Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DQ on March 15, 2014, 08:35:36 pm
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Okay, okay...I guess it wasn't PEARLY'S fault.
I had glued up a BBI bow on a Torges form. Never worked with Ipe, so I asked Chris for help with tillering. Went to his house last night. We got it looking good, bending nicely, only needed to take off a little weight. Then there was a loud CLICK! With my eyes still squeezed tightly shut, I asked, "What was that?" PEARLY opened his eyes and answered, "Your bamboo just lifted a bad splinter." Awww, mannn!
The good news is, we had a ball shooting bows, making sawdust, checking out bow staves and talking bowhunting.
The bad news is, my BBI bow is done for. I know, I know, some of you guys will say it can be fixed, but I'm thinking I like hickory backings.
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One of the reasons I prefer hickory backing over boo. Sorry for your loss. Pearlie did it! ;D
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Sorry to hear that Darrell but you did get good help in Chris.
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One of the reasons I prefer hickory backing over boo. Sorry for your loss. Pearlie did it! ;D
I've never used hickory but had to replace a bamboo backing once. I'm destined to working with one piece of wood until circumstances dictate otherwise. ;D
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Yup boo does that at times. You could sand off the boo and glue it up again with a piece of hickory.
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That stinks. I think somehow Pearly was responsible. Maybe he pulled it back to far with the gunships why you weren't looking ;D
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Your boo looks way too thick. I taper the boo from 1/8th at the riser to 1/16th at the tips.
Come on Clint, you know pearly girl couldn't pull back a real bow... :)
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That's a bummer. I hate braking bows. It never get easier for me. Even though I know brake it or not I will still be making another bow :)
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That sucks. It may not have anything to do with the splinter, but for future reference, your backing to core thickness ratio appears too great. It should be more like 1:3 or 1:4.
Did the splinter start at a knode, or a bruise or scar of some sort?
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Ya, Roy, I was thinking of trying that. I used Urac on it so I doubt if the glue will let loose any other way. The boo is tapered real well. It looks thick because of the angle on the edge of it.
Outlaw - I didn't let Pearly and his gun ships get anywhere near it! LOL I was pulling it myself. (But somehow, Pearly must have been responsible)
Squirrels - It looks like it strted at a brused or dinged spot on the boo.
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I've never had bamboo fail. I blame chris! >:D
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I hate bamboo.
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Did Pearly serve you cheap ass beer?
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that's why I love maple backers
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Bubby, you use 1/4 sawn backers? And what type of Maple? I've had hickory backing blow up splinters too.
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quarter or flat either way, I prefer quartersawn though, hard maple boards , had lot's more hickory blow than maple that is for sure, try it you'll love it
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How can you use flat sawn for a backing? Doesn't the run out act the same as violating a ring on a self bow? Do you thickness taper the maple backing like we taper boo?
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Does the 1:3 / 1:4 ratio apply for pretty much all backing or jus boo?
Is it ok to have 1 or 2 or 3runoffs on quarter sawn hard maple back? I looked thru maybe 169 boards at yard, took an hour and half, and not one of 'em was 'perfect'.
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Roy if you can make a flatsawn board bow doesn't it stand to reason it will work for a backer, anyhow I've used it with little to no problems
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I have never made a flat sawn board bow, or any board bow for that matter.
I make BBO or tri lam BBO's. All I ever use is rift sawn or 1/4 sawn for my belly slats and back them with boo. I did try a 1/4 sawn hickory backed Osage bow once and the hickory blew up a splinter. I guess I have a hang up here mentally, thinking about self bows needing to be to one ring for the back of the bow. So therefore I think hickory or maple backed bows should be 1/4 sawn, not flat sawn with run outs. And then ya throw into the equation if you use 1/4 or rift sawn for a backing, you have the run outs on the sides of the bow limbs. The questions of wood bow building are endless.. :)
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I've built a fair number of bamboo backed bows and about a quarter of them have lifted a splinter. The rest are solid as a rock. Unfortunately I've not yet figured out a cause. It just seems to happen for no good reason at all.
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well roy if ya think about it , all you build is board bows, ya just use real skinny ones and glue'em together ;), all i'm saying is try a quartersawn hard maple backer, I doubt you'll be disapointed
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That's a bummer Daryl ! Least You were in pretty good company - Bob.
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I was bummed, he was minutes from shooting it. Oddly enough, I griped about glue and glue bows half the night! I just love my selfy's. Grab one of them osage or HHB staves you have Darryl, and everything will be okay..:)
This boo was pretty bruised and dinged. It was easy to see why it broke, that's always a little better.
Edit: For the record I have nothing against glued up bows, love them actually and own a few charmers. I just despise working on them is all.
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I still believe Drums was responsible, in some way...hee,hee! ;D Good to hear from you Darryl. Hope all is well!
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Hmmm...You guys have me thinking (and a little confused) about bow backings. ???
Chris and I just "aquired" a two inch thick air dried hickory plank. So tell me, do I cut my backing strips quartersawn, riftsawn or plainsawn??? I was thinking quartersawn because that should be the strongest. Plainsawn seems like you'd be hitting the baseball bat on the trademark. I agree with Roy on quartersawn or riftsawn belly wood. How about the backing?
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I can promise you mine will be 1/4 sawn Darryl. Im not sure you can break a 1/4 sawn hickory backer.
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I would cut them 1/4 sawn... If you guys want them tapered, send them down Chris and I'll taper them for ya.
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Since my planer blades are junk, I might just rip all the strips out a 1/4" thick on a table saw and let you make them for me! Yah, that's a good plan.
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Okie Dokie...
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Bamboo backing survival might have to do with how the boo was harvested, seasoned, stored and prepared for backings just like selfbow wood. If you could harvest, season and prep your own boo the results might be better than 25%. Not picking on you Gordon. ;)
I have only had one hickory backed bow break(cross grain on hickory backing) and have built many hickory backed bows, some with pretty crappy backing grain. I've had bellies fail but never had a sound hickory backing fail, no matter what the grain configuration.
Any sawn piece of wood will have grain violation just by sawing through the log. Also, there are more than one type of grain in a log. George Tsoukalas points this out in his description of a properly chosen board to be used for selfbows. I think the angle of the violation(s) is the more critical aspect of choosing the right board, whether for selfbows or backing strips but properly harvested, stored, seasoned and prepped wood(or boo) is also as important.
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Good points Pat.
Sounds like you guys had a good time anyway.
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The best part after the camaraderie Carson? He left with a quart of home made apple sauce and a broken bow ;) . And I was left with six perfect grapefruits. Gotta love swapping!
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The most beautiful 25 slat shipment of bamboo I bought from Frank's years ago turned out to be bad bamboo, every piece I used failed. Too much variance in the way most commercial bamboo is handled, I only use local bamboo now that I cut myself, I have very few failures.
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Anyone else have similar experience w/ Frank's boo?? Cuz he's like three blocks from my apt. and I was just gonna get some. Should I bother?
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Bubby, you use 1/4 sawn backers? And what type of Maple? I've had hickory backing blow up splinters too.
Straight grain is what matters. Any wood will blow with violated grain.