Laminate English Bow Building Question

[vCo2v]

Thanks for everyone who urged me to make my own bow instead, but to start out.

Is 40$ a good price for a bamboo back and IPE belly Laminate?

Besides the Glue would i need a drawknife and/or scraper? or just sandpaper?

[sailordad]

boo/ipe   awesome combo there

$40 isnt bad at all,especially if it is already glued up, if it is not already glued up it tis still a decent price.

no draw knife needed, glue is inexpensive,you can just go get some tight bond II or tight bond III,just make sure the surfaces to be glued are smooth, and clean.
i use acitone to clean my glue surfaces with,there are other choices too.
i would get a scraper of some sort,ipe is a very hard dense wood,you might go thru a lot of sandpaper.
you can use a knife that has  a smooth blade,no serrations, as a scraper, they work quite well.
a string to use a long tillering string,parachute cord works for this.

dont be afraid to post pics and ask questions as you go,everyone here is willing to help you out so that you will have a better chance at making a first bow that will
work out,but like i said pictures are always best when asking q's,that way people can see what is going on and can give the best advise possible.

me,i have only been doing this about a year now. if it wasnt for all the good folk here i wouldnt have gotten this far as of yet,and probably would have broken
every bow i attempted to make, i still break them, it happens to the best on here so dont get discouraged and good luck to you,you made the right choice

                                                                               peace,
                                                                                      tim

[Justin Snyder]

If it is already roughed out you don't need a drawknife.  I only use a drawknife to chase a ring on heartwood.  For Ipe the best option is a scraper, it will really remove the wood.  You can get a good cabinet scraper for about $6. That and a little sandpaper will get you by just fine.  Justin

[Stonedog]

I am a fan of URAC 185 for Hickory backed Ipe.....but if it is below 70 degrees you will need to let it cure in an are 70 degrees or above.....

[Pat B]

Tite-Bond III works well for it.     Pat

[armymedic.2]

i second the titebond, and yeah that is a great price, now you can experiment and not be upset if something goes wrong.  you take your time and listen to these guys you will have a shooter in no time....ok thats a lie it takes me forever to final tiller a bow!

[sailordad]

i know exactly what you mean there armymedic.2

seems like i get them to floor tiller fairly quick,then it will takes months to finish it up.
i also seem to start the next one beofre the first is finished,some even get put to the back burner for awhile just because.

[vCo2v]

Hey Tim (If you don't mind me calling you that)

Why does it take so long to final tiller and not floor tiller? Is shaving it little by little that time consuming?

Thanks,
Codi

[sailordad]

for the most parts its just me.
i tend to get distracted with other aspects of life,i never work on a bow know what stage it is in if my mind isnt right.mentally i have to be into it
to do it and not f*@k it up.or i get busy trying to make arrows,whick havent been successful as of yet.
ot its this or that or the other thing, like i said if my mind isnt into i wont work on it.

i can usually get one from stave to floor tiller in a matter of a couple of hours,i use my band saw which helps immensly to get rid of unneeded wood,then its just
some elbow grease and my sureform to get it to floor tiller,scraping is fun with some woods,for me. others not so fun, so once again its a mind thing for me.

for some others they can make a bow start to finish in less time than it takes me to floor tiller,and they turn out awesome.

and no i dont mind ya calling me tim, i have been called much worse. even by the one that named me tim lol

                                                                       peace,
                                                                           tim

[vCo2v]

"i have been called much worse. even by the one that named me tim"

Oh man I laughed so hard for some odd reason. Has to be the joke of the day for me.

Thanks for the help Tim I appreciate it a lot,

Can't wait to start on it

[Shooter_G22]

i would sugest getting a tiller stand or tiller tree made up befor attempting to tiller with out it...  i have only produced a couple of bows since i got registered to this site and i still havent made a tiller tree but i am determinded not to attempt another bow befor i get a tiller stand made...  these guys on here make tillering look easy and i believe that if you can draw it back and step back away from it and look at it it will go alot smoother for you...   i have had a hard time trying to learn how to tiller...
   but im a nucklehead and when i get motovated or get the bow fever i dont realize i should stop trying to craft a bow and get the right stuff first...   

thats why i havent made another bow yet,  but i have been working on other stuff,  as to trying differant arrow materials and leather work and tradepoints,  knapping and everything inbetween..

welcome to the most addicitng thing on earth...

i think this PA was like  crack of the stone age...!!!!   ;   ;

sooner or later you will find yourself at work wanting to figure out a way to get off early sooo you can rush home and work on your projects...   and then you will never be able to look at a tree or forest with out thinking will that tree make a bow or is that branch on the side of the road a potential stave..  hell sooner or later you'll be looking at rocks in the gardens of you local restaruant thinkin can i knap a point out of this,lol...   not to mention birds will no longer be birds you will see them as only potential flethings... 
not to mention every bush or shrub and seeing the small thin shoots as arrows..

well i dont know what being on crack is like but i would imagine if they say its really addicting than i can only associate it to primitive archery...lol...   yup P A  is my "crack"
welcome a board....

[vCo2v]

Lmao  haha

You've just described whats starting to manifest in me.

I'm at work spending time reading about bows while trying to meet quota at the same time.

Its so addictive looking and reading about woodbows

[sailordad]

that kit that the link was for caome with a tiller stick,tiller string,scraper,bow string and the floor tillerd stave.
everything you need to make a bow

[Pat B]

Like Tim, most of us have a few projects in the works and are dealing with real life situations that take priority. I have bows that I started years ago and not completed yet. At the time something happened that caused a mental block(or whatever) and that project was put aside. Occasionally I'll pull one of them out and complete it and wonder why I didn't before. 
  When working with wood bows and primitive archery in general, patience is your best tool and knowing when to put it down and walk away is #2.  vCO2v, I know you are eager to complete a bow or at least have a bow to shoot. We have all been there!...some of us still feel that way but patience and self control will get you there quicker and more successfully than not.
    You are fortunate to have the PA resource to lean on and our mistakes and screw-ups to learn from and avoid. Most of us had only our own imaginations to work with until PA hit the airways. Take advantage of the world wide knowledge and before you know it you will be explaining the same thoughts to others.
   Good luck on your primitive archery adventure. You have the best of the best to help you through.
    Pat