Looking for a source for foam cores or bulk material to cut my own. Where would be a good source to get with?

I used to get mine from Dale Stahl years ago, But he's no longer with us. After playing with it for awhile i didn't see a large enough change in performance to justify the extra expense in some designs, and discontinued using it.

What type of limb design are you planning on using the foam?    Kirk

You might call the Rosewood Shop.
I have a set of glass over foam in recurve and longbow. They seem pretty snappy to me. Both ILF. The only thing that arrow speed does is bragging rights. If you do the math that arrow ain't get there too much faster as far as an animal getting out of the way.

The only time I used it was on double carbon bows where torsional stability wasn't an issue.  Never used it with glass backing.

I've used to get it from Dale also. I built myself a couple hunting bows with it but no longer have any.  I feel like the limbs have a softer feel to them and didn't seem to stack as fast. Will be in my carbon backed static tip recurve limbs.

Quote from: Crooked Stic on October 11, 2025, 06:25:49 PMYou might call the Rosewood Shop.
I have a set of glass over foam in recurve and longbow. They seem pretty snappy to me. Both ILF. The only thing that arrow speed does is bragging rights. If you do the math that arrow ain't get there too much faster as far as an animal getting out of the way.

Last I checked they weren't carrying it

Interesting topic.

I'd be interested in what specific material we are actually talking about?

Mechanical properties,...?

I see plenty foam material at the composite supplieres, e.g. here....

https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/core-materials

which one might work in a bows limb?

Quote from: simk on October 13, 2025, 03:39:41 AMInteresting topic.

I'd be interested in what specific material we are actually talking about?

Mechanical properties,...?

I see plenty foam material at the composite supplieres, e.g. here....

https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/core-materials

which one might work in a bows limb?

"Syntactic foams are composite materials synthesized by filling a metal, polymer, cementitious or ceramic matrix with spheres as aggregates. The spheres may be hollow, called microballoons or cenospheres, or non-hollow, for example perlite. In this context, "syntactic" means "put together."

That is the definition.... Types of microballons used in limb construction vary with manufacturers, and are most likely ceramic. I'm quite certain different materials used have different compression ratings, and that is very important for longevity.


Honestly.... I never liked the sound those foam core limbs make myself. Kinda tinny...

Kirk

I've still got a block of foam core material I bought from Old Master Crafters that I doubt I'll use if you're interested. If I remember correctly, it's 1 3/4"x30" long, so it'd only be good for takedowns. You can bandsaw off whatever thickness you need off the edge. Give me a call if you want it (707)496-0136