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Main Boards => The Bowyer's Bench => Topic started by: K. Mogensen on March 16, 2019, 02:09:46 PM
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Alright,
I was toying around with the idea of building a glass bow a while back, but ended up just getting a blank since I don't really have a good way to deal with cutting the glass.
But as I worked on my blank, it really kind of made me realize that I really would like to have something that I've built completely.
Would there still be a decent chance of making a good first bow out of all wood? I lean more towards something like a BBI or BBO only because most of the board bows I see look blocky and bulky. Backing with bamboo seems to allow for a more interesting shape. I'm open to ideas though. I'd just like to make something that looks and shoots nice rather than rounding the corners off of a board and wrapping the middle of it with some leather.
Obviously I understand the benefits of learning how to tiller on something low cost and with less time invested, but I'm hoping if a person takes it slow and asks questions, it could be done.
Thanks. Sorry for what is probably a much repeated question.
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FYI there's not a lot of "cutting" of glass in a fiberglass-wood composite bow. It's mostly sanding, for which you can use a handheld or table-mounted belt sander, sanding blocks and folded bits of sandpaper.
Of course you can make some beautiful all-wood bows whether from a board, a stave, or a series of wood strips like a Bamboo or Ipe backed bow.
My favorite all-wood design is the Mollegabet, a 10,000 (yes ten thousand) year old design from a grave-site in Denmark. The Mollegabet, with its elegant shoulders and slim outer limbs can be made in pieces, with the handle and narrow-but-deep "lever" tips glued up onto a plank core. I've made laminated Molles as short as 48" with draw weights in the 40# range.
I suggest you spend some time here reading up on bamboo-backed bows, with Osage or Ipe or Hickory or another wood for the main core of the bow.
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Either BBO or BBI will make a good bow. You could add a maple core and make a tri lam.
Selfbows or board bows don't have to be blocky. They are what you make them. BBI or BBO both start with a board. Hickory is another option for a backing with both osage and ipe. I personally don't like hickory for boo backing but I've seen some nice ones.
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The same tools used for prosesing the Bamboo could be used to profile a glass bow I did one in the middle of the night with sanding stix & files its not to difficult I have shaped risers with hand tools also so I wouldnt let the tool issue detour you but any of the combos you mentioned will make a nice bow, but I differ from Pat a bit hickory makes a fine bow to ! One of these days Im going to do a glass bow with no power tools and post ! It seems a lot of people are detoured by lack of tools and it really doesent have to be that way !