Author Topic: Shafts from bamboo flooring?  (Read 2883 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline razorsharptokill

  • Member
  • Posts: 170
Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« on: November 04, 2019, 12:54:34 pm »
 There must be a reason that no one is doing this I suppose. I have never seen any. It would seem that if it was a good choice there would be some seen. Too weak spine properties?
Jim Richards
Veteran

USMC 84-88
Oklahoma Army National Guard 88-89
USMCR 89-96 Desert Storm
Oklahoma Air National Guard 2002- present. Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005(Qatar) and 2007(Iraq)
Operation New Dawn Iraq 2011
Operation Enduring Freedom 2018 Afghanstan

Offline Mesophilic

  • Member
  • Posts: 876
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2019, 02:07:59 pm »
My guess would be that it'd only be as strong as the glue holding the bamboo lams together making it a risky endeavor.
Trying is the first step to failure
-Homer Simpson-

Offline razorsharptokill

  • Member
  • Posts: 170
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2019, 09:15:17 am »
Flooring is a solid aprox 5/8" plank.
Jim Richards
Veteran

USMC 84-88
Oklahoma Army National Guard 88-89
USMCR 89-96 Desert Storm
Oklahoma Air National Guard 2002- present. Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005(Qatar) and 2007(Iraq)
Operation New Dawn Iraq 2011
Operation Enduring Freedom 2018 Afghanstan

Offline Hawkdancer

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,027
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2019, 01:04:57 pm »
Best way to find out is try a couple and see if it works.  May not be worth the effort, or it could be a source of good straight shafts!
Hawkdancer
Life is far too serious to be taken that way!
Jerry

Offline Mesophilic

  • Member
  • Posts: 876
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2019, 01:27:14 pm »
I'm not up to speed on the regulsr changes in flooring industry but all of the bamboo flooring I've looked at is made in a process similar to this:

  ttps://www.builddirect.com/learning-center/flooring/how-bamboo-flooring-made/
^
Add H

Not sure what the boiling and steaming would do for its dynamic integrity.   But I am fairly certain that your safety will rely on trusting their laminating process if you use a product like this.  Approach with caution, we have alot of very creative DIY people in archery and sometimes there's a reason why you can't find much info on a tooic/product.

But then again, maybe this is the answer to my problem of wood and bamboo shafts breaking all the time from being too dry.
Trying is the first step to failure
-Homer Simpson-

Offline DC

  • Member
  • Posts: 10,396
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2019, 01:49:47 pm »
If I had a piece of flooring kicking around I'd give it a try. Even the stranded stuff. Carbon fibre is fibres glued together and they make a decent arrow ;). I would make a shaft and give it a good bend, see if it breaks. I might be concerned about the weight. Solid boo can get heavy, but I like light arrows. It might be hard to work. All these things can be sorted by trying it.

Offline Mesophilic

  • Member
  • Posts: 876
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2019, 04:51:15 pm »
Except for the weight issue, might actually be worth a try.  I foud this thread over on paleo planet from '08 where a guy did some strain testing on a bamboo flooring bow.

  ttps://www.tapatalk.com/groups/paleoplanet69529/making-and-breaking-bamboo-flooring-bow-t21054.html
^
H

60" bow finally broke at 36 inches of pull on the tiller tree.

ETA:
I also found a listing for solid laminated bamboo shafts on alibaba (not going to even post a partial link)

Quote
Professional Archers' Use Splicing Solid Bamboo Arrow Shaftings


Diameter;7.2~8.5mm
Material:tonkin bamboo
Length:30~33inch
Spine rates:30~60#
Weight:35~45grams/pc
« Last Edit: November 05, 2019, 04:59:48 pm by dieselcheese »
Trying is the first step to failure
-Homer Simpson-

bownarra

  • Guest
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2019, 06:32:10 am »
Flooring bamboo is made from the inner fibers. They aren't stiff at all or very strong. The node positioning is totally random and you can get a bunch of nodes together which would make a weak spot. The boards may be 5/8ths thick but they are lots of thin 5/8ths wide pieces glued together. I've used a lot of bamboo flooring for making cores on glass bows and have come across plenty of dodgy gluelines. there is no way I would use it...bamboo splinters are grim :)

Offline artcher1

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,114
Re: Shafts from bamboo flooring?
« Reply #8 on: November 09, 2019, 10:32:23 am »
"there is no way I would use it...bamboo splinters are grim"

My thoughts also...…...Art