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11
Bows / Re: bamboo self bow build
« Last post by superdav95 on Today at 01:23:05 pm »
  I played around with bamboo bows just a bit now and then. Like you, I did the 5 pc with Syhas. I had often wondered whether pressure cooking might make them more bendable, but a large high-pressure cooker isn't really a practical solution. Harvesting and bending when green is a practical solution.

Yes I wonder.  If only I had access to unlimited green bamboo.  We will be heading to Panama next month too bad I can’t bring some home with me.  They have it everywhere down there.  They also have Osage!  I’ve got a buddy who lives and works down there that has a pile of it down and waiting for me when I go down next.    I posted a video a while back on how I did the recurves using very dry seasoned bamboo.  No secrets here.  I used Saran Wrap as I boiled them after soaking them tip down for 3 days.  I used a home made veritas type metal band  attachment to a handle of wood as I placed the boiled slats in for bending.  Seemed to work.  I kept the Saran Wrap on till it cooled and then removed it to breath.  Left on for a bit till dry.  I have two identical jigs to get both limbs done.  The Saran Wrap is the secret to get them to hold the moisture while bending.  Otherwise it drys out too quickly and cracks almost instantly.  Anyway I’m sure the video does a better job explaining it.  It would be a year or two ago that I posted it for those interested. 
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Horn Bows / Re: Crimean tartar style horn bow build along
« Last post by Bob Barnes on Today at 12:10:03 pm »
What happened with this bow Dave?  Thanks.

I still have this bow but never finished it.  It was way too overbuild and wasn’t happy with the sinew on this one.  It was a good learning experience anyway.

Hate to hear it... maybe you can thin the horn some more and reduce things to drop weight and salvage it some day.   :OK
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Bows / Re: bamboo self bow build
« Last post by Bob Barnes on Today at 12:04:10 pm »
Congrats Dave!   :OK  It will be too cool to see how this bow does at the Flats.   (SH)
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Bows / Re: bamboo self bow build
« Last post by Badger on Today at 11:56:32 am »
  I played around with bamboo bows just a bit now and then. Like you, I did the 5 pc with Syhas. I had often wondered whether pressure cooking might make them more bendable, but a large high-pressure cooker isn't really a practical solution. Harvesting and bending when green is a practical solution.
15
Bows / Re: Starting Small (finished Firewood pictures)
« Last post by Bob Barnes on Today at 11:24:59 am »
I read the entire thread again this morning BJ.  It was inspirational and a good way to prep for this morning's hunt.  I didn't see any deer, but I thought about making bows to pass the time.   :OK
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Arrows / Re: Fancy Eastern Woodlands style blunt with Buzzard
« Last post by GlisGlis on Today at 10:43:03 am »
very well done!
I have a couple of them in the making.... in six years
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Arrows / Re: Plains style Quiver
« Last post by Robert Pougnier on Today at 10:27:06 am »
Thanks folks!
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Trading Post / Re: Looking for a bow without breaking the bank
« Last post by Eric Krewson on Today at 10:26:03 am »
My progression on bow making is to bandsaw out a blank, I could do the same with a draw knife and horse shoe rasp but I have a bandsaw. It is very important to draw out a perfect bow pattern on the back of your stave before you start cutting it down and don't cut inside your lines, I trim to the lines with less agressive rasp or a large half round file. I draw out side lines on the sides of every limb as well before I start tillering, the roughed out the stave is too thick to bend.

I use the circle method to lay out a bow after I draw a centerline.

I use this;



To achieve this;



Handle layout with circles;



The sidelines keep your limbs exactly the same, I almost never have a limb dogleg to the side after I layout and cut to my sidelines. I start at some random depth at the end of the fade, usually 5/8" for osage, a little more for white woods, I drop the depth 1/16" every 6" until I get to 1/4" and carry that depth to the tip. I leave my bow bellies rounded to start, they flatten out a lot during the tillering process but are still rounded for the last 8" or so. If I have too much poundage when I cut the limbs down to my sidelines I drop the lines another 1/16" except for the 1/4" measurement and start the process over. My limb tips are never less than 1/2" thick with a 1/4" sideline and 1/4" of rounded wood above the line.

This limb tip is very narrow but deep in thickness. Wood is 7 times stronger in depth than width so you can make your limb tips very narrow, just leave them thicker.



This tip looks scary thin but it is 1/2" thick and plenty strong, the extra groove is for a bow simple parachute cord bow stringer.



Sidelines to keep everything uniform and controllable, free hand wood removal without a plan just doesn't work.



I use a rasp to get the limbs bending at which point I switch to a scraper and follow the scraper with various grits of sand paper for the final tillering. The key to success is NOT to get in hurry. The longest part of the process for me is the shoot-in (several hundred arrows) and the final tillering adjustments with sandpaper and an occasional light pass with a scraper.
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Bows / Re: Starting Small (finished Firewood pictures)
« Last post by Robert Pougnier on Today at 10:25:56 am »
Awesome thread, thanks for sharing and for inspiring us! That's some very pretty firewood.
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Primitive Skills / Re: Life is good
« Last post by Pappy on Today at 08:55:54 am »
Headed to the cabin this morning, hope yall all have a good one, the weather is supposed to warm a bit so maybe can start a little clean up, I will be limping around doing what I can.  :) Life is Good. ;)
 Pappy
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