in this video is “teaching the wood to bend” that darker bow would have taken far less string follow had I used that philosophy when I built it. You want to be as close to finished without taking off too much material at each stage as you move ahead. You should arrive at your draw length and weight as a matter of course - almost naturally.
@@meadowlarkadventuregear Ty again! I rly appreciate ur vids and replies.
I’ll remember and follow your advice here - already glued up my board and cut the ends. I need to slow down tho (!)
I’m thinking of the math, if removing width is a 2 to 1 ratio and removing depth is a 8 to one ratio then the “difference” is 4 to 1 ?
Oooo… I’m not a mathematician…
and I think we may be tangled up in conversions… for example assume a length of board that is 1”x1” set on a span that gives me 1lb of resistance - If I add 1” of width and it nets me 1 additional lb. of resistance, then take the original board and add 1” in thickness and get 8 additional lbs of resistance, the gain in resistance is 8 to 1 when the change in dimension remains constant (1”). So when I look at it from a removal standpoint, I see it as a 1:1 on the width, and 8:1 on the thickness…
Is there an engineer in the room???
Thank You for that information. I live in Trinidad (Caribbean) where no one makes bow , so how do i determine which wood i should use?
I am completely unfamiliar with native woods in your area - generally speaking, any hardwood is a candidate. If you want to tell me what you have access to, I may be able to advise…
You use osage billets?
I have very little experience with Osage. It doesn’t grow anywhere near where I live.
@@meadowlarkadventuregear what do you use? Hickory? Hackberry? White oak.. And can those woods make a heavy flat bow?
I’ve used everything you mentioned including red oak and ash to good effect. The bows in this video are red oak. Hickory is probably my main go to because I tend to rely on boards for staves. Most of my work lately is laminated - bamboo/Ipe, bamboo/hickory, hickory/any wood and lastly bamboo/bamboo (my latest favorite) anything mentioned above will make an excellent hunting-weight bow.
@Meadowlark Adventure Gear Well you sound like a great bowmaker!
Just curious do you come across hackberry that grows straight and over 6' Foot? I used billets a few times which works well.
I want to try for a super heavy flat bow with hackberry stave I got. It's 74 inches. 100 lb flatbow.
@@tonymaurice4157 I have not, but I see no reason why you couldn’t…
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