Bamboo backed hickory?

[kevinsmith5]

I've seen a guy on eBay with bamboo backed hickory bows for sale (moso bamboo if it matters). Is this a workable combination? I haven't seen anyone up here doing bamboo/hickory, mostly it's ipe or another tropical wood.

[Jim Davis]

The only advantage of bamboo over a clean unviolated hickory back would be if you liked the appearance.

Hickory is about 3.5 times as  strong in tension as in compression, so if hickory breaks, it first fails in compression. That would be true with bamboo or carbon fiber or any other thing on the back that is stronger in tension than hickory is in compression.

Putting  bamboo on the back of most wood bows seems to me another attempt to add a magic substance that will prevent all failures.

Jim Davis

[kevinsmith5]

From the shape of the bow he's using lumber, not staves. I'd also say that based in the price, drying and working staves would be too labor intensive for what he's charging. What is moso bamboo?

[Tom Leemans]

I believe Dean Torges offered it as an alternative fix, if you will, to say a hickory stave with grain run-off and such. If memory serves, he mentioned decrowning the stave and adding a bamboo backing. It is not so much a way to soup up your self bow as it is a way to take advantage of slats and staves that would otherwise not make a bow by themselves. If it were me, I'd sonner back it with an 1/8" thick, clean backing of more hickory!