Where do I purchase laminations?

[logan6742]

I've finally made my decision to ditch the hickory flatbow and move one. I want to make a tri-laminate english longow with some hickory, ipe , and another type of wood that I haven't exactly decided on. I've just encountered one problem, I don't know where to purchase laminations on the internet for a decent price  . I have already found hickory laminations on a bunch of websites because that's one of your only options for backing an english longbow besides. But I just can't find other woods I'm interested in such as maple, ipe, walnut, etc. I've already gone on 3rivers and bingham but they don't have what I'm looking for. Could someone please tell me a website where I can order some 72 inch lamiantions? Please add links if you have any suggestions. Thanks, I really apprecitate it.

Also I'm new to the whole bowyer scene so please any tips would be great.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Most buy boards and rip them on a table saw or bandsaw, then plane them to thickness.

[RBLusthaus]

If you could find any, you could also use 36 inch parallel lams and have them meet in the middle.

Russ

[Mad Max]

Most buy boards and rip them on a table saw or bandsaw, then plane them to thickness.

   +1
Bingham is your best choice for the cores, but they have nothing for the back or belly

[bow101]

"table saw or bandsaw"   no doubt the least expensive way to go.  As long as the table saw is setup properley just give them a quick rough sand and glue them up and "bob's your uncle."

[J05H]

Most buy boards and rip them on a table saw or bandsaw, then plane them to thickness.

+1

If you Google Ipe, you'll find websites that sell it as decking for something like $3.50 a board foot. Comes to about $22 per 6' 1"x6". Don't know about shipping though.

[logan6742]

I think I made my decision. Hickory back, ipe or walnut in the middle, then hickory belly. Or hickory, lemonwood, then ipe. what do you guys think?

[kiltedcelt]

Just so you know, ipe is incredibly dense and compression-resistant. Most of the time when folks use ipe with something like hickory in a tri-lam setup they chose a lighter wood for the core like some type of maple. I wouldn't want to use two really dense wood like lemonwood and ipe in the belly of a bow. Seems like overkill to use two really dense woods in the belly. Also, you'd probably have to have those two belly lams pared down super-thin if you choose two heavily compression-resistant woods.

[Pat B]

Hickory backed ipe makes a great bow. Ipe should be your belly lam, hickory the back. Almost ant lighter woods should work fine for a core. Have a hickory back and core with the ipe belly. IMO, hickory doesn't make a good belly wood.

[logan6742]

Thank you everyone for giving me the tips, but I need to know where to get ipe. It seems like some of you know cause it sounds like you've worked with it before. All I need to know is where to obtain a 6 foot board of ipe for a good price (someone where below 25 dollars I hope). I've seen some webesites for ipe decking, but I find it really confusing.

[DarkSoul]

Do you need an address in Africa? A webshop in Australia? It helps if you tell us where you live.
You'll want a store nearby, so you can look through the boards yourself. You need to select your own board, and not trust someone else that he understands what you need. Take the Yellow Pages and look for lumberyards or woodworking shops nearby. Give them a call to see if they have ipé.