Bows

[joshnbecks]

Ive been having a look around and I can't seem to find how you know what size bow suits you.
Can anyone help please?

[RichardH]

DON'T buy a bow until you have been shooting for a while. You will get to know your draw weight, and can then take it from there.

A bow should suit your draw weight and draw length. Do not be tempted to get something more powerful than you are comfortable thinking "I'll build up to it".

My advice would be to make use of the club bows for a good 6 months.

[joshnbecks]

Hi and thanks Richard,
I'm not looking at buying a bow just trying to understand how you know what size suits. Same thing with the arrows..... it all seems so technical!!!

[RichardH]

Ahhh - ok. Good stuff.

A bow is specified by it's draw length (in inches) and draw weight (in pounds - #).

Most adult (mens) bows are designed to a draw length of 28", and will be made so that they can be overdrawn by a small amount - so a bow may be said to have a 28" draw length, max 29". Drawing anything more than that and you are running the risk of breaking or damaging the bow.

As a bow is drawn back, the poundage increases - so a bow designed to be 40# draw weight at 28" will probably only be 36# at 26". So in theory, if you have a (say) 26" draw you could use a 40# at 28" bow, but by only drawing to 26", you would end up with a 36# bow. However, the bow won't be working at its optimum, so it is better to have a bow DESIGNED to work at your draw length.

They also say a bow should be around your height, or a couple of inches taller.

Now the arrows. The arrows should be of the correct length for your draw, but not overshort - otherwise they would be dangerous.
Once you have the length, arrows should be of the correct stiffness to suit the power of your bow. A powerful bow with "floppy" arrows will make them flail around when shot. Similarly arrows that are too stiff will tend to fly off in the wrong direction (to the left if you're right handed, and to the right if you're left handed - see if you can think why this might be!)

The stiffness of arrows is known as their "spine". It is also expressed in pounds. So a 25# spine arrow is quite flexible - a 50# arrow is quite stiff. As a rule for longbow, the spine of the asrrow should be around 10# less than the draw weight of your bow - as long as your draw length is 28".


I think that's enough for now!

[Neil&MichW]

We now have a spine testing rig at the club which has been designed to match the arrows with the bow draw weight pretty much one for one i.e: if the bow draws 36lb then the arrows will need to have a spine of 36lb using the clubs rig.

Well that's the idea anyway.

Neil

[RichardH]

Hi Neil, that sounds interesting (and helpful!). So the scale isn't the "standard" one, then?

As I understand it, a 0.5" deflection from a 2lb weight when the shaft is supported at 26" will give a spine reading of 26#. How have you graduated yours?

Funnily enough, I started making a spine testing rig, but have currently stopped at the "getting an accurate 2lb weight" bit - what did you use for yours?

[Neil&MichW]

The 2lb weight is the American AMO standard the GNAS states a 1.5lb mass (680g), and the only way I got the accuracy was to cast my own weight from pewter and weigh every part of the finished mass removing pewter accordingly to compensate.
Apparently most commercial machinery used to produce shafts have in-built testers set for the AMO standard hence the almost forgotten GNAS standard.

[RichardH]

Wow - casting your own pewter weight - that's dedication!

At the end of the day, as long as the measure is consistent, I guess it doesn't really matter what the weight or the scale it - it's about getting a set of arrows that measure the same. Look forward to seeing this piece of machinery!

One method I was considering using was this one for the weight - a bolt running through some large eyes.

[Morgana]

So, Becks, you can relax - it's not technical at all... 

[joshnbecks]

So, Becks, you can relax - it's not technical at all... 

pmsl.........no not at all 

[RichardH]

Now now you two - I was only trying to help.... 

 

[Haldir_Marchwarden]

sits i corner *chuckling*

[Chieftain]

Hi,
Please remember a stick which has slept at -2 does not want to bend so, until we build the new insulate bow stands, warm up the bows, string them for 5/10 min then very gently draw them not a full draw yet.
You should do this all the times not only in winter.

Every time you want to check some arrows spine please let me know and I bring the Jig over.
If you want new Boyton pine arrows spine and prepare let me know your spine and I will do it for you
we now stock 11/32, 5/16, 9/32, 1/4.
Points and nocks for 1/4 and 9/32 are coming soon.