Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: stringstretcher on January 01, 2008, 09:45:48 pm

Title: bamboo flooring bows?
Post by: stringstretcher on January 01, 2008, 09:45:48 pm

I know that some of you have made bows from bamboo flooring.  I would love to see some close up pics and get the deminsions that you used to get the poundage that you wanted.  I have the material to get started, just looking for different ideas and imput

thanks

Title: Re: bamboo flooring bows?
Post by: tom sawyer on January 01, 2008, 10:03:45 pm

I made a pyramid from flooring backed with bamboo.  It was 66" n/n, started at 1.5" width and tapered uniformly to 1/2", so it was only 1" at mid-limb.  I made the mistake of getting a really nice bend at nearly 70lb@28" and chose to stop.  Too much stress on the bow as it turns out, a limb snapped.  The design would work well at 50lb@28".

Title: Re: bamboo flooring bows?
Post by: welch2 on January 02, 2008, 11:10:25 am

I used bamboo flooring for the core in this bow.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,2260.0.html (http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,2260.0.html)


Ralph

Title: Re: bamboo flooring bows?
Post by: markinengland on January 02, 2008, 04:35:22 pm

I made a trial bamboo bow. It was 48 inches long (the length of the board) and 10mm thick. the bow was 2 inches wide and made like a pyramid. I tested it to destruction. The bow eventually broke in tillering at one of the node areas on an edge. I think a less stressed bow would have been OK.
Bamboo flooring can come in idfferent forms. Some has the bamboo on edge and some parallel to the surface. This may make a difference to how the material performs.
Mark