Bamboo back & belly bow with arrows.

[SteveT.]

Recently finished a set of bamboo arrows and a new hybrid longbow. The bow has a composite core of 3 lams of tempered bamboo and bubinga. It's 72 inches long and has some of the features that a Japanese Yumi would have. Back and belly are bamboo, and the belly is tempered to add a bit more performance.

[SteveT.]

Here is just another angle to show the profile. I really like these bows, as they are very smooth to shoot, fast and quiet. Because they will bend through the handle, this bow can take a longer draw. Only 1" wide and tapered to 5/8" at the nocks.

[SteveT.]

I use leather dye applied to the bamboo after it's scraped.Then use a splatter technique to get the random pattern on the limbs.

[SteveT.]

I still struggle to get the bamboo shafts straight, as I'm sure a lot of you do. Instead of putting an insert into the shaft for a nock, I just cut a groove out at a node, and then wrap it for some added strength. Very seldom does one break, and it much less time consuming this way.Shafts are scraped and dyed and then I have used spar varnish as a finish.

[Pat B]

Nice set. I can see the Yumi influence in the side profile. Can we see an unbraced and full draw pic, too?   

[SteveT.]

So, I use the rope and wedge method to build these bows. I use this for all the different bows I make, and it works very well. It takes a bit of practice, but is a very old traditional method of bow making. I forgot to mention that the core is tapered before the glue-up, and depending on the thickness of the taper and the materials used, (ex. more or less dense wood and bamboo lams) I can usually get within 5 lbs. of my desired draw wt. There is not much you can do to alter the strength of the bow once it is glued together. I use G2 epoxy as a glue which gives a long enough working time. Hope you find this interesting.
Steve Thomson.

[SteveT.]

This a different bow, but the same style as the one above.

[SteveT.]

Here is the way it looks when I glue up a bow like this, with all the wedges and rope. It also shows you the unbraced profile you wanted.

[upstatenybowyer]

Very unique and beautiful work. 

[ntvbowyer1969]

very nice bow.alot of work into that one.thx for showing how you used those wedges for glue up.

[joachimM]

thanks for sharing, very nice work indeed! Looking forward to see more of your work.

[BowEd]

Very interesting and nice work.Thanks for sharing.

[willie]

Quite nice, Steve. That level of workmanship must be a labor of love.
A few close-ups of your arrows would be appreciated. 

[ohma2]

Looks to be very fine craftmanship,realy like the looks of the arrows.i really like bamboo shafts but i always had to buy so many to get a matched set.have to say that they are the best shooting arrows i ever made and shot.

[Limbit]

You should do a build along for one of these. I've seen traditional Japanese bowmakers using the same methods. Super cool and a great looking piece of art.