I've got an idea for a bow. Is it feasible?

[Eubeen Hadd]

The other day, I was thinking of what I might do for a bow down the line, so I could start gathering the supplies for it now. After much daydreaming, I thought of something that would take a lot of time and effort, but hopefully turn out a beautiful bow. Very simply, it's a backed laminated bow, Ipe or Osage belly, bamboo core, and a thick sinew backing, probably a ~60" lever bow/mollegabet. I would only probably tiller it to 50 pounds or so, so it could be narrow as heck, especially through the levers.

BUT. This is all daydreaming. I don't have halfeye's or Pat B's experience, so I'm not sure if it's even worth putting so much effort into. Would it be easier to cut out the core and just do a backed bow?

Also, I'm a poor and very involved high school student with a job and a varsity track spot. I would need to find sinew, clamps, and bamboo for cheap to even have a chance at finishing this by summer's end. I could probably source the Osage/Ipe somewhat easily, but that could get somewhat pricey on it's own unless I could find a cheap supplier.

I don't have any access to "good" natural wood, so cutting my own is out of the question for now.

So, for anybody who doesn't want to read a ton, it basically boils down to these points:

Is an Ipe/bamboo/sinew bow a worthy combination?

Where can I find cheap bamboo, sinew, and clamps for laminating?

[RyanY]

No reason you couldn't make a bow like that but bamboo backed ipe is already such a proven combination that I think you'd be wasting time with the sinew. Also if you're just starting out I think you could save yourself a lot of hassle by just making an awesome bow out of whats already available to you! I'd suggest using boards but you could also get an already seasoned stave from someone here.

[Squirrelslayer]

No reason you couldn't make a bow like that but bamboo backed ipe is already such a proven combination that I think you'd be wasting time with the sinew. Also if you're just starting out I think you could save yourself a lot of hassle by just making an awesome bow out of whats already available to you! I'd suggest using boards but you could also get an already seasoned stave from someone here.

+1 this is what i was thinking. i have seen many woods backed with bamboo ipe, rosewood, purplehart. ect... i would also suggest that if your just starting that you should start with a board bow. as many people on here know i started experimenting before i acctually tried something that has been proven to work. good luck and don't make the same mistake i did. SS

[DarkSoul]

If you are a poor student, the project you are describing will be relatively expensive either way. Probably none of the materials will be for free (don't forget the glue!), so even if you can get it cheap, you're still looking at a lot more money than just a few straight grained oak/maple/ash boards.
That being said, if you invest some time, you can find some things quite cheaply.

The bow you describe will probably work, but I agree with Ryoon: the sinew is redundant if you are making a bamboo backed ipé/osage bow. On the other hand, I've never seen a sinew backed ipé bow, so it might be an interesting combination. If you insist on a trilam with a sinew backing, a raw bamboo core is not the way to go. The nodes are difficult to deal with, and the smooth back make a lousy surface for the sinew (+glue) to adhere to. Instead, take some hickory or bamboo flooring. I've successfully acquired one sidepressed bamboo flooring board from a store that sells wooden floors, which was a left over from some of their projects. For free!
Clamps are easy too...bike inner tubes! Also for free in my country, which has more bikes than inhabitants.
An ipé belly is most likely cheaper than an osage belly.
Cheap sinew means visiting a butcher or hunter.