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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: Jeremy Bays on June 25, 2015, 02:46:00 AM
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I am attempting to gather information so that I can start making my first fiberglass laminated longbow.
I have made over 50 wooden / primitive bows (selfbows, board bows, backed bows, and a recurve) I have never tried a laminated bow.
My basic question is simple... where can I get laminated wood to use? Can this be obtained from a flooring store or Home Depot or do I need to order it from 3 Rivers or another archery supply.
Thanks
Jeremy Bays
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You will get many different responses with this question. I just ordered some awesome quarter sawn maple lams from Troy Breeding. He's on here and had really decent prices.
Big Jim is another great source for materials as well.
Many people will chime in on this one but that's were I have turned to recently.
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"...where can I get laminated wood to use?"
Maybe it's just how you worded your question, but it sounds like you expect to find wood already laminated together, like laminated bamboo flooring? Is that what you want, or are you looking for a supplier of seperate wood and fiberglass laminations that you will glue together in your bow press?
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The "laminated wood" we use for building wood-fiberglass composite bows is purchased as strips of varying specific thicknesses from places like Bingham's, Troy Breeding, Big Jim or OMC here, and you laminate them together with epoxy glue and fiberglass strips of specific thicknesses to achieve the draw weight you are looking for.
It's not just a matter of gluing together some strips of this and that, and then carving away the composite until you get the draw weight you want. Wood-glass composite bows are normally designed and calculated to be within a few pounds of the desired draw weight before you ever mix up a batch of epoxy.
Being 'off' by .01" in the thickness of the "lam stack' -- the thickness of wood & glass sandwich -- can make a HUGE difference in draw weight. That stack thickness is normally calculated in advance, or borrowed from another builder who is using exactly the same building form and bow design.
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Make your own. Either grind them or plane them.
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Little Lams come from mommy sheep.
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John, that was my first thought too.
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Thanks for the many replies.
To clarify my question /responses....
1.) I am not looking for "pre-glued" laminated strips. I do know that the lams are glued together with fiberglass in a certain order and thickness to make a bow. I was just basically wondering if I could make my own lams or get them from another source other than ordering then online (nothing again ordering online, just looking for a local solution). I do have access to a sawmill about an hour away...perhaps that is the answer I am looking for.
2.) I did hear that Mary Had some little Lams
3.) Do you know of any websites, books, or resources to learn this process?
Thanks Again
Jeremy Bays
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Bingham's Projects. They have all you need to build a lam/glass bow. Once you are familiar with the products and processes there are other sources for you to choose from.
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Ah too slow...Mary was my answer too!!
I highly recommend BigJim - get what you need off him and then you will have a better idea if you have the resources to make your own. You would need a bandsaw and a drum sander.
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Solid vertical laminated bamboo flooring. Google it. You will then need some way to resaw and grind you lams.