bamboo

[Mad Max]

can you heat or steam bend bamboo core laminations

[NeolithicMan]

yes, i saw a special on korean bow making and the master bowyer used a pot full of coals with a screen cover and bent the boo in a special jig. i use steam for all my wood bending so far, feels a little safer. maybe there was steam being used in the before mentioned special, i just didnt not see any when i was watching.

[huisme]

Yep, quite safely in fact.

[Mad Max]

bamboo lams are glued / epoxyed or something
I am worried they will come apart
I have a 6" radius on my recurves form and my bamboos are .110 thick
do they need to be heat bent       or just glue them up

[BowEd]

That's less than an 1/8"thick,but that's a tight radius to conform to.You might need to thin that some yet.I'm not totally into laminated bows but have done 8 or 10 bamboo backed bows and I think you should be able to get that to bond if wrapped really tight with innertube.

[echatham]

just a data point for you,  the other day a friend of mine boiled a piece of bamboo and osage clamped together for about 15 minutes, then bent 60 degree recurves  in them together.  the osage held virtually all of the 60 degrees, and the bamboo held about40 degrees or so.   i imagine at glue up, the bamboo will conform to the osage.

[Mad Max]

POOR FOLK BOWS has a build along where he has .140 tappered and .102  paralell lams (bamboo)
he heat bends the bamboo backing (with nodes) but not the lams and bends and glues to a 6 1/2" radius (for the tips)

[crooketarrow]

  You can't beed the boo after it's been glued up.
  The heat will make it come apart.

[bushboy]

If you clamp the boo to the recurve and mildly dry heat,it makes for a better fit.try to keep the nodes away from the apex of the bend.

[dragonman]

if you can squash the bamboo into the form by hand without straining, then the epoxy will hold it...  no problem, if you glue and clamp it properly

[Mad Max]

  You can't beed the boo after it's been glued up.
  The heat will make it come apart.

I was wanting to pre bend (heat) befor glue up

If you clamp the boo to the recurve and mildly dry heat,it makes for a better fit.try to keep the nodes away from the apex of the bend.

   Bamboo laminations (no nodes)

if you can squash the bamboo into the form by hand without straining, then the epoxy will hold it...  no problem, if you glue and clamp it properly

  i'am scared they will break if i squash them into the form

[Mad Max]

That's less than an 1/8"thick,but that's a tight radius to conform to.You might need to thin that some yet.I'm not totally into laminated bows but have done 8 or 10 bamboo backed bows and I think you should be able to get that to bond if wrapped really tight with innertube.

I reduced my lam to .070 and added one more,   the glue up went fine
I am going to take it out of the form monday.