All Bamboo bow node spacing

[jhmonaghan]

Thanks for the advice and comment...     While new here... I like making a post that makes people want to "talk"

As I've a number of pieces of bamboo, I've planed first two picked at random, picking two more where nodes match almost exactly, and two more where node spacing offset is biggest...  They're all starting at 2" wide . 

Gotta buy some more epoxy...

If there are results worth describing - good or bad - I'll post to this thread

Regards...

Jeff

[jhmonaghan]

Me again...  If my "hey, let's go ride our bikes" posts are annoying...  please say so...   customs differ, forum to forum....

This undertaking (all bamboo bow) is becoming interesting...  I'm trying to constrain my "tools" to conform to a primitive technology level...  Except for the glue...  A natural adhesive in the context of a laminated bow is more than I care to contemplate just about now....  glue will be epoxy...  (opinions on glue are most welcome)

Using drawknife / broken glass scraper / edged knife...  I cheat... I use a mill bastard file for sharpening drawknife, 400 carborundum for the glass scraper and edged knife... 

I'd like a ruling from the room here...

Are Surform blades just a convenient "scraper"?  They sure do remove material....

I'm obviously nuts... 

Make the parts by whatever means  (I've promised myself "no bandsaw" )...

Build the bow, and see what happens...  glue is cheap....  bamboo staves are cheap

Anybody know where I can get a cheap used lightweight table top band saw?   HAH!!!

[james parker]

with a boo back and belly it is easier to tiller if the joints are offset from back to belly.. tillering from the edges only, if the joints are matched you will encounter faceting of the limbs,very apparent when the bow is strung and looking down the edge of the bow.then the bow will have to be tillered from the belly and through the nodes,that will be most aggravating and will drop the # fast... as long as the joints are offset it really doesent matter where they are placed through the limbs,but it will look a lot better if they centered and evenly spaced as much as possible. ive made bows like these with as many as 16 joints in the limbs and as little as  5 to 6 joints in the limbs ( one side only)sometimes you can get a better offset by turning one boo strip upsidedown from the direction that it grows.......also 95% of the tiller is in the core itself. if the the boo strips are made right they will only mirror image the core itself when glued up and at the brace of the bow..in reality the boo strips are only a veneer and will follow what they are glued to...  hope this can help you out.....james