Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: NTD on April 12, 2010, 02:16:18 am
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I'm a little frustarted. I've wasted 4 bamboo backings in a row.
First one was an R/D that was Really crappy bending in all the wrong places. Second one was an R/D that I had bending a little better but it chrysaled, still shooting but don't know if it will hold up. Third was an R/D that came in under weight and pulled a splinter. Fourth was a bow I was making for a friend of my dad's.
It's a straight profile with glued in relfex of 2 inches. Tillered out nicely, shoots great, came in at target weight, but my riser is coming off. It hasn't popped off but it is lifting on one side, about 1 1/2" long you can see a small gap. I have the riser on an island of wood and I have a power lam in this bow and it's not bending much near the fades but evidently just enough to cause the riser to gap at the glue line. I really can't figure out for the life of me why it's lifting. I guess I will just drop the weight of the bow by 10 pounds and hope that It will stop lifting the riser and have to find someone who wants a 35# bow.
If this keeps up I might have to swear off laminates all together for awhile...except I really am in love with my recent BBO, when I get sad about my failures I just go and string up that bow and put a few arrows through it, makes me feel much better, but also makes me wish I had some skins so I could get more osage from Timo.
Thanks for letting me rant...
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What? Laminations not sticking properly! I've never heard of such a thing O:).
A while back I used up some old f/glass lams (spits on floor) that I found in the garage from my Xbow days.
They'd been used once but I cleaned 'em up, glued up a tapered lam, round the wrong way :-[ undid it, turned an old maple tryout into the core, glued it up as an Asiatic recurve but it was take 90# just to get the darn thing braced :o .So I split it all down rasped 1/32" off the core and glued it up again.
Pull your self together man, stiff upper lip. you know you love it ::), just like cold showers, it's character forming.
I mean if you're fed up with making bows I'm sure 'her indoors' (the one who must be obeyed) will find some nice decorating or even shopping you could do >:D
Del
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Hah Thanks Del,
But right now knocking off some of the honey do's sounds more appealing than building bows.
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NTD
I'm a pretty darn good handyman. I'm just up in mesa. Let's talk turkey bout your honey-dos for some bow tradin...LOL ;D O:) ::)
Ron
Mesa
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Del, "cold showers...character forming"???!!!
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I wish I could help but I've never used bamboo as a backing. I backed a Western cedar stave with red oak but it's unfinished due to lack of interest. I love selfbows. I am sure you will solve the problem. :) Jawge
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I hear ya NTD...I have had three laminated bows that were almost complete come apart.....I realized after a LOT of colorful language that it was because my glue joints were not perfect. Also had a LOT of risers pop off. I have not made many bows at all, but of the ones I have made have been laminates.....gonna start on a hick stave as soon as I finish up one I am working on for another fella on this forum. Still need to post some pics of the one he made for me..
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Hey Ron,
I'm definitely not a pro but if you want to come down my way sometime I'm pretty fair at making simple D-bows, myabe I can help you get a bow in your hand.
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I have 2 more pieces of Ipe to work, and the more I hear about Bamboo failure, it makes me want to stick with the Hickory and Ash backings I've used so far. I love the look and mystique of 'Boo but it just seems finicky as H*ll. Yep, I also learned about less than really well mated glue joints - had a 3 piece handle come off on the string and pulley - did a nice number on the ceiling !!!