Question about Osage and bamboo?? And bow build

[willie]

.i think the boo over powered the Osage.

could well be if there was too much boo on the back.
As for osage having exceptional tension/back qualities, consider the extra care taken when removing the early growth from the back to insure only the best latewood serves as the back.
My guess is that if laminating osage to a more dense bellywood, you might  be pushing the limits of back strain/stress.

an osage bow with a less boo on the back might be the way to go. If you could take some pics of that bow you mentioned, showing the thickness of the boo on the back, maybe someone could offer an opinion about how much boo is the "right" amount of boo.

[Selfbowman]

You done one of these? I’m on this journey right now.

[Selfbowman]

I’ve got the bamboo ordered so I will start the selfbow.

[simk]

Arvin, I think bamboo maybe works. Horn sure would work. Horn is very soft compared to bamboo and takes stress from the back. If you need a pair....np.these are like 55cm 4mm. I can send you one, just for the fun of this thread 😀

[Pat B]

Arvin, are you planning on tempering the bamboo belly for your bow?  James Parker has been making bows with bamboo backs and bellies. He made Asiatic horn type bows with tempered bamboo bellies that shot fantastically. I watched James temper a bamboo strip with a rosebud propane torch and I thought he was gonna make charcoal out of it but that is how he got the compression strength from the bamboo he used.

[Selfbowman]

Pics of record bow thickness in the limbs.