This was my second attempt at a glass bow for the kids.  The specs are 42" long reflex/deflex longbow modeled after my Navajo Caddo.  The limbs are two parallel laminations of .0325" curley maple under .050 glass.  The handle is kingswood and maple.  The tips are kingswood.  The bow is 1" wide at the fades with a straight taper to the just under 1/2" tips.  The bow pulls about 20# @ 17".

Here is my story:

I started with making a form from a scale drawing of my 62" Navajo Caddo. I glued a 1/16" piece of aluminum stock to the profile to ensure a flat even surface.  Holes are drilled about every 3".


Next I bought a 1" x 1" x 12" kingswood turning block from the lumber supply and traced the form profile of the handle section to the wood and cut it out with my band saw.


Then I sanded the handle with my 3" thickness sander.  I flipped the sander up on its side to use.


Here is a pic of the sanded handle section.  Note how it fits well on the form.


Here is the glue up.  I used bow grip 100 since I have no heat box.  Mix it until it is like yogurt and glue wet to wet.


I let the bow cure for at least 12 hrs.  The temps in the garage were about 80 degrees.  Here is what it looked like out of the form.


This is the back portion of the handle section.  It is 8" long and 1/2" thick cut to shape on the bandsaw and sanded on the drum sander.


Here is the handle glued up, shaped and sanded.


more to come

I then installed limb tips and sanded the bow down, cut string grooves, made a string and she's ready to go.




Thanks to all who have given me insight to do this project - could not have done it without you.

Matt

Tips:

OK here ARE the tips.

cool

very nice loking kids bow.

WOW!!!
Some kid is gonna be happy!    
Gil

Very nice :0)

Very well done!

Sweet! Do lam-bows like this not require any further tillering, or is it a given tat they'll come out ok?

Any kid would be proud to receive that - and any bowyer would be proud to "gift" it to a kid. Great job and pictorial.

Thanks guys I appreciate the comments.  Robattoo, from what I have read, the lam bows should come out real close with minimal tillering needed.  I have read that you may have to adjust your nocks if the string does not run down the center of the strung bow.  Other than that I cannot really say.

My top lims is a bit stiffer than the bottom but that should be due to the rest not being right in the center of the bow but rather 1" above center.

Very nice. I like it.

Very nice build along and a great looking bow. Thanks for showing us how.   Glenn

Excellent! Some youngin's going to be very happy.

You make it look so easy!  Good job!

I've often thought I could make 2 kids bows from one blank 2" wide and then cut right down the middle. The form would even fit in my 48" hotbox. This proves that it can be done, very nice work and thanks for sharing.

-Mike

Awesome bow!!!

Appreciate all the feedback.  This is a Xmas gift for my boy.  My daughter wants one from purpleheart for the limbs and osage for the handle.  I have some nice bamboo I harvested when we lived in FL 3 years ago so I want to make me a boo bow.  Now if I could just get my wife to shoot.

matnjo, Nice work.Happy kids is my guess.
You're one of those guys I need to be gettin to know on this site.
Several others around N.Central,IN - we should get something together and talk bows and shoot stuff...