Wood Backing Strips?

[Arrowind]

What do you guys do for Wood Backing Strips?

Make em?  If so what is your process? Ban saw? Planer? Pocket knife? teeth?

Buy em?  If so where?

Use vaneer? 

I've yet to back a bow with wood and want to start trying a few wood combos but I'm not sure the best way to go.  I like the idea of making my own but am not quite sure the best way to do that.  I'm concerned about buying them because I worry about straight grain etc....

Any advice is much appreciated.  Thanks in advance!

[half eye]

for what it's worth, I cut my backers from bow stock....then the backer and the bow core go through a thickness planer. Then the flat surfaces get scraped down with a hacksaw blade (dont have a toothing plane) and glued up. The glue up is "full" size, 1" X 2", then it's shaped down from there after the glue is set up. I use titebond 2, wrapped in plastic wrap and rubber bands.....and let it set for 24 hrs.

I cut the bow cores and backers with a table saw.
rich

[mikekeswick]

If you can buy nice boards a bandsaw and drum sander will do the job perfectly.
Personally I don't like using a planer thicknesser unless i'm just removing excess material. Although the surfaces look flat they are actually lots of little scallops and the surface wood is also compressed slightly. Glues don't like to fill gaps! When you use a drum sander you get perfectly flat surfaces that are also good at soaking up the glue.
I used to use a planer thicknesser for lams but since i've got the drum sander the glue lines are flawless - like you can't even see them.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Im with Rich. I do it exactly as he does with great results. I use URAC and a toothing plane so surface imperfections matter not to me. Arrowwind I highly suggets making your own hardwood backing strips. They are VERY pricey for what they are.

[Matt S.]

I've just started making some backed bows, but all I do is get a board with exceptionally straight grain and rip it to 1/8" thick strips on the table saw. It doesn't need much prepping right off the saw, maybe a light sanding is all.

[Arrowind]

Thank you everyone.

That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. 

I have a ban saw and access to a table saw but don't have a thickness planer or a drum sander... 

Perhaps I can sand by hand. Or maybe a hand planer...

My budget is pretty much non existant right now. 

I looked at drum sanders online for a bit and what I saw in a quick search seemed pretty expensive.  I haven't looked at thickness planers yet.

I have to imagine I'll eventually ad one or the other or both to my shop.  "Eventually"  Unfortunately that can be a long time.   

Thanks again. 

[Josh]

I've just started making some backed bows, but all I do is get a board with exceptionally straight grain and rip it to 1/8" thick strips on the table saw. It doesn't need much prepping right off the saw, maybe a light sanding is all.

that's pretty much what I do too.  Works great.

[Del the cat]

I saw a piece online (maybe Youtbe?) about a DIY drum sander, very cheap to make and worked fine.
Might be worth searching forif you fancy one but don't have the funds.
Del

[Matt S.]

I saw a piece online (maybe Youtbe?)

They have virtual saws now? That's great, no more sawdust in my shop!

 

[Del the cat]

LOL...  if only 
Del