Building my own recurve.

[SouthTX1911]

Following along. I love watchin these recurve and longbow buildalongs.

[bassmatt72]

Sorry, didn't make it out to the shop today. Just didn't have the energy after being up most of the night at work and then mowing our yard and Mom and Dads.

[Horn chaser]

Good luck on making your recurve. I started out on making long bows and just starting to get the hang of making them. I am about to try my hand on making a recurve using an old red wing hunter as my pattern. The best thing I can say is listen to Greywolf and Tmiddleton they have given you some excellent advice so far. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[LeanMachine]

Why is the form being too wide a problem? Only problem i can see is some lateral movement of the lams. However you could always put some alignment pins down the length to keep everything lined up.

[TP3]

Having your form perfect is the key. Router method with 1/4 " ply template works best in my opinion. Its not worth all the work that goes in it to lay one up in a bad mold and have it end up sub par. My first recurve looks like it belonged to a warlock or something. New mold and all the ones since then have been great.

[Greywolf in Hawaii]

Why is the form being too wide a problem? Only problem i can see is some lateral movement of the lams. However you could always put some alignment pins down the length to keep everything lined up.

Lateral movement obviously isn't good.
It is possible to put some pins in but that could/would create different problems, first and most important would be lack of even compression on the limb laminations, the pins would keep the airhose or clamps on the stack from making tight glue lines. which kills the project right there. I use a lot of tape to keep the stack tight to the press.(especially in the bends of the press) Shift is the second killer issue which effects limb deflection big time.

it's easier to start off perfect and end up perfect. It's the same as starting off with a press out of square, you are building in a limb twist. It's like building a propeller.

[bassmatt72]

I'm looking at this first as a lesson in doing it right the first time. I'm heading out to buy some materials then into the shop this afternoon.

[Bill]

I've got an early 70's Red Wing Hunter that looks new, that the lower limb's fiberglass shattered and splintered with the bow hanging unstrung a couple years ago. If anybody ever needs a riser to practice with and redo the limbs for practice, I'd be really happy to test it out here afterwards!

[bassmatt72]

Bill, I'd be interested later on after I do this one! I'm sending a PM.

[bassmatt72]

Got a late start today, my shop just isn't big enough to cut a sheet of plywood in it so I had to wait for the rain to stop. Ready to start cutting, measure seventy five times, cut once! I'm using two pieces of 3/4" and one 1/4" birch plywood cut to 15x64".

Next I mark my boards with the pattern so I know where and where not to put the screws.

Its amazing that if you measure enough 3/4 and 1/4" plywood you can actually find some that is really 3/4 and 1/4" thick! I bet I measured every piece they had twice, but the final results are a form that is 1 3/4" thick. A pic. of the form and the fiberglass for the bow.

[Blood Trail]

in...

[bassmatt72]

Next is glue time!!! Put lots on, spread it around and put the pieces together.


I know I have enough glue cause its oozing out when I start putting the screws in.

Lots of screws from both sides.

Finished for the night, have to work tomorrow so it will be Friday before I get anything else done on it.

Well, with todays work I'm almost back to the point I was at when I started this thread! At least now you all are getting to see the whole process!
Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for more, hopefully Friday night.

[Hoggslayer]

Watching. Good luck.

[TMiddleton]

Yeah I never have understood why you just can't go buy a piece of plywood that is actually 3/4" thick!

[chackworth3]

Careful, you'll get addicted. Take your time!