can you make a good bow from bamboo?

[walker.to.tall]

i am knew to the site and i was wondering if it is possable to make a bow from bamboo. and if there is how?.....would it be easy?
would i need to let the bamboo dry and for how long?

[Kegan]

Of course! Most of us use strips of boo to back hardwood bellies, but Howard Hill used solid Bamboo laminates for all his shooting. There's alot of variance between the types of boo though. I couldn't tell you how long it needs to dry. I'm guessing a thin strip wouldn't take very long (couple months?)

HOw easy it would be depends on who you talk to. Laminates are a differnt ype of bow in themselves. Wih a boo backed boo bow, you would want to use the outside rind as the back and belly, so you'd have to carefully taper the lams before hand, and then tiller on the sides. Hill didn't take this step, but jsut glued one strip with the rind on the back, and several lamianations on for the rest, tillering it jsut like a normal selfbow.

I've yet to make a solid boo bow, so I wouldn't really know what to tell you though !

[Badger]

I had some thick stuff last year I was able to make a 50# bow from that was about 60" long. Average shooter but very simple to make. Steve

[Tilbilly]

It would be awesome if someone from his area of texas would chime in and mentor this eager young fellar in the art of bowmaking. Must be someone nearby and willing........

[Shooter_G22]

Hey Fella's,

   this is one of mine....     this is walker from my youth group outdoors team...    finally got an account on here and i gues he has a computer at home now he can use... soo he is going to be able to read and chim in on the board... 

   he had told me a while back he would want to try a bamboo bow and there are some big round stock about 1" - 1 3/4" wide at the base some big tall bamboo trees there not alot but there are some out here where we go and harvest bamboo for arrow shafting...

  i guess we going to have to go and try and get some for walker to try out his bamboo bow...  but i guess we going to have to harvest and let it dry out for a few months walker...   remind me and if we have a training week end this weekend then we will go get some and post up pics and have the pros explain to you how and whats the best way to do it...   

we will have to try and get serveral and that way we can have some for futer backings as well soo we will have to chim in and aks how to prep for that as well...

am glad you have a "sign in"  call sign now and now you can start learning on your own as well...   good job and good initiative...

we will work on getting some this week end...  and that way the pro's can guid you along...  and this project is going to be all yours...