Any info on making a rattan bow?

[mekial2222]

I've been itching to make myself a bow...  don't know why but I am.  Anyway I have a couple of rattan staves lying around and I was thinking of turning one into a bow or two.  I did a search and found a couple of kids bows but what about an adult bow?  my natural draw length is 33" to the cheek bone, I'm currently shooting a 65@31" bamboo backed ipe longbow.  I'm considering trying to make a horse bow out of it.  One thing I've had difficulty finding info on is setting up drawlength, primarily is there a reason why I don't see bows in the 33" range, is it a matter of market or limits of the wood?  Also would polyurethane make a good sealer?  what about Tung Oil?  I try to limit my sources to what I can get locally as in a hardware store, wal-mart, etc.  I'd appreciate all the info I can get.  This is my first post here so I appologize for mixing alot of questions.  thank you.

[medicinewheel]

Welcome to PA, welcome to the addiction!
Rattan bends easily with dry heat (don't use oil when you heat it, doesn't work), and a 'horsebow' is what I recommend to make from it.
I guess you could make one in the 40-45# range, and with a lot of curvature it'll shoot pretty good. Bring the side profile to rough shape and bend it. I've made some with wilder curves than this one but maybe this is a good start...

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[Lombard]

Cool looking little bow.

[JW_Halverson]

Mike Stocklin in South Dakota, one of the bowyers that did the stuff for Dances With Wolves, has made some buffalo killer Sioux style horse bows backed with sinew and hide glue.  He has had no problem hitting 65-70 lbs with these bows at as little as only 36 inches! 

His technique is to split the rattan down the middle on a bandsaw, add some nocks, then start with the cut side to the back, and tiller on a belt sander while the bow is strung.  Once tillered just below your final weight, he heats in the recurves and decurves he likes and lays up the sinew.  Of course it is a little more than that, but you get the drift.

There was an article a long time back in PA on rattan bows.  Quite a few people used it for making quickie kids bows, but there is plenty of potential for adult weight hunting gear with this grass.

[mekial2222]

If I split/saw the staff in half, would the flat sawn side be the belly or the back?  the example shown above looks to have the sawn section as the belly.  thank you.

[aznboi3644]

Where could one acquire some of this rattan??

[medicinewheel]

@JW: Yes, I think a lot is possible with Rattan, maybe I will give it a try to sinew one, too. IT probably need A LOT of sizing the glueing surface, right?
But Rattan is NOT a gras but a palmtree.

@mekial: It works either way, I also mad some with the splitt as a back. They make very safe bows for children, because they will simply not break. Friend of mine pulled a shorty so far that the string came of to demonstrate it would not break, and it didn't.

[mekial2222]

That would be good, I've been having difficulty finding a bow that I can do a full draw of 33", I've been wanting to make a bow with supplies I can get locally at home depot or something but I already have the rattan, btw I got my rattan afew years ago from a company called HH perkins (I think thats how it's spelled).  I know usualy you would add a backing to strengthen a bow but sents rattan does not compress very well but it does have good tension properties what about adding something to the belly to make it more predictable?  like red oak, or something?  the strips you can get from a hardware store is what I'm thinking about.  I just decided to jump into it and split my stave earlier now I'm having difficulty making it relatively eaven as far as shape...  I'm using a table saw and a angle grinder...  don't have a band saw or a belt sander.  well thanks for the info.

[stallion27]

I know of a place that sells poles. PM me and I will give you the website.

Eric

[medicinewheel]

I can not see how to get Rattan flat enough to have a facing glued to the belly; sinew yes, wood no.
Never tried, though, maybe I'm wrong...

[youngbowyer33]

is rattan similar to bamboo?

[medicinewheel]

Except for some similarity in looks, no. Boo is a giant grass, rattan ( goggle for Calamus rotang ) is a palm.
Both make for very different bows.