Trad Gang
Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Justin Falon on September 19, 2008, 09:23:00 PM
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How thick do you guys make your bamboo for bamboo backed bows????
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So thin it makes you nervous! about 1/8 at the handle and 1/32 at the tips. It winds up being a knifes edge along the sides. I think the thinner, the better for backing.
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how about 1mm thick now thats :scared: as i have some cherry that is just that.
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Okay. I just took some bamboo to my neighbor to have him do it with his jointer. He told me to take a hike because it is too dangerous to do it. Yes, we've all seen Dean Torges do it with the jointer. I don't have a jointer. How do I get it thin???
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use a hand plane it will take some time or use a sanding machine.
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I've always made it 1/8" at the handle, tapering to 1/16" or a little less at the tips. That is NOT along the edges though. Measure that thickness in the middle.
If you do it on a jointer, your knives better be real sharp! Don't take off too much at a time. Always finish up with hand tools. You can use a bench (belt) sander also. I'm not as good as J.D. Jones or them Westvang fellas, tapering bamboo on a sander, but I'm a hand tool guy anyway.
:knothead:
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Im looking for a bench/belt sander now...
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Hey justin
I got some nice bamboo,do you want some?
I mean boo columnar.
(http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/4135/080319012oi2.jpg)
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WOW Hera that's a lot of bamboo. What kind is it?
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Wow! That is impressive Hera!
PM Sent.
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Are those big enough around to be able to get backing material from. I thought they needed to be around 8" in diameter? What are you going to do with all of it?
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It looks to small for bow backing, the bamboo i cut is at least 6in , and also killer b I cut my bamboo in sparta tn I live in spencer,
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Phyllostachy heterocycla(moso bamboo)can grow to 6" even more.But moso bamboo are less recover speed and stiffness then Phyllostachys makinoi hayata.
As to Tonkin cane bamboo(Pseudosasa amabilis),
all my internet research tell me Tonkin cane are not so big in it's diameter.
First pic are Phyllostachys makinoi hayata
(http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/7753/00small38333321nl8.jpg)
(http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/7004/00small15199262nq7.jpg)
(http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/9061/00small13607478bo7.jpg)
(http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/8848/00small34496424ru6.jpg)
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I use a hand held belt sander when thinning boo.
Hera, sure wish we could get into your stash of bamboo!
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Toothing plane works well and I found it easier to adjust and less grabby than a regular hand plane. On my third attempt I used my jointer with push blocks... saved a lot of time. Finished it off with toothing plane.
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Picture repair.
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small38333321.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small15199262.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small13607478.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small69381907.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small67325842.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small34496424.jpg)
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc279/herarra/00small56913404.jpg)
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Hey justin
can't send you PM,I don't know why.
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hera it would be possible to cut the smaller boo into narrow strips and then glue a bunch together like actionboo and use that for limbs. Sure would be good stuff for laminations.
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Galen
I would like to try the way you mention.
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hera it would be work intensive but nothing beyond what you appear to be capable of.
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I have used backings from bamboo as small as 3" diameter, but choose the bellywood and the design carefully. Works best on a deep cross section/crowned belly.
I put an old Stanley block plane upside down in avise and pull the boo through it to thin it down. Works great, but wear a glove on the hand you use to hold the boo down on the plane.
You can sand it by glueing coarse paper to a board and just rubbing it out. The chicks will dig your buff arms.
When I do use my jointer, I stand on the outfeed side and wipe half the plank over it in a dragging motion./ my hands never come within a foot and a half of the blades.
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Start by laying out the bow on the back of the bamboo, cut to just outside the lines with the bandsaw. Then bring to the lines with the edgesander. Now put it on edge and cut it to about 1/8" thick or so on the bandsaw. It is then ready to thin for the back. We take the bamboo down to bout 1/32" on the edges using the edge sander.
The process is documentedwith pics in TBB4 in our chapter.
Remember the first 100 or so are nervous, but the next 500-600 are pretty easy. LOL
Mike
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Hi all.
May I ask 2 question?
1)Why no boo lamination bow,I mean using bamboo on back and belly side.
2)Why put bamboo strip on target side?
In far east,almost all aboriginal bow are made from bamboo stave,bamboo skin side ----> belly side.bamboo inner side ---->target side.
According to experience,this placement are stronger.
But I found all morden primitive archery do not using this way.
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I have seen bows made by the Naga tribals in india with both belly and back made with bamboo,the bows are short and surprisingly powerful,very effective for the mediun size game found in the hills of Nagaland.
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Hera,
Many people make bows with bamboo back and belly. Some I have seen have vertical bamboo laminated core in between two whole bamboo slats, or a thin wood core/middle lam. I think it is just hard for people, because it is hard to remove bamboo from the front and back faces and only easy to do from the sides. So you better know pretty well how thick and long and wide to make it, because once glued it is hard to change or adjust...
I have also seen the bows with bamboo split, so that the middle of the bamboo faces the target. (the part facing target is the "back", and the part toward the shooter is the "belly") Not too hard to do. Also, a cable bow works well this way. With good hard wood like osage or ipe, the wood is strong in compression on the belly side, and the bamboo is strong in tension on the back side. So we take advantage of eachn property, and the limb can be very strong and light for its weight.
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I mean light for the draw weight.
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Hera, you are the man!!! better be careful or you will be in the bambo export buisness... :biglaugh:
Shawn....