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Author Topic: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.  (Read 5881 times)

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Offline JoJoDapyro

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Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« on: September 21, 2015, 03:35:43 pm »
I am going to start the bamboo backed purpleheart I have had in the "Planning" stage for almost a year. Who can help me out with dimensions? Thanks in advance. I came down with bowitis this weekend again.
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If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.

Offline paulsemp

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2015, 04:18:33 pm »
I'd save the Purple Heart for handles, tips or core. I tried with two of them and I wish I would have just use the $5 maple board
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Offline JoJoDapyro

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2015, 04:53:16 pm »
I have a lot, and it is burning a hole in my shop. I don't have a whole lot of anything else.
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If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.

Offline Pat B

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2015, 05:27:11 pm »
Purple heart frets easily so work it carefully and slowly. I have no idea about dimensions.
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Offline bowandarrow473

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2015, 08:48:14 pm »
Since purpleheart frets easily I would do a longer design as opposed to a shorter one.
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Limbit

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2015, 08:49:46 pm »
If you don't have clean grain line on the purple heart, it will be very difficult to keep it from fretting. The issue is, it will need a wide belly to handle compression issues the wood has, but in turn, you will be making a very heavy and slow bow because purple heart is heavy stuff. If you make a tri-lam out of it and put Ipe on the belly with purple heart for a core and bamboo for the backing, you can thin it up nicely and have an amazingly beautiful and functional bow. I've made several reflex/deflex bows like this and they look and work great. Just be sure to wash the wood well in alcohol or acetone (maybe 4-6 times) first and if using epoxy, score it well with a razor before glue up or the Ipe and purple heart might not stick long term.  Don't make the mistake of wasting your time trying to work it out on the belly...although it is possible. There were a few men on Paleo Planet who made a purple heart ELB with a bamboo backing. It was like 190cm long and the wood was exceptionally straight grained. Surprising, but it is doable.
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Offline mullet

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2015, 10:18:32 pm »
Also, Purple heart will turn just as black as Osage and there goes your pretty part.
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Offline jeffp51

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2015, 11:06:55 pm »
my trade bow has a purpleheart core.  It looks awesome.  something to think about
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Offline Badger

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2015, 11:21:46 pm »
  I had a bunch of purple heart several years ago so made all kinds of bows from it. I will say I had a low success ratio. Nearly all of them chrysaled or were heavy and sluggish. I did have one little short flatbow backed with hickory that was a barn burner, not sure why that one worked.
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Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2015, 06:56:03 am »
Soooooooooo, what are you guys trying to say? Make it wide and long? :)

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Offline JoJoDapyro

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2015, 10:09:36 am »
 :-\ Lots of down votes I see. With this one i want to take a good 5 steps back and hopefully work through some issues I have faced in the past. First is taking advice. I want to learn from what others have done in the past and make my work better. I know i can take a pile of wood and throw together something ok, but I want a step past where I have been ending up. Baby steps if you will. With a limited supply of wood it is tough to turn out consistent quality. I have Black Locust, I have Siberian Elm (untested by the elite if you will. I am planning on getting some service berry, but that will have to season for quite some time. Any recomendations would be very welcome.

Joe
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If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.

Offline LittleBen

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2015, 12:18:14 pm »
Recommendations: (respectfully)

1) buy Ipe. I've bought several 2x4x10' boards for about $60 a piece. That's alot of bows in there. Probably close to ten. Obviously there are other choices, but honestly when you consider how little Ipe you need for one bow, it's pretty economical. Especially compared to the fortune they're asking for osage boards. Depending on where you live you might find osage boards relatively cheap on Craigslist. I bought about 15bdft of super clean osage for around $150, it just took a while waiting to find/negotiate the right deal. Think about it: 25 bamboo slats 1.75" x 6' will run you $100, you'll have at least 10-15 good slats. 1 2x4x10' ipe .... $60, which will yield 6 pieces of ipe .5" x 1.5" x 6', and 6 slats to be spliced of .5" x 1.5" x 4'. so we're talking $16/ bow plus glue. That assumes .100" saw kerf.
It's not worth wasting time on crap wood unless you're into experimentation.

2) move on from the purple heart. People have done it, and anything is possible, but if you have to ask the question then the answer is "no" it won't work.
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Offline bubby

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #12 on: September 22, 2015, 01:44:52 pm »
Joe go 68" ttt 2" wide at the fades straight taper to 3/8" tips the pyramid design should evenly stress the wood use maple backer and glue up flat, then cut limb thickness at 7/16" like in my board bow build and trap the back
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Offline wildwills

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2015, 02:15:24 pm »
I made one for a friend's wife a little while back...came out real nice, http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,40861.msg545815.html#msg545815

Got lucky with the tiller and dimension and not having at fretting on the belly.
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Offline JoJoDapyro

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Re: Bamboo backed Purpleheart.
« Reply #14 on: September 22, 2015, 02:31:55 pm »
Quote from: wildwills on September 22, 2015, 02:15:24 pm
I made one for a friend's wife a little while back...came out real nice, http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,40861.msg545815.html#msg545815

Got lucky with the tiller and dimension and not having at fretting on the belly.
Yours is one of a few I have found. Warpath also made one. i know it is possible, I know it will test me. We'll see how it goes.
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If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got.
27 inch draw, right handed. Bow building and Knapping.
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