Ok fellas, I took a hickory core 5/16th inch thick and tapered it to 1/4ch thick at the tip by using a power hand planer, but I bet a person could use a regular hand planer too.The core was 64 inches long.I divded the tapering sequence in three sections from the fades to the tip.Don't start tapering from the center of the handle.That gave me approximately three sections about 9 inches long.I glued a bow profiled bamboo backing on this core in a reflex/ deflex form with smooth on glue.I used Dean Torgues form but gave it a little less deflex in the handle.After that cured(24 hours) I glued a 12 inch handle to the bamboo backed core.Tillered it to the low 40's.Added gemsbok horn to the belly up the fade a ways towards the handle to the tip by putting it back on the form.I just wrapped it with inner tube tight and clamped it in the form.Remember to put saran wrap on first and I held it in place with masking tape prior to wrapping it with the inner tube.Made another now and you can expect to get 15 to 20 pounds from an 1/8 inch thick piece of horn.The horn I straighten before I cut it length wise on the band saw,with a heat gun in the vise.The flattening of the horn is done with the heat gun and the horn in the vise.To get width from the horn grind or sand the horn to 3/16th inch thick from the inside curvature of the horn.Less thickness of horn the easier to flatten.Grind or file or sand it flat and it's ready.No retillering is usually needed after the horn is glued on.Used smooth on for that too.Draws smooth and shoots about 10 to 15 fps faster than standard using a 10 gran arrow per 1 pound draw weight of bow.It's a little different type of work than making a self bow but I wanted to inhibit moisture to the hickory by adding the horn.
