Badger: I had it in my head that you used to make a l;ot of bamboo-backed massaranduba bows.
But yeah, ipe is a bit stiffer than bulletwood, but if you haven't used either, bulletwood is PLENTY stiff and strong. I love it, but can't buy it readily, and tho I have gotten some great stuff off of Ebay, you can't see the grain at all in pics. Ipe is the same way. Trouble getting wood without serious grain run-off back to front is what got me making more selfbows. I used to lust after beautiful tropicals, but had too many bows slip-fracture on the belly under compression.
Pat does cool work. I have never splices a siyah like this, and I want to try it, too. I usually thin the tip of the bow by tapering and then reinforce the belly side with overlaid slats.
Pat: How is that elm backing made? Did you actually slice the top layer off a log, leaving the back just like a self bow back, or is it from a board?
