Phyllostachys aurea

[Tom Dulaney]

Dear hornbowyers,

Someone suggested to me that I should use bamboo as a core for a composite bow. I would like to know if you have ever used Phyllostachys aurea as a bamboo core. What little information I could find on it through google, indicated that it might not be the best material for bows and arrows: However I have access to very tall, straight trees. Do you have any experience with this bambo? It is sometimes called Chinese golden bamboo or fish pole bamboo.


Thank you for your advice.

[Pat B]

The golden bamboo around here rarely gets over 1" of so in diameter. I think it might be difficult to get a piece of it suitable for a horn bow core.

[mikekeswick]

You would want it about 4 - 5 inches in diameter and with a node to node spacing of at least the length of your working limb.

[gorazd]

I have a turkish bow in progress .... using bamboo as core.
Strip for core was cut from bamboo flooring board (10 mm thick board - vertical bamboo !! ).
My strip is 5mm thick and I have sanded it down to arround 2.5mm in the bending part of the limb. Before sinewing the bending part of the limb is arround 7,4mm thick .... (horn 5mm + core 2,4 mm)

5piece construction , where Siyahs are laminated (hide glue) from 5mm accacia wood (vertical grain) - strips are dry-heat bended before gluing to avoid much stress on glue line.
Handle section - acacia wood.

Some pictures right before sinew job ... will report next phases ...

[Limbit]

You could use moso bamboo if you are looking to get a core since moso is one of the few species that will actually grow thick enough to get a core lamination from and still retain some good bow properties. Tonkin is sort of the bamboo of choice for most bowers, but most of the tonkin I see growing doesn't get all that thick. Fine for a backing, but it might not be able to be planed down to a flat surface on both sides (if that is what you are intending to do). Of course, that is the Tonkin I am seeing growing here in Taiwan. There may be larger Tonkin available elsewhere. Heat-treating it would also be a worthwhile process for the bamboo core I think.

[joachimM]

I have a turkish bow in progress .... using bamboo as core
...
Some pictures right before sinew job ... will report next phases ...

Keep us posted on that one, and start a new thread for it. Looking good so far.

Now, what I find interesting is that the choice for core woods doesn't seem to be that important:
people either use elastic woods with low stiffness for their density and good compression properties (mulberry, osage, yew, ...), either stiff bamboo cores with much less compression properties, or something in between, like hard maple.

Doesn't this show that it doens't matter all that much?
For very elastic core woods, make the core a bit thicker, for very stiff cores, make it a bit thinner, to get the same net result.

just my thoughts
J

[mikekeswick]

Use what ever wood you want as long as it glues very well, steam bends excellently and is hard enough to withstand the impact of the string
Bamboo is flattened with heat not planed down flat.