How long should a bow last and at what age should it be retired?How old is your bow?

Age should not hurt a bow. It depends on how it was stored and taken care of. I have a 40 year old recurve that is still OK. I have shot older ones then that.

The oldest bow I own and shoot I bought in 1974. It is still in good shape. I tend to take good care of my toys so they ususally last me a long time. As long as I see no signs of fatigue I will keep using my older bows. The biggest problem I see with guys and bows is improper storage. That will shorten a bows life faster than anything else except catastrophic failure due to materials or workmanship flaws. Treat it as you would any other fine weapon and it should last a liftime. Throw it in the corner of the garage or the attic and you can pretty well guess the results over time. Extreme heat and cold dont help the lamination much. How may folks you know leave their bows strung all the time? I know I see it most places I go. AS far as that goes proper stringing and unstringing of the bow. A little twist inadvertently added to the limbs unfortunately goes a long way as well.
Keep it cleaned, waxed and oiled where apporopriate. I guess this was just a long winded way of saying if you properly maitain your bow it should last you a liftime barring accident.
Mike