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Author Topic: Bamboo backed birch  (Read 3436 times)

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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Bamboo backed birch
« on: February 21, 2012, 12:30:12 am »
Hey guys,

I'm working an a bamboo backed birch plain old bow.  I glued in some reflex into the whole thing.  I was wondering if a flat bow or the rounded ELB sort of cross section would work best.  It's 70" tip to tip.

I used a piece of verticaly split bamboo.  I hate to waste teh strip so I'm covering it with faux copperhead.

Anyway I envision a mini ELB.  My hope is that the string follow will leave me straight.

Or should I aim for a flat bow?  I've had excelent luck with hickory flat bows in ELB proportions.  Quick little bows to put togeather and people seem to snap them up.
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Offline Ringeck85

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Re: Bamboo backed birch
« Reply #1 on: February 21, 2012, 01:21:24 am »
I haven't heard of birch being used for a longbow wood (though I think it was used in horn-sinew-wood composites like those that the Mongols made? or was that another wood. . .); I say go for it!
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"It is how we choose what we do, and how we approach it, that determines whether the sum of our days adds up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art."
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Offline adb

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Re: Bamboo backed birch
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2012, 09:23:12 pm »
Birch works as bow wood, and I've used it, but it needs to be wide and flat.
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: Bamboo backed birch
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2012, 02:48:37 am »
Thanks,

I decided I was being lazy and I'll split the backing off and give it a go with a different design.  Skinny and flat not as good.  Pluss I got in a hurry and gave it a hinge.  Hickory is a dream to work for tillering.  hard to screw it up.
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Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Bamboo backed birch
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2012, 03:20:09 pm »
Blimey, I'd think the boo would overpower the birch big time... but hey, until you try it who knows.
Del
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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Re: Bamboo backed birch
« Reply #5 on: March 20, 2012, 02:36:46 am »
I managed to allow poor planing to screw try # two of the bow.  Last time this happened I wound up with a great littl hybrid bow.

As it is I have a 70" bow that is 4 laminations, ending in Ipe and recurved tips.  Have no idea what it will be but I'm pretty sure it will shoot.
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