how many laminations for longbow?

[Bearded bowyer]

Hi everyone
I was wondering.....is there much more of an advantage to having more than 3 laminations in a longbow?
Would it make it faster?
I' done 4 lams before just to build up a stave and it was pretty damn quick, but has anyone else experimented?

Matt

[tattoo dave]

I don't think it would make it "faster". But I guess that all depends on the thickness of the lams, type of wood, bow design...the list goes on. Lots of variables that will make a bow faster. Give us some more specifics about the bow you are wanting to build, and I'm sure somebody can help you out.

Tattoo Dave

[Bearded bowyer]

Ok
I have a chap who wants a hickory backed ipe belly longbow. he wants the Ipe in two laminations. making the bow a tri-lam. He also wants it shorter than 74" "because the limbs will store more energy and therefor make it faster to shoot."
 Are there any advantages to 1/2 or 3 lams of Ipe? or is it better to put another different wood lam in the middle?
matt

[Dances with squirrels]

The number of lams, in itself, will show minimal speed difference. The side profile matters more in that regard. One thing more lams do to help is they make everything more flexible, which means you can bend it more easily during glue-up, which will allow you to put more reflex, or even recurves, into the bow if you choose, which will make it a little faster... all else equal.

[toomanyknots]

The number of lams, in itself, will show minimal speed difference. The side profile matters more in that regard. One thing more lams do to help is they make everything more flexible, which means you can bend it more easily during glue-up, which will allow you to put more reflex, or even recurves, into the bow if you choose, which will make it a little faster... all else equal.

I second the glue up notion, I definitely like to put at least an inch and a half or so in my bows typically, an inch for heavy warbows, to 2" for normal weight bows, etc. Laminates definitely make that possible. I have had experiences with ipe (recently matter of fact) where the bamboo backed ipe took a good amount of set, compared to a normal bamboo - some core wood - ipe trilam. But then again, I didn't put much reflex in the ipe bow, only 1/4" if that. I've made a bow with two ipe laminates. I think there is a possibility it does make it stiffer to use more laminates. But I know a lot of other people don't think so, I guess you just have to try it out and make up your mind.

[wood_bandit 99]

If you put enough wood slats into a bow, you are working wth glue. Maybe you should make a form and fill it with glue and bamboo back it

[mikekeswick]

If you put enough wood slats into a bow, you are working wth glue. Maybe you should make a form and fill it with glue and bamboo back it

 

Tiller, the state of the wood once you've got to full draw, posistioning of mass, side profile matching tiller etc etc are more important.
If anything simply adding more lams is just adding to the amount of glue and glue is heavy, heavy, heavy. There is no point in gluing different pieces of ipe together at least go for a lighter core and you can't go far wrong with maple.