Loo – Maple – Black Cherry – Osage, 39# @ 28”

[Tuomo]

My newest bow, number #191, most likely a keeper for myself, intended for calm, relaxed indoor shooting.

The bamboo backing is so-called Lồ τ bamboo (often simply called loo, Bambusa procera) from Vietnam. It is intended for fly-rod making and serves as a replacement for Tonkin bamboo. Its physical properties are almost as good as Tonkin: it has a very high elastic modulus, is extremely strong, easy to work with, and has exceptionally long distances between nodes.

Specifications: 39 pounds at a 28-inch draw length. Loo bamboo backing; sugar maple and black cherry core; osage orange belly. Osage power lamination, and a laminated ipe handle. Green vegetable-tanned leather grip, mother-of-pearl strike plate, and horn nocks. The string is a 12-strand Mercury 2. Total weight is 604 grams. Maximum width is 27 mm, tapering to 9.4 mm at the nocks. Tiller is +8 mm.

The most remarkable feature is the bamboo backing: despite the length, there is not a single visible node. The only one is hidden beneath the handle leather.

This bamboo is quite special. This bow originally had a jatoba belly, but it failed and broke. Another bow with a bulletwood belly took excessive set and became unusable. Even with the osage belly, this bow took almost 50 mm of set. I believe that the only suitable belly materials for loo bamboo are ipe—or possibly even horn. I am currently making bows with those materials and hope to finish them soon.

[Tuomo]

More pics...

[Tuomo]

And the last pics...

[medicinewheel]

Fine bow as usual!
Never heart of that bamboo type; seems to be some very special material. Looking foreward to those in the making!

[Robert Pougnier]

Another beautiful bow Tuomo. That's very sleek looking. The riser transitions (powerlam?) are very elegant.

[superdav95]

The bend on that bow is perfect!  Beautiful bow and very cool bamboo properties.  Where did you source this loo bamboo?

[Tuomo]

Where did you source this loo bamboo?

From Germany. https://www.springforelle.de/en/bamboo

[jameswoodmot]

That full draw photo is delightful

[superdav95]

Where did you source this loo bamboo?

From Germany. https://www.springforelle.de/en/bamboo

Thanks.  🙏

Is the internode the solid section between the nodes?  Also is the back of your bow one solid piece of boo strip with only the one node at the handle of if I understand???  On their site it seems to be priced is eur dollars.  One internode section with a length between 25-33” is 115,00 eur. So is it actually 115 euros?  So I understand correctly it’s a solid piece with one node with a node less run at either end?  Basically what you used for your bow here?   

[Tuomo]

Yes, one internode is a “bamboo tube” between the nodes. In this bow, the backing is one solid strip (two internodes).

Springforelle also sells those “2 internodes,” which are longer bamboo culms with a node in the middle. Unfortunately, the current “2 internodes” are relatively short (maximum about 66 inches), so if you want a long loo-backing strip, you have to order “single internode” pieces and splice the strips together.

When Springforelle started selling loo bamboo, I was one of the first buyers and placed a special order for very long “2 internodes.” The longest loo culm I have is just under two meters long and has only one node in the middle!

Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s very high quality and intended for bamboo fly rods. It’s a one-man company and possibly the only place where you can get it easily.

Please note that when you click "Bamboo" → "Loo single internode", you must first select a country (shipping is included), then choose the length. The last selectable option is "Loo", where you can choose between "2 internodes", "8 internodes", and "15 internodes". These options indicate how many pieces of single internodes you want to order. The minimum quantity is "2 internodes", which means two pieces.

From one internode, you can get four strips, which is enough backing for two bows. So for 115 EUR, you get backing for four bows, which is still reasonable.