All bamboo bow

[Jah-army-glows-bright]

I do alot of working with bamboo but it seems either over complicated or over simplified. I would like an all ( or mostly ) bamboo bow that isn't a bundle bow or a laminate. I read somewhere to cut progressively shorter flat pieces with the rind for a backing and glueing, shaving, and sanding the edges down on the belly. I would also like to add some recurve. Is that possible with bamboo?

[bubby]

by glueing them together you are making a laminate

[Jah-army-glows-bright]

I'm quite aware. I never said laminate was out of the question I said I would prefer not to. I gave that example because its the only design I've found that I didn't hate even though I didn't particularly love it.

[adb]

Not sure how you'd make a decent all bamboo bow of any substantial draw weight without laminating it... either to itself or some other material. Bamboo is an excellent backing if you're interested. It's not the backing of choice for me, but it does work.

[Pat B]

There have been a few all bamboo bows articles in older Primitive Archer Magazines. Do a search. One that comes to mind was about a soldier after WWII that was stationed in Japan had a Japanese bowyer there build him an American Longbow from laminated bamboo.
 I seem to also remember one of our members from Germany or that vicinity building an all bamboo bow but I can't remember who.
 I've seen cable backed bamboo bows that were just a split off of a large bamboo culm and cut out in a bow shape. The webbing inside the culm at the nodes were used as bridges for the cable backing(inside of the culm was the back of the bow) and the outside of the culm, the rind side was the belly.

[bushboy]

Dragonman made one a while back.

[ErictheViking]

do a google search for "bhutanese bows" look at the images.
http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/reply/255498#.UyDUBT9dW-k 

[Jah-army-glows-bright]

I like the Bhutanese design and I think I could do some fun and creative things with it. However I'm not sure that the species (hell if I know a name for it) would make a bow with enough draw weight for anything outside of a toy for children. Split one of my larger shoots awhile back, tied a small pine handle, and shot a few arrows around the yard. Maaaybe 15-20 pounds. So if I were to take a similar size piece and try the Bhutanese design but it wold be a plaything, IDE like something with a bit more punch. Hopefully ill get some nice 6-8 in dia shoots and be able to make something stronger but as of now I have 2-3" dia and maybe 1/4" wall thickness.

[Pat B]

What type of bamboo do you have available? Some of the larger varieties of timber bamboo can be 6" to 8" in diameter and have walls an inch or so thick. You also have to use mature culms to get the stronger material to use for bows.
If you laminate you can make any mature boo work..

[adb]

Just wondering why you want all bamboo? Is that the only bow making material you have access to, or is it just a design that interests you?

I know James Parker has made some excellent all bamboo bows, but they're laminated, using the bamboo for back & belly.

[KenH]

A solid bamboo "self bow" is relatively easy to make.  You do need 'serious' bamboo, however, not a 2" culm from a backyard or garden shop.  Start with a 1.5" or 1.75" bamboo 'slat', 6 ft long (cost $3-$5).  It will be 3/8" to 1/2" thick at the crown of the curve and mostly flat on the other side.  The rounded natural outside of the slat will become the belly of the bow.  Yes - the belly.  The flat side becomes the back.  DO NOT sand away the 'skin' or the ridges on the belly.  Keep the belly inviolate.

Recurves and/or reflex can be added during the heat treating phase -- Step 7.

1.  From a 6 ft slat, mark out 56"-58" with the ridges equally spaced and cut to length
2. Sand the flat side truly flat -- no concave places left.  The slat should still be in excess of 1/4" thick.
3.  On the flat side, mark a 4" long center handle area and 1.5" marks beyond that, for fades.  Also mark a centerline down the length, and 1/2" wide tips at the ends. 
4.  Draw lines from the 4" long handle to the 1/2" wide tips.
5.  Use a belt sander, draw knife, or other tool to taper the limbs.  Exactly as you would a pyramid bow, but without an indented handle.  If the handle is 1.75" wide and too much for your hand, reduce that width to 1.5"
6.  Either file side nocks at the tips, or (my preference) glue thick tip overlays of hard wood onto the back and file string grooves on the overlays.
7.  Using a heat gun, held 6-8" away, toast the rounded belly (yes the belly) of the bow to a nice even brown color.
8.  Using a tillering tree and a bastard string, start tillering by sanding the back (yes the back) of the bow to get a nice even segment of a circle (not a parabola) profile and the draw weight @ draw length you prefer.  Leave the handle full thickness  and work into the fades.
9.  Make a "good string" or have someone make one of the correct size for you.
10.  Finish with a couple nice coats of Helmsman Spar Varnish.

Pictures to come.  Don't have any of the last one I made.  Will be starting another next week.

[Springbuck]

Jah, sorry if this is an old post, but bamboo retailers here in the states sell some varieties of very dense bamboo with thick walls.  The species I know of are called Tre Gai, and simply"tropical" bamboo.  The only troubl;e is they tend to be small diameter, up to 3" max.