Laminated Long bow idea

[kurogane_84]

Hello guys n gals, im thinking of a osage belly and backed bow, in a semi gull wing bow shape, ive been told it looks like a horse bow also, heres a link to the images,  let me know what you all think, im thinking of adding a clear glass core or carbon core, maybe a pheonic strip in between the layers, im just thinking of a tri lam style, any and all input is greatly welcomed and is almost insisted upon

here is the link below, and also incase it dosent work one to the album



direct link : http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/jmichelin/Bow%20ideas/Bowsketch.jpg

id love it if someone with laminated bow building experience could help me out, and if they could help me design a bow caul that i can use clamps with  int the bows shape id be very happy   

[Badger]

  This particular sight is a primitive archery sight where no fiberglass is discussed. A glass core is not a good idea anyway, glass is always on the outside and wood is always the core. I would suggest you start with a simple self bow and work your way up like most of us have done here. The bow you are going to build will need tillering to bring it into the right shape and weight. You may want to do a bit of reading if you have never built a bow before.

[kurogane_84]

  This particular sight is a primitive archery sight where no fiberglass is discussed. A glass core is not a good idea anyway, glass is always on the outside and wood is always the core. I would suggest you start with a simple self bow and work your way up like most of us have done here. The bow you are going to build will need tillering to bring it into the right shape and weight. You may want to do a bit of reading if you have never built a bow before.

Sorry about that, i forgot about that, i was thinking it should have gone into the around the camp fire, i was thinking of a osage board and making a caul and steaming them clamping it down

[DarkSoul]

Yes, what Badger said.
No f!b€rgl@$$ on here. But a glass core is indeed a very lousy idea, as far as construction goes. If you're looking for a contrasting core, just glue a contrasting wood in place. Purpleheart, maple, walnut...will complement the osage nicely.
The design you pictured will work in wood only. You'd better not make that super rounded cross section then, but much more flat. Also, tip width of ¾" is a bit too much.

What is your current level of experience with bows? The project you're about to undertake is a pretty advanced plan.

[kurogane_84]

Yes, what Badger said.
No f!b€rgl@$$ on here. But a glass core is indeed a very lousy idea, as far as construction goes. If you're looking for a contrasting core, just glue a contrasting wood in place. Purpleheart, maple, walnut...will complement the osage nicely.
The design you pictured will work in wood only. You'd better not make that super rounded cross section then, but much more flat. Also, tip width of ¾" is a bit too much.

What is your current level of experience with bows? The project you're about to undertake is a pretty advanced plan.

a simple bow i can make from a 3 inch branch just for survival, a bundle bow, never did anything with laminations or self bows LOL, im a tootal noob if you get the meaning, and im starting to get the idea about the core, im thinking about getting a piece of 2X2 hickory and testing out my idea for a form, and doing the ideal one in osage or a birch ir i can find it around here, well i can find it plenty here but WAY too many knots and not with a section od more than 30 inches clear of knots, and im thinking of placing cocobolo pen blanks on as tip overlays, you can buy them for under 8 dollars and you can do 2 bows with it, its a 1X1 and i think 8 inch lengths, it would be nice i think a contrast from osage to cocbolo, what do you think?? and if any GMs are reading this please place this into the around the camp fire please,

[DarkSoul]

The idea of using a cocobolo pen blank for tip overlays sounds good. But don't worry about tip overlays at this stage...that is a really unimportant feature which you can always add later to any bow.

You'll probably need to make at least one decent bow before you should attempt the bow you have in mind now. Learning how to work with wood, how to handle tools, how to make a lay-out and how to make the wood bend your way, are very important steps. Trying to make the bow pictured in your openings post as a first bow, is doomed for failure. As a first bow, take a single board (no laminating) and make a bow. You could steam/heat in some recurves, which is already making things more complex (but still manageable in my opinion) for a first bow.

Birch is not a great bowwood. It can and has been used (run a search), but is pretty weak in compression. Hickory (or osage, if you know where to get it) would be a better choice.

[kurogane_84]

Id have to  get it from a person in the states or ship it from the UK,  and ok, i was thinking about  using a oak board, its the only decent boards we get here at the end of the road LOL, and yah im looking for ideas and planning it out in advance so i dont have to in a rush LOL, im like my dad, plans things in advance  so you dont have to later and i reall was looking for help to design a caul for this bow lol, i can practice on with a steaming rig of sorts and to just get a feel for it, or do osage and hickory respond better to dry heat  ive noticed on a few forums that they had a piece of plastic or poly bi carbonate or some sort of tough plastic, we use it on komatics here

[Rufledt]

An oak board is a good start, it's where I started and it's what I used to teach a friend.  I agree start with a straight longbow.  It's far easier to make, and just as fun to shoot!  You can use the pen blank idea for tip overlays and use fancy handle wood if you want to mix up the looks, too. 

[kurogane_84]

An oak board is a good start, it's where I started and it's what I used to teach a friend.  I agree start with a straight longbow.  It's far easier to make, and just as fun to shoot!  You can use the pen blank idea for tip overlays and use fancy handle wood if you want to mix up the looks, too.

hmmm fancy handle lol, nah i think im just going to cement on a single 5 to 10 MM  strip of leather, around a off the hand grip

[Rufledt]

wrapped leather handle works, too!  You're probobly better off, anyway, because i've had some glue trouble with fancier, exotic hardwood. 

[kurogane_84]

wrapped leather handle works, too!  You're probobly better off, anyway, because i've had some glue trouble with fancier, exotic hardwood.

and my luck it would only attack on the outer edge and on the tillering would just go off like a shotgun in your ear, im already half deaf, and i dont need to be full deaf LOL, in the woods i can hear and see everything, just like my dad he literally changed and became the woods, if you were slower your left lOL

[scp]

If you have means to bend wood, I would recommend bending some fresh saplings to your design. Then season it for a year.

[toomanyknots]

I would suggest you start with a simple self bow and work your way up like most of us have done here.

I agree, very good advice.