Bamboo backing advice needed

[TolkienFan]

So, I found some good Bamboo shoots and , have access to a lot of Bamboo. I have scoured youtube on how to prep them before backing, but the only videos showed people gluing them, which seems the simplest part, or prepping with power tools. I don't use power tools and wondered if people had tips for prepping with only hand tools? 

Also, I have no clue how to be sure when your bamboo is ready to be used.  It is so different from other woods.  Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated!

[bushboy]

I have used a draw knife and Bastard file before.just make sure you clamp it on a node, other wise it will likely crack.

[bushboy]

And wear leather gloves,nothing will slice you open like bamboo!

[Pat B]

How big around are your boo poles?

[bubby]

Use a hand plane, i use a power plane to prep mine, i take it down close to a knife edge cut out the profile and then reduce it so the edge is almost a knife edge then sand with 36 grit just to ruff it up

[DC]

When you're planing it how do you support it between the nodes? I was playing with a piece the other day and it looked like it was taking more off the nodes because in between the nodes the boo would back away from the blade.

[bubby]

I don't but the spacing on mine isn't that wide

[Dances with squirrels]

I support it between the nodes with pieces of 1/8" thick rubber. I reduce it on the jointer first,(wouldn't have to) then do the rubber trick and take it the rest of the way with a toothing plane. While working with the toothing plane, it's clamped on the very end only, to keep it from sliding, and I always work away from the clamp.

[TolkienFan]

How big around are your boo poles?

3-5 inch diameter.

[TolkienFan]

Thanks for the help guys. How thin do you take it? Is there still a little bit of a radius on it and do you match that radius on the back of the bow? Or do you have to get it completely flat?

[bubby]

Flat

[KS51]

I've done a number of boo backed bows with hand tools and I find it is a 2 stage process.  Assuming you have dried slats to start with. I use a 2x4  on edge and clamp the slat and the 2x4 down on the edge of my bench. Then I use a flexcut curved drawknife to shave the surface down to mostly flat.  The low angle and bent handles of the flexcut allows for good control of fiber removal. Then I use a shinto rasp or microplane to generally smooth it out.  This usually gives me a slat around 1-1/2 wide and about 1/16 thick at the edges.

Step 2 happens after I do the rough out of the belly wood.  I take the prepped belly wood and center and trace onto the boo.  Then I'll screw the 2x4 to my bench and clamp the boo to the side of the 2x4.  This lets me use a block plane to shape the boo to within a 1/16 of the belly wood  size.  Then I have to use the drawknife and rasp again until the edges of the boo are again about 1/16 thick and it is smooth.  A block sander with 100 grit is my last step for the glue  surface. 

A long strip of foam carpet backing can be used to help in letting the boo nodes press flat while rasping or sanding.  It is non-skid as well.

Thats my original handtool method.  The only thing I've changed over time is adding a 4x36 belt sander for final surface prep.

Ken

PS Boo will cut you open real good if you aren't careful.  Boo splinters hurt like hell too.

[Pat B]

1/8" at the crown at the handle and either flat to the tips or thickness tapered to 1/16" at the tips  With 3" to 5" boo backings thinned to the above thicknesses your bows will have to be pretty narrow. Trapping the belly will give you a little more width.

[TolkienFan]

What do you mean by "trapping the belly"?

[Pat B]

Making the cross section of the belly a trapezoidal shape with the belly wider than the back.