Tue, 10/27/2009 - 11:23pm
Got this question from a reader today:
---
I am building a recurved long bow just for fun. I last made a bow as a child more than 50 years ago. I chose to sculpt the form from balsa wood. It is light, flexible, and easy to shape. The form is about 60 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 3/16 thick. I am going to cover it with layers of fiberglass. Does anyone have any idea how many layers of glass are necessary to make a bow of about 45-50 lb draw strength? Will it be necessary to gut out the balsa before I add fiberglass layers for the back side of the bow? I appreciate any helpful suggestions.
- 704 reads
Sun, 11/22/2009 - 9:56am
#2
I would recommend that you look at Bingham Projects. They sell everything that you will need and they have several pages on bow design factors.
Also, I would try looking at the tutorials on www.poorfolkbows.com. They have a fiberglass bow tutorial that shows what to do if something goes wrong. Theirs is a reflex/deflex bow, but that is just a change in the shape of the form.
Balsa may be to light and soft to hold the bow correctly. Remember that you will be hold 45+ pounds of weight over every area.
Good luck with you project!
i really want to build this project too! that is a hard part about using vintage plans ... vintage materials!