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bamboo self bow build
superdav95:
--- Quote from: Robert Pougnier on January 29, 2026, 12:19:27 pm ---That's awesome, I saw your youtube videos of the 5 piece bamboo ones and they are really beautiful. They look like a lot of fun to shoot! Really nice.
Do you do any flattening to the bamboo? I've only used bamboo for other fun projects but really want to make a bow sometime.
--- End quote ---
Thanks. No heat flattening is done to remove the crown or rounded side. I do use a series or rasps or belt sanders to remove material on the belly during tiller. This gets the bend looking the way I want. I’ve done build with lighter bows kids bows that were just narrowed and not tapered and they work pretty good too but for higher weight bows I use the full width with slight taper and narrowed tips. Keeps mass off the tips but maintains draw weight. We shall see how this one fares for draw weight. I feel it will be around 50lbs. Fingers crossed. I’ve sent kits to guys over the years to experiment with. Let me know if you would like one.
Will B:
Awesome bamboo selfbow, Dave! I love the splice and handle work!
Couple questions…What are the dimensions (length) on your handle and fades? Any concern with the handle popping off or will the deflex in the handle help with that? I’ll be watching to see how this one turns out for you.
sleek:
If you get this to work right with those tips stiff enough, you may well build the fastest self bow in the world with no hope of ever beating it.
WhistlingBadger:
Very cool. Clay Hayes did a video a year or two ago where he went to a tropical island, made a bamboo self bow with a snake plant fiber string, killed a pig with it, and cooked it in a primitive bamboo pressure cooker! ;D
So yeah, I guess it can work. Yours looks a lot prettier than his.
superdav95:
--- Quote from: Will B on January 29, 2026, 06:14:52 pm ---Awesome bamboo selfbow, Dave! I love the splice and handle work!
Couple questions…What are the dimensions (length) on your handle and fades? Any concern with the handle popping off or will the deflex in the handle help with that? I’ll be watching to see how this one turns out for you.
--- End quote ---
Thanks Willie. Ya the handle section is 10” long and mirrors the limbs width at widest part which is 2 1/4” wide. The bow is closer to 58.5” long ntn. The splice was 3.5” z splice. This I my second time doing this with bamboo and the first one didn’t explode so I hope this one survives. I had pretillered the limbs prior to glue up so it should be close. I’m guess and hoping at least 50lbs at 28”. It’s basically a very wide pyramid type I guess. It may yet be the most crazy interesting bow for me yet if it survives.
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