Tradhunter - Traditional Archery Bow Hunting Forums

Hi there! I'm a brand new bowyer. Since I began building bows about 4 months ago I have managed to successfully build two flat bows, one of cherry and one of hickory. I have also had a few incidents of screw-ups, breaking, and discovering hidden flaws in the wood. I am ready to try my hand at a recurve. I have built a bending jig and experimented with cedar, hickory, and cherry. Cedar sucks. I will not mention it again. I have had my best luck so far at boiling some test pieces of cherry. I'd like to build my first recurve with this wood.

I have bent the test pieces to 45° and had them spring back to about 30°. My question: What is a good angle for the recurve tip to the flat limb? Is 30° a good place to start? I realize that if the angle isn't enough it winds up being a deflex bow and not a recurve, but that would be OK for the first attempt.

I have never built a recurve. I have a jig which is a 2x8. I believe I came back 12” and used a steel ruler to make an arch all the way to
Bottom of board. It really doesn’t matter the angle it’s personal preference just as long as the ends bend past the handle it’s considered a recurve. The sharper the angle the more likely you are to crack the wood. I have flipped tips longbow often and usually don’t do this until I am 3-4” within final draw length. The tillering process is much easier and the bends usually hold better. I usually use heat gun. If your steaming you will want to heat the limb to “set” the limb afterwards. Make sure to rehydrate as steam and heat both draw moisture from your stave. Good luck.