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boo backed bamboo bow
Bob Barnes:
Love it. Thanks for doing this because I want to do the same but in a lighter 45# draw weight. The side profile looks good. If it works for you, I plan to do one with just a little more deflex in the middle. :OK
Doug509:
Im following along as well. Silly idea... instead of removing wood from the belly or sides could you tiller by drilling holes or a vertical hollow groove along the center of the limb? Starting small and varying size and placement to achieve perfect tiller? If anyone can figure this out its you.
superdav95:
--- Quote from: Doug509 on February 14, 2026, 10:40:42 am ---Im following along as well. Silly idea... instead of removing wood from the belly or sides could you tiller by drilling holes or a vertical hollow groove along the center of the limb? Starting small and varying size and placement to achieve perfect tiller? If anyone can figure this out its you.
--- End quote ---
not sure on that Doug. i could see it splitting under stress though.
superdav95:
--- Quote from: Bob Barnes on February 13, 2026, 10:53:35 pm ---Love it. Thanks for doing this because I want to do the same but in a lighter 45# draw weight. The side profile looks good. If it works for you, I plan to do one with just a little more deflex in the middle. :OK
--- End quote ---
Thanks Bob. Its doable but be accurate when measuring your slats for thickness and get them to about .225" mid limb for about 8-10" and then increase taper thickness towards tip and handle. it may seem thin but bamboo is a different animal! The tip thickness on each slat would be .260-.280". if doing one similar to mine here the handle section leave as thick as you can and then taper from that to mid limb at .225". if doing a power lam in handle section instead then i would actually thin it down more for the 10-12" the is centered in the handle. This will allow it to conform well and give good glue lines around your power lam.
This is all of course based on previous builds notes anyways. results may vary wildly depending on your bamboo quality and crown and heat treatment if used or length of your bow. Ive always believed in sharing my so called secrets and feel that for the most part its all been done already anyway by somebody out there. I believe that is what this site is for. the bow im making here had thicker slats of about .250" in the mid sections for a combined overall thickness of just over .500" when glued up. similar tapers as described above. i figured it would get me the wiggle room needed to potetially get a a 70lb bow. Also. when side tillering be sure to round your edges and almost like a shallow faceted style tiller to help control weight reduction and prevent lifts. The last bow i did in the weight range you described was a great shooter and used these measures. it was a much shorter bow then my build here though. it also incorperated a power lam in handle and the tips. Ill keep posting updates here too but my utube channel is where the video updates on this will be. reach out with any questions too. cheers
superdav95:
so Ive got this bending not too bad. its heavy which i want! shooting for 70lbs. to my eye the inner limb is bending little more on the right (bottom limb) side then the other. its at around brace height here. reflex is hold around the 4" mark so far. I will continue to monitor it. Im hoping to retain around 3" after its done. this bow will have semi stiff tips or recurves. its a tall order for these kind of builds as the tillering is on the side only by choice. heres a couple pics of the bend so far. what you guys think.
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