Ozbow

Hey guys, I need a little bit of advice. I have a 70"x1 7/8"x 7/8" hickory board and was roughing it into a fairly standard flat bow shape. I've noticed a fine split running with the grain in the side of the board as well as a small knot. I think I could cut this area away and avoid trouble if I adapted my layout to a pyramid design.

My question is, is 1 7/8" at the fades , wide enough for a pyramid bow? I'll be looking for 50lb+ @ 28". I know an even 2-2 1/2" would be in really safe territory, but am hoping my planned length (68"ntn) may offset this bit. I also want to try heat tempering the belly of this bow, and I've read in TBB4 that a tempered belly allows for narrower than normal limbs. I'm not trying to push the envelope too far-am I? As always I plan on backing this bow for explosion insurance, this time with 100% linen fabric.

What do you guys think?

To pick up overall limb width run parallel from the handle for a few inches and then taper to the nocks.

As a result you will only lose the little triangular pieces on the fadeouts.

Hope the above makes sense.

Daryl.

A hickory pyramid bow 2" wide can be 50 lb when as short as 62".

As you get longer, the leverage increases. You might think that to increase weight you'd increase weight. But you actually need to increase thickness. I think your width should be fine for 50 lb as long as you make it thick enough. After all, 1 7/8 is only 3 mm less than 2 inches.

How is the grain in the board? You might not need a backing at all. If you do back, you would do well to heat treat first (the heat could soften the glue), and when you glue on the backing, pull the bow into some reasonable reflex first so as to get the fabric in pre-tension.