2 new bows from an old member

[barebo]

It has been some time since I've made a bow and I found my last bamboo slat and 2 hickory backing strips and got motivated. One is a bamboo backed hickory and one is hickory backed hickory.
Bamboo backed is 68.5 ntn and 39#@28". 18.5 oz. 1 3/16" at fades. Here is where I'll catch hell: I filed the nodes off smooth. There has been just over 200 arrows cast and no change at all and the induced reflex of 3" retains close to 1.5" after unbracing. I thought I'd thinned the bamboo enough but was afraid the hickory core was going to get too thin and possibly fret. I was extremely careful to reduce the bamboo and it is smooth as glass. I fish bamboo fly rods and they don't splinter.

The hickory/hickory is 69" ntn and 20.5 oz. 1.5 at the fades and 44#@28". It too holds just over 1 1/4" of reflex. Both shoot well for me and at a month from turning 68 it feels good to be shaving wood!

[barebo]

Bamboo backed has a black limba locator grip and the hicory/hickory has a leather lace wrapped grip with an abalone strike plate. Both have 10" red oak risers.

[barebo]

Braced. I apologize that I don't know how to make multiple photos in one post.

[JW_Halverson]

That's some mighty respectable work right there!

[barebo]

No proud nodes - I know there are those that will predict failure - I'm going to shoot it in the coming 3D season so we'll see. The hickory was milled from old growth Adirondack hickories and came knot free from the mill that my friends son worked at. I got 9 boards 5/4 that were 8' and 6 to 9" wide. All gone now.

[Will B]

Those are two beautiful bows!  Very nice work.

[Hamish]

Good bows.
Re flattened nodes. It's hard to know for sure how it will go. 200 arrows is not a lot to see if the nodes aren't degrading yet. If is a little overbuilt for the draw length you might be safe. Also, it depends on the species of the bamboo, some will tolerate node removal more than others.

[Pappy]

Nice looking pair, I would round the shelf's a bit if it was mine but that just me. Nice work. 
 Pappy

[superdav95]

Sharp looking bows!  I love both of these.  I’d be curious to see how that boo backed holds up.  Any I’ve tried like that have failed.  I know that’s not reassuring to you but maybe it was the type of boo I was using.  I use mosso large pole and make my own slats and heat treat them.  That could be my problem.   I’ve had some success with filing nodes off on belly slats but that’s it.  I did one boo backed and belly slatted bow where I filed off the nodes to put few layers of sinew and that worked obviously.  I’d be interested in what type of boo you used. 

[barebo]

Dave, you were my inspiration to attempt to induce reflex into my bows. I've flipped tips and steam bent recurves but never attempted a sort of Perry reflex. No heat treating at all - I put the reflex in with zip ties after clamping at glue up. Honestly, filing the nodes wasn't my intent but even thinned to the degree I thought would work, the bamboo was too strong in tension and I knew it would crush the hickory core. I did some research and found that a bowyer had posted a video of a bow he had done with removed/flattened nodes so I thought "why not"! Time will tell...
On to my 2nd hickory backed hickory and that will be done hopefully early January making 3 in 3 months. I caught the bug somehow and your speed demons might have been the virus!

[barebo]

Here is my "High Tech" set up. It's all I have to work with. My glue lines are good so I go with it.

[Pat B]

Nice looking bows. Your set up is fine and if it works than that's finer. 

[barebo]

Thanks Pat. Here is the Bamboo backed Hickory. Arrow is 30" nock to tip. Might be a bit stiff out of the top fade.

[superdav95]

Dave, you were my inspiration to attempt to induce reflex into my bows. I've flipped tips and steam bent recurves but never attempted a sort of Perry reflex. No heat treating at all - I put the reflex in with zip ties after clamping at glue up. Honestly, filing the nodes wasn't my intent but even thinned to the degree I thought would work, the bamboo was too strong in tension and I knew it would crush the hickory core. I did some research and found that a bowyer had posted a video of a bow he had done with removed/flattened nodes so I thought "why not"! Time will tell...
On to my 2nd hickory backed hickory and that will be done hopefully early January making 3 in 3 months. I caught the bug somehow and your speed demons might have been the virus!

Ya the virus!  A lot of us on here are still getting over that virus!  I’m glad these worked out so well for ya.  I think I know the of the guy you may be referring to from meadowlark bows.  He’s got some great build along vids too.  I remember puckering up when he strung up and shot that bow.  His rationale if I recall was the nodes like you say cause too much strain on the core.  For a future build you should try a heat treated reflex and then glue up boo backed.  This does a lot for getting better compression capabilities out of your hickory belly to handle the extra stresses of the boo back.  I’ve tested this out and the results are quite good.  Basically you would heat in your reflex on your floor tillered bow blank then prep your back like you’ve done already maybe even adding an inch if you want.  I do add a tiny bit on glue up to counter the boo strip natural tendency to deflex.  I end up keeping about 3-4” reflex loosing very little this way.  I’ll do a thread here in the new year on heat treatment soon if your interested.  Cheers. 

[barebo]

Dave,
I read your prior posts and was amazed by the amount of reflex that you were able to retain after shooting in those BBH. At 68, high 30 to low 40# is plenty of weight and I no longer fling broadheads so mine are basically 3D oriented. Yes, Meadowlark is the culprit that gave me the stones to reduce the bamboo from the back. Time will tell if it was a bad move, but it wouldn't be the first one to fail. Any heat treating I've done was the good 'ol heat gun and it certainly made a difference with correcting some bows that needed it and increased poundage as well.
I'd bought a bundle of 25 bamboo slats - 6'x2" years ago, and they're gone. Last one is on "Nodeless" - guess that is what I'll call that bow!