Trad Gang

Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: V I Archer on April 04, 2014, 09:57:00 PM

Title: Do they always have to match?
Post by: V I Archer on April 04, 2014, 09:57:00 PM
Looking at all the stunning bows folks are posting pictures of a thought occurred to me.  Do back and belly veneers always match?  Would it be a sin against the bowyer code to put yew on the belly and bacote on the back?  Does anyone do this or am I way off he mark?
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: dhermon85 on April 04, 2014, 10:09:00 PM
Don't see why you couldn't. Have seen bows with nice veneer back and glass belly or vise versa. Wonder if anyone has pics of "mismatched" veneers?
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Alexander Traditional on April 04, 2014, 10:13:00 PM
I've thought about this also,but never wanted to ask.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: ron w on April 04, 2014, 10:20:00 PM
I have a bow that black glass on the front and gray on the belly. I have seen mixed lams before and they can be really nice if some thought is put into it. Plus if you are having a bow built to your specs you can do anything you want.....your paying!!
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Steve Jr on April 04, 2014, 10:22:00 PM
Yes, a lot of guy's do it I had a Fedora extreme long bow with bacote on the back and zebra on the belly. It was a beauty of a bow but it didn't agree with how I shot it. So I sold it, I wouldn't be  afraid to ask a bowyer if they would do it. It is pretty cool looking.

Steve
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Florida lime on April 04, 2014, 10:27:00 PM
I can think of several bows that come with a different back and belly. I've seen it done for looks, and for capitalizing on the different properties of the wood.
I've seen a few Leon Stewart longbows with a yew back and an osage belly, as an example.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Matty on April 04, 2014, 10:32:00 PM
I've owned MANY bows with un matching back and belly lams.
The bottom line for most people ...is ....well the bottom line.  '$$$$
Veneers =$$ and some are more than others. I don't think Bowyers care what you ask them to make.  I think it's kinda cool to have different backs and bellies
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: on April 04, 2014, 10:59:00 PM
I've seen lots of bows with one thing on the belly and a different thing on the back. I have a Stalker longbow that is like that and it looks awesome.

Bisch
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: nineworlds9 on April 04, 2014, 11:27:00 PM
Totally fine.  And fairly common.  I had a Dwyer that was a tamo ash belly and waterfall maple back.  I currently own a Stewart Slammer 3pc with a curly maple belly and olive ash burl back.  My 62" Centaur is black carbon belly and snakeskin back.  Come to think of it, more than half my bows are different belly vs back.  LOL.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: KenH on April 05, 2014, 12:11:00 AM
Just finishing up a bendy-handle flatbow, my first excursion into clear glass as well.  The back is a beautiful straight grain pine (of all things) and the belly (so I can look at it) is a swirly grain Red Elm lam.  Looks pretty neat, IMHO.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: YORNOC on April 05, 2014, 08:17:00 AM
I have them built all the time this way. I usually skin my own bows with different snakes, so I have whatever wood that brings out snake colors put on the backs, and some cool exotic wood on the bellies.

It's your bow, you can do pretty much whatever you want!
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Troy D. Breeding on April 05, 2014, 08:20:00 AM
For several years I build all my bow with fancy back veneers and left whatever the core material was on the belly side.

Do what you like. They all look good to me.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Jack Hoyt 75 on April 05, 2014, 08:50:00 AM
It's fine and I would say pretty common. Most of the higher end custom bowyers offer different lams on back and belly.  I prefer the darker veneer on the back and a light wood with Burl or Curley on the belly.  I think it's a high end look.

Your bow, do whatever you like!
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Sam McMichael on April 05, 2014, 09:06:00 AM
A while back, somebody told of an idea that he had but did not follow through on that would have included juniper on the back and yew on the belly. That would be beautiful in my opinion. In my mind I can see a NM Shelton done this way.

I would like to see pics of varying wood combinations.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: TOEJAMMER on April 05, 2014, 09:53:00 AM
I have a few Cascades with different lams back and belly and a Robertson Purist with bacote on the back and the bamboo core wood on the belly.  Also a number of bows with black glass on the back and clear on the belly. It isn't that unusual.l
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: FerretWYO on April 05, 2014, 10:04:00 AM
My Stalkerhas walnut on the belly and coco on the back.
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: damascusdave on April 05, 2014, 10:25:00 AM
If you look at my 64 inch 1959 and 1960 Kodiak thread in Trad History and Collecting you will see that different back and belly color has appeared on many production bows...the picture of the 1960 with reversed glass is very interesting since those bows featured brown glass on the back and orange on the belly...of course the new Kodiak also features that combination

DDave
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Doc Nock on April 05, 2014, 05:11:00 PM
Kirk @ Bigfoot, and others have told me that, black glass is a wee bit snappier.  

I left it to Kirk but he ground my lams really thin to save weight and I have a waterfall bubinga I beam in my Bocote riser...

So...  :)   I got bocote veneers on the back and bubinga on the face of the limbs.  I had to go up in spine to harness the energy in his XX carbons with those veneers, so I guess it didn't hurt nuttin!

  (http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/DavidLandis/Big%20foot/SANY0051.jpg) (http://s299.photobucket.com/user/DavidLandis/media/Big%20foot/SANY0051.jpg.html)

  (http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/DavidLandis/Big%20foot/SANY0024.jpg) (http://s299.photobucket.com/user/DavidLandis/media/Big%20foot/SANY0024.jpg.html)

  (http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/DavidLandis/Big%20foot/SANY0055.jpg) (http://s299.photobucket.com/user/DavidLandis/media/Big%20foot/SANY0055.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: coldwinterlake on June 01, 2014, 08:43:00 AM
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pmvfnOnjigw/U4se1sxUAVI/AAAAAAAAABI/RTGxN0mjHUk/w139-h140-p/tradgang.jpg)


Zebrano on the front side and macassar ebony on the back side
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: mike g on June 01, 2014, 10:05:00 AM
My Big 5 has Black back and Brown belly....
    Craig told me it was the first one with that combo....
    On a Hill style which combo would be best.
Would Yew on the back, Osage belly, Bamboo core..?
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: ARCHER2 on June 01, 2014, 10:14:00 AM
Yep, I've got a Stalker with two sets of limbs and they are different back and belly. Both Bocote on back, and one Osage on the belly, the other Zebrawood on the belly. Both look awesome!
Charlie
Title: Re: Do they always have to match?
Post by: Keith Zimmerman on June 01, 2014, 01:36:00 PM
All the bows I have ordered are like that.  Its pretty common.  But I would say 75% are the same veneers.  My latest bows have Bocote on the bellies.  My Tip has Macasser on the face and my Wild Horse Creek has Waterfall Bubinga.