I too am looking forward to Iowa Jam in March. While out of the state this winter I collect some 4 to 5 inch diameter bamboo. I hope to get some tips in March as to how to use it to back a bow. There sould be plenty to trade. I cut it just before the first of the year in Louisiana. It should be cured by March. It is just now loosing the green color here in Arizona. Any suggestions on handling and processing?
You need to rip it with a table saw on the sides just so you get past the hollow area inside. Its hard to explain so a little common sense is required as well as the finesse of your hands on the saw. Once you rip it, sand it flat on the "hollow side" with a belt sander. Wear gloves. Bamboo will cut you like a razor if it lets loose. Sand it flat until there is no more hollow space, the key here is to make a solid gluing surface. While you are sanding the boo flat, you will make a razor edge on the sides. Save yourself some trouble and sand the outer parts of the grass (bamboo) a little more than the middle making a tapering effect (this will help with tillering). I like to keep the grass pretty thin, by that I mean use some common since because you dont want the boo backing to be thicker than the bow you are backing. Keep in mind that you are only using the boo to back the bow, keeping the violated fibers of the real wood from lifting. Some folks say that you need to make the nodes in the grass centered on the bow to prevent it from breaking, that rule of thought implies that the boo is part of the working limb, and it is most likely to break on the nodes. Well, as long as you get the grass thin enough as to not overpower the back, this is not an issue in my opinion and is more of an ascetic appeal. I glue the grass onto the bow with urac 185 (available at 3 rivers) and clamp it by wrapping it with shrink wrap or saran wrap (you know what I mean). This works really well. After you wrap it, this is a good time to put any reflex or deflex into your stick (soon to be a bow). I do this with C clamps and blocks of wood. Let it dry completely, and remove from the form if you are using one and take off the shrink wrap. Continue building your bow.
Craig
