I've made several wood and glass lam bows but was wondering if a bow glued up out of just wood lams would make a decent bow. I've got some good red elm and was thinking about ripping some 1/8" strips and gluing them together pressed on a r/d form. Will a bow like this hold up without the glass backing. Also will Elmers wood glue hold?
I think that the grain orienation would be very important for something like this. I do know that there are some folks here who make all wood tri-lams.
Also I would probably use URAC instead of Elmers.
Can you make a bow this way? Definitely! I have done a few this way. However, I would not recommend elm for the belly or backing laminations(though it is good for cores). There are better options such as bamboo or hickory for the back and osage, horn, or ipe for the belly. Elm just cant take the tension/compression from the r/d design. Good luck, Matt