Ipe backings

[NTD]

I did a search first before posting this but if it is covered elsewhere please let me know. 

I have a nice local source for Ipe and would like to work with it but I rarely ever see someone make it without a boo or hickory backing.  I don't have the tools or the kind of shop needed to do boo or hickory backings.  Can this wood be used unbacked or alternate backings (rawhide, fiber etc)

Also I suppose I should have intro'd myself before asking a bunch of questions.  My name's Nate Danforth I live in Tucson, Az. originally from Aroostook county, ME.  I made my first bow out of ash with the help of TBB1 11 years ago the summer between freshman and sophmore year.  I made a few more some worked some exploded during tillering.  I continued making some off and on until I graduated high school.  After 7 years I got the itch again and have made 2 this year both red oak board bows.  I'm working on an impossible pine bow right now.

Besides archery I'm a reptile enthusiast (I keep and breed a large assortment of snakes, please don't contact me for bow backs hahahaha)  I also spend much of my fall mornings hunting coyotes and bobcats.  If anyone is in my area and would like a hunting buddy let me know.  I also have a passion for dogs and dog sports I am currently training a 6 month old belgian malinois for schutzhund and mondioring.   Glad to be on this forum and look forward to gleaning some wisdom from the many accomplished Bowyers here.  One thing I appreaite about this forum is the friendly nature shown to newbs.  It's refreshing.

Nate Danforth

[medicinewheel]

...backing with fiber? ....you mean.... G L A S fiber?? 

Just kidding...

Well, I'm sure Ipé makes a great selfbow when you manage to chase a growth ring BUT it even sounds like working plastic if you run the scraper over it's surface, it's REALLY hard wood; chasing a ring - if you find one at all - is a job for someone who slew mother and father.
On top of that, the wood requires to be backed Perry-reflex type to do justice to it's strength IMO!
I'm sure someone here will help you with this (I'm too far away or I would), but maybe you just want to drag your piece to the next carpenter's shop and ask it to be run through the planer, get a ready to be clued  hickory or bamboo backing and there you go.

BTW I've spend some time in Brazil lately, and I saw all these ridiculously straight 20" diameter Ipé trees standing around just everywhere... 

[Justin Snyder]

You can make a great selfbow with Ipe. Choosing the wood will be the most difficult part of the adventure.  It is hard to see the grain most of the time so grain orientation is hard to determine. Wipe the wood down with a wet cloth and hold it in the sun to help see the grain.  I have 1 unbacked Ipe that is only 3/4" wide, but Rich Saffold has made a few unbacked. He wrote an article about Ipe bows a while back.

[knightd]

If you would like to try a backed Ipe bow you can buy a hickory backing strip  or a bamboo backing strip ready to glue on for $10/$15.. And the Ipe is all ready flat.

[Parnell]

I made one that I shot a few times.  Looked beautiful, wasn't backed, but I didn't chase a ring.  Well at about 30-40 shots.  Wham!  No ticks or creeks before it happened just Wham!  It was a D bow.

Only thing I'll add, I worked with it last winter here in Florida (low humidity) and did this one in June(high humidity).  I'm working on another now when the humid is still up and I definitely think the wood works better after being in high humidity conditions.  Can't tell you the moisure content but it's noticeable to me.  Good luck!

[Rich Saffold]

Nate,
I'd recommend backing Ipe bows where you live since the humidity is so low there. Ipe performs well in high humidity, but like many tropicals this is its strength. The bone dry air can be a problem for it. Tension strong woods do well in this like elm, hickory, guava.

I have made probably 40 Ipe selfbows, but I have backed some since they were going to very dry climates. My last one was like Justin's, a 3/4" wide 66" D bow, and I'll make another soon. I have used leather, rawhide, bamboo, hickory, maple and ash to back them. I usually use bamboo since its abundant where I live.

Also there are over 100 known species of Tabebuia Ipe so there is a lot of color and density variation. Heavier and straighter is usually preferred.

Rich-

[ZanderPommo]

you've backed bows with leather? wow
how did they preform?

[NTD]

Rich, Thanks for your reply.  Would the rawhide backings be suitable for Ipe in the dry climates?  I know how to work with that stuff but the Bamboo does intimidate me a bit...

Mr. Knight, is the 10-15$ ready to glue bamboo available from you?  I have not seen ready to glue boo at that price anywhere, probably just not looking in the right places.

[Rich Saffold]

Backing these bows with leather works good. I used to soak it for a while in warm water to soften the strip of leather up, and then stretch it tight across another board and clamp it down. I'd then wipe it fairly dry and then coat the inside of the backing with TB2 and then clamp the bow onto the strip.

When its dried the leather will shrink and actually pull a little reflex, not much but more than enough to compensate for its mass..

The same technique works with rawhide as well. 

Since you have a good source of ipe, a little time picking through the boards and you will find some which don't have any drying cracks on the ends of the boards...These may be a bit better where you live..

Rich

[radius]

you could bite the bullet, purchase a 6 or 7 foot piece of flatsawn hickory, sapwood, and pay somebody to mill 3/16" pieces off the edge, then run it through a thickness sander to give you enough perfect backing strips for several bows...shouldn't cost that much, really...

[NTD]

I went and picked up 3, 1.25" x 72" Ipe boards today and will be ordering some Boo from Mr. Knight early next week.  Problem is I still have to take pictures of my last bow for BOM, finish tillering the bow I have in progress and I still have 2 red oak boards waiting to be roughed out.  And now I have 3 ipe boards waiting too.  I almost came home with some nice purple heart and zebrawood but thank goodness my addiction was tempered by the depths of my pockets LOL.  My wood supply is stacking up quicker than I can turn out a bow.  I guess that's not that bad of a problem to have.

Thanks to Mr. Knight for walking me through some tips on picking out Ipe you bow folks are some fine gentlemen.

Nate Danforth