Introduction: Powerful Takedown Bow From Downhill Skis
This bow is made from a pair of Fischer downhill skis. It pulls 58# at @ 28". The riser is made from walnut and pecan and is coated in a satin polyurethane finish. The string is made from paracord with bowlines. This will be replaced by a dacron string when I get the time to make one.
The takedown shown in these photos is a followup to the instructable I wrote earlier this year. I have received many questions asking "just how powerful a bow can you make from skis?". This takedown bow shoots nearly as fast as my fiberglass/wood laminate recurves. Once I get my hands on a chronograph I will actually provide some numbers. But based on target penetration and my experience I'd have to say that it performs quite comparably.
So what makes this bow different than the previous takedowns?
This bow was one of the many that were used in a performance at the Rurally Good Festival at Grin City Collective! Shameless plug: Grin City is now accepting applicants for its Spring Residency!
The takedown shown in these photos is a followup to the instructable I wrote earlier this year. I have received many questions asking "just how powerful a bow can you make from skis?". This takedown bow shoots nearly as fast as my fiberglass/wood laminate recurves. Once I get my hands on a chronograph I will actually provide some numbers. But based on target penetration and my experience I'd have to say that it performs quite comparably.
So what makes this bow different than the previous takedowns?
- Downhill skis - The limbs of this bow are made from rigid Fischer skis that require far more energy to flex than the old cross country skis I used previously. This greatly increases the draw weight of the bow.
- Angle of the attached limb - The angle formed between riser and the bolted on limb in this bow is <10˚ (compare this to the previous bows where the angle was 20˚-25˚). This forces the limbs to be under more strain when the bow is braced (strung). Consequently the force required to flex the limbs at early draw is increased and more energy is stored in the bow.
This bow was one of the many that were used in a performance at the Rurally Good Festival at Grin City Collective! Shameless plug: Grin City is now accepting applicants for its Spring Residency!
