A little help please - bamboo and other ideas

[Filip]

Hello, again I need some help from you guys. Having my second bow (yup, I'm a beginner) pretty much finished, it still only requires a paint job, that's the post about it if you are interested: http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,32078.0.html and some spare time on my hands, I decided to make some more bows. I will appreciate any input on the following matters:

No1. I'm about to buy some wide diameter bamboo form one website but I can't decide. If I buy 10 feet bamboo and use 6 feet of it to back a bow, can I use two remaining 4feet pieces to back a single 6feet bow? Basically, is it alright to use two pieces of bamboo, which would meet at a handle that doesn't bend, to back a bow or am I off better buying 2 metre long bamboo that will back only one bow?

No2. I store my wood in my room and I know that moisture levels in the air and wood are important. I have a small moisture meter, the one they use in reptile tanks and it reads between 30% - 40% which I believe is too low as it means the wood moisture level is below 8% (is that correct?) Is this alright or should I look for another place to store my boards for bows?

No3. I get all my timber in boards and I was thinking to make a small hotbox from a cardboard tube to speed up the drying process and to control the moisture level in the wood better. What do you think, is it a good idea, do I even need it?

No4. The wood types available to me are: Ash, White Oak, Red Cedar and Black Walnut. The backing which I could use are: Rawhide(from a dog's chew), Bamboo(when I buy it), Linen and possibly other easy to get meterials. I was thinking of making a paddle bow sometime soon and I would also like to make a really thin bow, some people posted photos of bows with tips as narrow as a pencil, it looks pretty impressive to me. I have some antlers available, no idea what animal it came from but I think I could use it for tips. I also want to include a diagonal handle on one of the bows, one of Dustybaer's bows has it and I think it's a good idea. What are your suggestions? Which backing should I use for which wood to be best suited for a bow type.

No5. Steam bending the bow tips and adding micro recurves, will this work or would I be overdoing it?

There might be some more questions somewhere in my head but I think that's enough for the time being. Any answers, suggestions, recommendations, anything related, would be really helpfull.

[Prarie Bowyer]

You can put a seam in a non bending handle.  But I believe Home Depot carries bamboo "slats" which are almost ready to work with.  Or at least more so than buying round bamboo.  If you are short on tools 3 Rivers carries pre prepped bamboo.

Wood Starage:  A garage is fine.  Watch for insects.  If you ahve a basement with a heater boiler room that is probably ideal just not right next to the boiler.  Watch it and seal the ends with paint or wood glue.

Hot Box:  There are plans on line for solar lumber kilns.  Bascially you don't want too hot too fast.  There is little displacing time in the equation.  You want to force the water out through the ends slowly.  Too fast will cause checks.  With most woods not such a thing as too slow.  Most of us quickly reach a point where we have more wood drying than we can work so it' works out fine.

 Woods are all fine for bows but I personlay don't mess with Oak.  I've read iffy stuff about Ash but I see it makes fine bows.  Bamboo is excelent for backing, Linen is also good because it does not add weight.  Never worked with raw hide, but I figure if i'm going that route then may as well use sinew which is king.

Anything growing from the head of an animal can be used as tips.  Antler is bone and horn is karatin.  Both work well.

Steam bending works well in Oaks Ash, and most domestic hard woods.  If you are backing the bow with bamboo it's not necessary unless you are goign for deep bends.  The glue will hold it in.

[Filip]

Thanks a lot Prarie Bowyer! Since I live in the UK, I don't think I could reach Home Depot from here and since I'm only 17(read: little money available) and really don't like overpaying for materials and now that I know I can join bamboo pieces at the handle, I will go for the longer, round bamboo and work it myself.
I do need to get some tools too like a spokeshave and some scrapers... All I have is 2 planes, surform rasp and some files, luckily they get the job done, it takes some time but works and that's what matters.
I give up on the hot box until I start making bows from staves, not boards. No garage, no basement, I only have an attic and my room available so I will keep the wood there. Is the air moisture level of ~40% OK for the wood? I think it might be a little dry?
I really tried to get a hold of some sinew from local butchers, no luck. Someday I will decide to buy it from some website, I'm left with other backings for the time being.

I'm slowly working on a paddle bow, it's quite tricky without any build alongs but fortunately found some great bows made by El Destructo, hopefully he doesn't mind if I copy him what would you say a rough thickness for about 45# ash bow would be?

[Prarie Bowyer]

Look up a site called "Poor folks Bows" Bowmaking for appartment dwellers and poor people.  Learned alot from him.  If you are going to laminate bows then most of us use a glues that need heat to cure properly.  You can use TB3 but it needs O2 to set so don't wrap the stave in anything and use a form with pegs so you can lace it down tightly.

As far as the paddle bow I have no idea about thicknesses.  I usualy make a stab and then adjust from there.  Typicaly I come in over weight and then reduce it.

I started making bows with risers and fancy grip sections that did not bend.  Later I made some bendy handle bows and found I like them for several reasons.  I heard someone else say they didn't like the sensation of the handle bending on the draw so I went with that.  They are easier to make, the concept was used by nearly all cultures, and they shoot realy well.  It's a great place to start.  You can build up the grip section with other flexible materials.  I use cork tiles.  Cut them to pieces and glue them on with a flexable glue then rasp to shape and wrap in leather.

[rkeltner]

forgive me for butting in, but where do you live that home depot has bamboo!?? here in central indiana, nobody carries any kind of bamboo, unless you count the stuff for floors!