Raw bamboo processing?

[Blaflair2]

Is there a how to or build along with the process from talking boo to the bow? Flattening the back, best way, no no's? Table saw maybe?

[Bryce]

I thing you mean flattening the belly of the boo. Table saws can ruin boo, I know bc I've done it more than once. You can use a bandsaw and finish up on a belt sander, or if you have a jointer. That works well.
Also, if you have a planner. You can make a jig and place shims between the nodes and run it through, finish in the belt sander.

[Pat B]

The first boo backing I did I used a hand plane to prep the belly side for glue-up.  That was in a class I took.  Once on my own I would saw the backing strip out with a band saw, cut it to the bow's back profile and flattened it on the belt sander.

[Blaflair2]

How thick am I trying to make it?

[Bryce]

I taper my boo via belt sander.

I'll cut the profil of the bow out.
At the fades 3/16" down to 1/16" at the nock.
I dont measure with calipers either.
Simply take both ends of the boo and bend them, basically tiller your boo to bend as if a bow was bending and thin the stiff spots on the belt sander till you have a nice evenly bending piece of boo.

[Blaflair2]

I can already see where this project is gonna go... In the corner lol

[Bryce]

Lol!
Getting you hard backing right is worth the 15 mins it takes to do.
Give it a shot.
It's actually pretty fun.

[Blaflair2]

I'm gonna try. Well see how it goes.

Pat, why cut the bow profile out first? Easier to thin?

[Pat B]

If you thin first before cutting out the profile the tips could be to thick.
You want the thickness to be about 1/8" at the crown at the fades and tapered to the tips but parallel thickness also works. Generally if the crown is 1/8" thick the widest you will be able to make the bow is 1 3/8" to 1 1/2".

[WhitefeatherFout]

I like to flatten the belly side first with an electric hand plane and use a rasp to square things up a bit during the process.  Once I have the belly side flat I layout the profile.  Like Pat said, this is critical to do before final thinning and tapering or you will end up with thick tips since the boo is crowned.  I like an 1/8 inch thick at the handle and fades tapering to nearly nothing at the tips.  If your boo is too thick it will cause the belly wood to fret in many cases.  Osage and Ipe seem to handle thicker boo better than hickory but I still like to keep it thin.  You're really only using a thin band of fibers to do the work needed.