Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Ipe and Bamboo
Rich Saffold:
Stan,
My fastest backed ipe bows have rather thick bamboo all the way to the overlays, and perhaps it helps at the tips as well, but they can be made so small with ipe and still be strong that I've always felt either way it's going to be light out there ..
I can see it working more like you mentioned on the yew selfbows, and similar woods..I too have fairly thick sapwood at the tips of my yew bow..
Tabebuia Ipe covers over 100 subspecies and I have seen Ipe which is almost blonde in color, and I have a couple Ipe bows which are mostly black..Todays Ipe bow has red limbs, and its performing quite well.. Density above color, but usually the darker woods seem to be heavier by a bit.
Rich
backgardenbowyer:
Here's the stave clamped to my son's bunk bed (don't worry he's away for the summer!) it makes an excellent jig.
Rich - I've just tested an offcut from my Ipe - it sinks without hesitation, compared this with a piece left over from the last batch which just floats. So I'm now pretty confident in my materials - shame really: leaves me without excuses!
Stan
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Rich Saffold:
Very creative Jig Stan, and it certainly looks stout enough..Lots of folks over the past decade have bought wood they thought was Ipe, and told me their bow blew, or was useless.
Well a little education, and many good bowyers have backed up what the Amazon natives knew for a long time, and like you just found out..When you get a good piece of ipe, the other woods feel much lighter...
On bows like these, its all about density, and straight grain helps as well..
Rich
Marc St Louis:
I made an ELB with very much those same dimensions a couple years ago, more like a warbow actually. It came out to about 130# @ 30"
backgardenbowyer:
Well, this ipe passed the sinking test, and the glue up has been successful - just about my best glue line with boo to date. The backing is a bit thick - a full 1/4" at the tips, but I've reduced the stave to just a fraction over 1 1/8" wide at the centre, where it is a hair's breadth under 1" thick. This is obviously more than enough. Here it is off the jig cleaned up and with the belly beginning to be rounded. Less than 1" reflex. I'll leave it till tomorrow or Monday (weather permitting) to floor tiller just so the glue (extraphen - resorcinol) has a little more time to cure.
I'll keep the pics coming if you guys keep up the welcome and necessary advice!
Stan
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