Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: dragonman on December 03, 2012, 03:16:35 pm
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Hi Again , heres something a little different, after the ash bows.
Bow Stats; Bamboo back ( in 2 pieces)
Heat tempered bamboo belly,( in 2 pieces)
Rock maple core and white oak handle piece. Buffalo horn tip overlays.
58 inches ntn. 1 3/8" wide at the fade out.
60lbs@27"
6" of reflex. Physical weight only 15oz
Including the tip overlays there are 9 seperate pieces glued together in this bow
This is one of the fastest bows I've made so far. Faster and lighter in the hand than boo backed ipe. Its also the lightest bow I have made...so light you can hardly feel a thing when relaeasing the arrow. Very comfortable bow to shoot .
I heat tempered the belly boo, over hot wood coals for 4-5 hrs. This is really what makes the difference with these bamboo bows. I have made others and not cooked the boo enough and they are much slower and dont keep the reflex. The secret of a good bamboo bow, is how you temper the belly. But I also learned that the older the boo the better it is for the belly, and the fresh boo is best for the back, but you dont want to use fresh boo for the belly
the full draw pic.is not the best, I could take more tomorow if anyone is interested?
Dave
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That's effing sweet right there.......how much reflex did ya glue in? ...that's gotta be fast with all that reflex and only 15oz mass weight
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thanks Hawk...I glued in 7 inches and it kept 6. It goes right back to 5" after unstriging, then creeps back to 6" after 1/2 hour...Yeah, I'm well pleased with this one.....I reckon I still could have cooked the belly more and up'd the performance......next time
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Amazing bow, and beautifully crafted!
Very light for these draw weight and draw length.
You can clearly see the speed potential by looking at it.
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Very nice, always wanted to try that.
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nice job that bow looks FAST!!!
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:o :o :o Oooo! That looks smokin fast! :o :o :o
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very nice work you did here , I#m always wondering how to tiller this kind of bows.
I definitly has to make one ...
simson
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Wow, that's sweet looking! the braced and unbraced pictures look the same but reversed. :o
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Very nice work Dave...one of these is on my "To Do" List but I've not made a bow in a few months now and this is inspiration for me.
Did you grove the core & Boo to mate up? What did you use for your adhesive?
Thanks
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Sweet design! I want another FD!
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thanks guys. Lee I used epoxy and I only lightly grooved the surfaces..not to match up ,just to ensure a good glue up.
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That sir is fantastic,thanks 4 the tip on tempering! Wonder how long it would take with a heat gun to get the same results?
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Beautiful bow ,I can almost feel it in my hand :)
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Very nice Dragonman. Thats one of those bows that when I see it I want to shoot it. Bet she is smooth and fast, you made her look real nice too. I'm curious to how you tiller with a bamboo belly, I have no experience with laminates or glue ups.
Greg
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Zion...I'll get a better pic with the bow pulled further
Bushboy...A heatgun is faster, but less uniform. A long slow heat is better.. I think!!
Badly...you pretty much aim for symetry and you have to have a good idea of limb thickness and taper before you start. If the limbs are out of balance, then its 'relatively' easy to tiller with gentle heat and pressure. I'm no expert on these bows though, just trying and learning as I go...
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That bow is soooooo cool!!! Just awesome! Good job! I'm with the others, would love to shoot it!
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Thats is very nice. I bet she smokes an arrow. I did a simlar glue up years ago and it was one of the fastest bows I've built. The one I did was less reflex and more of a five curve but I really like the looks of that. Congratulations
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Wow, that's sweet looking! the braced and unbraced pictures look the same but reversed. :o
They sure do, I had to go back through to find the unbraced pic. That is wicked. 4-5 hrs over coals? That sounds like some serious slow roasting. Nice work.
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Wow, really nice. Dragonman, can you explain the heat treat a little, how hot do you get it, how do you know when it is done? thanks
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Nice fast looking bow. I'd like to see a FULL draw picture. The one you posted looks like a half draw...
Did you tiller the bamboo before glue up?
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Heres a slightly better full draw pic. as requested. I dont have a long draw myself, so this is as far as I pull it . Even though I tiller it to 27" in case others shoot it..... If they pull 28" or over I dont let them pull it!
Steve. Heat guns roast the surface without penetrating inside enough and they make it difficult to get a uniform toasting. I got this info from Yumi bow makers. You want to make a big fire , let it burn down, and arrange the coals in line. then support the boo at the right height above the fire. Leave the boo slightly thicker and toast more from the inside, not the rind side. Keep turning and turning. Aiming to shrink all the fibres right through. You can smell it cooking. It will be a golden brown right through the boo. The inner surface may be too burned but plane that off......hope thats clear.....thats my way anyway...I'm sure there are other ways.
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WOW.For sure.Your final mass weight,reflex and draw weight & length spell speed.The rock maple,the heat treatment of bamboo.The glued up profile & tillering.Nice when a plan comes together.Congradulations.
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thanks guys. Lee I used epoxy and I only lightly grooved the surfaces..not to match up ,just to ensure a good glue up.
Thanks for the info Dave...I'll have to move my Boo in from the garage to get the moisture content down so I can start mine soon.
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Excellent work Dragonman! Arrows must scream from that bow.
When you toasted the bamboo - you wrote to keep turning and turning. So did you hold the bamboo the duration of those 4-5 hours rocking it over the coals or did you actually fully turn it exposing the rind side to the heat?
Well done Dave!
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Did you have it wired up in reflex when u toasted it or just left it flat and pulled it in 4 the glue up? Thx's
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Thanks for posting another full draw pic. That is one sweet bow and interesting info on tempering the boo with coals. Fine work all around.
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Parnell. I rigged up a shelf over the fire and raised and lowered it to keep the heat right, then toasted both sides for about 10-15mins each side, the rind side and the side to be glued,and kept turning... so you turn it as it starts to go brown. I just meant that overall I toasted the inside more than the rind side. The yumi bowyers smoke their bamboo for days prior to this.They say the important thing is to use hard ,old bamboo for the belly.
Bushboy....I didnt toast in any reflex...just glued it in...
and good luck with yours ..Lee
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That is an awesome bow. Great job.