Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Tuomo on October 13, 2025, 10:51:49 am
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My newest bow, deflex-reflex bamboo (moso) backed, maple and ipe core, horn belly. It has osage powerlam, maple handle, white horn nocks and leather handle. Draw weight 98 pounds at 28 inch draw. Unfortunately, it is a bit too heavy for me...
Length is 156 cm (61,4") n/n, width 36 mm (about 1 3/8") and thickness after the power lam 15 mm (about 5/8"). Power lam length is 500 mm (about 20"). Weight is 695 grams. It took only about 20 mm (about 3/4") set.
I made the belly lam from five piece: in the middle is ipe (about 20 cm (8")), then horn and at the nock some osage. Belly lam and core are tapered before glueing, belly 0,002 and core 0,004. The taper was almost perfect, because the bow didn't need tillering, just width tapering and few strokes with a scraper.
I have not yet got any speed readings but watching a test shooter shooting with this bow, it seems to be quite fast..
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More photos:
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Incredibly beautiful bow with perfect tiller. Too bad you can't shoot it but I'm not surprised at 98#. Well done! :OK
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Thanks! I made two of these. First time I used horn as a belly material in this kind of deflex-reflex design (I have made some turkish sinew-horn-bows), so I made a tiny error estimating the correct thickness. The other one is almost identical but 70#@28". It is shootable and hopefully this one is also in some day!
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Beautiful and interesting...
Del
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That is a beauty for sure in all aspects, about twice to much weight for me 😊😉 but beautiful work just the same. Pappy
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Ditto what the others have said, beautiful bow!
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What a beautiful beast!
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very nice
First time I used horn as a belly material in this kind of deflex-reflex design.........
I can not recall ever seeing horn used in a R-D design before. experimental?
Please let us know how it performs.
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Nice bend! Beautiful Bow
Just 55lbs lighter +- and you would be right in my wheelhouse. :)
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snice.
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Hey tromo, I really love this bow, can you tell me what formula you used to for the bamboo, wood core and horn for this build?
I use to build glass bows, and used a certain thickness for the glass, and a tapered core, and I would like to build one like this.
Thanks Wallski
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Seen this, and the lighter one also, and held them in my hands. They are real eye candies and shoot fine.
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Outstanding!
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Hey tuomo, I really love this bow, can you tell me what formula you used to for the bamboo, wood core and horn for this build?
I use to build glass bows, and used a certain thickness for the glass, and a tapered core, and I would like to build one like this.
Thanks! There is no special formula. I made a mild deflex-reflex form, modelled with a VirtualBow -program. Then tapered the bamboo just by feeling, core with a tapering jig (0,004) and belly with another tapering jig (0,002). So nothing special. I have made a lot of bamboo backed laminated bows and this was "easy" to make. One reason was that horn belly is very reliable (or I hope so...), because it tolerates a lot of compression. Osage would has been an other option but it would has taken a lot more set. I have also ipe but its elastic modulus is so high that it is hard for bamboo backing. I will make one or two 45–50# similar bows for everyday use. I belive that the bow might be quite good in long term use.
I have a chrono but I don't have yet stiff enough test arrows for this bow, I have to make some. And then I have to tune my shooting machine for testing. Hopefully I will get soon some chrono readings, this seems to be a fast bow!
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Great Job Tuomo!
I sold a bunch of these in different designs over the last 3 years and they do all fine. It's a great combo - and as you mentioned, wood is a bitch compared to horn and makes bowyers life pretty easy. It's more elastic than any wood and takes away stress from the back.
However, that drawweight....(-; not bad. I have identified the bamboo as the weakest part.... had it failing a few times and decided not to make them more than 50#. So I'm a little impressed now (-;
However I see, you went pretty conservative, not putting net-reflex into. I work with 6-8" glued in reflex which seems to bring a lot of bending stress into the bamboo...
Congrats! Nice to see the concept spreading.
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Nice bow! And nice to see that someone else has been making similar bows. Do you have link here in the forum to that bow, to see length, width, etc. specifications?
"I work with 6-8" glued in reflex which seems to bring a lot of bending stress into the bamboo..." – That is the reason I used very mild reflex. And playing with VirtualBow -program, it seems that too much reflex is just too much stress for the extra fps. More reflexed bow is a bit faster but usually too overstressed. In long term, gentle deflex-reflex form us usually the best.
Did you use moso-bamboo? I think that madake would be better option; at least japanese traditional yumi-makers consider that moso is too brittle and madake is the best of bamboo backings. I have some madake, I have to use it for next bows.
Maybe I have had just luck with moso, and this bow has under 50 full draws. It tells yet nothing, after 1000 full draw you will see how the bow last. But this is "nice to have" -bow, to give someone to draw and surprise!
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I don't think I have posted about this specific bow here. It's 50#28" and measures somewhat 66"ntn I think and its around 36mm wide. I generally make these 64"-66" and around 33-36mm in width.
I do play with virtual bow from time to time and I'm always impressed of how exact it can mirror reality. It's an eye opener in many aspects. When it comes to reflex you are probably right about heavy bows. With light bows reflex helps a lot with performance imho. Best think about is the higher initial string tension and the resulting smooth drawcurve. I just love that. With heavy bows I wouldn't recommend either - these also don't need that little + in energy storage.
I have also heard that Madake was superior to Moso. But when I buy my bamboo from the big bamboo trader he sells me "Moso (Madake)" hahaha....still confused.... 8)
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Wow. What a beautiful bow. Like everyone else, I don’t know anybody that could shoot it at 98# though.
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Id like to see how far that bow can shoot. It would be an interesting contender for the Primitive complex composite unlimited category in flight shooting. I am certainly standing by for the chrono numbers Tuomo.
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You are right Sleek! I think Jim Martin has that record now with one of my bow designs. That could definitely be in the hunt for both broadhead and flight!!!!!! You should get the bow into someone’s hand that can pull the weight.
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Im real close to able. Ill certainly be able to next year.
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Outstanding!
X 2
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Wow
Beauty indeed even tough that draw weight could not be enough to kill those pesky Trex ;D
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Gorgeous work. Those tip overlays are some of the prettiest I've ever seen.
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Really nice bow. Beautiful tiller.
Bjrogg
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Toumo, I want to congratulate you on winning Bow Of the Month with this build! Thank you for joining in and I look forward to future builds from you as well!
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Outstanding bow and great designs. I’ve also made a few of these albeit lower poundage! They hold up well and shoot quite fast. I’m relation to the mosso bamboo I’ve done a mild heat treatment on mine on the fleshy side to really get it to the limits of strength and remain conservative on robust strength. I leave the nodes intact. Congrats on your win too. Very nice indeed
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That is a pretty bow
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I don't know how you keep the handle from popping off at that heavy weight? Is it pinned?
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No, just glued with SmoothOn.
In fact, I don't know if it will stay or pop. I am not able (yet) to shoot this bow, so it is not really a problem yet.
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Generally speaking, when a handle pops off of a self bow, at least, it's because there is movement(bending) in the handle and no amount of glue will prevent that. You might try wrapping it with sinew or another strong thread. I've been successful at doing that. On your next one try adding a power lam to prevent the handle area from bending.
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This bow has an osage power lam. I use a power lam in every laminated bow — it’s a nice detail and also helps prevent the handle from popping out. A thin and long strip between the belly and the handle piece is also a good option. Most problems occur when the handle piece is ipe or another very rigid material, because it doesn't bend with the bow.
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I think it is right and proper that the VERY FIRST new Bow of the Month Award goes to an absolutely exemplary showpiece of mastery of the art and craft.
No, this isn't my cup of tea, but in this case, I am no fool. I cannot help but admire the fine lines, the clean glue lines, the aesthetic and functional choice of materials blended together into something this side of perfection. I look back at the other comments, and I am pleased that most are from bowyers far better than I with knowledge and skills well beyond my abilities. They recognize the workmanship, too, they that are far less likely to be fooled by looks over execution.
Tuomo, you have earned some bragging rights with this bow. Congratulations.