Why did Boo splinter?

[Easternarcher]

I recently built this recurve bow....boo backed Ipe.
After much testing and shooting it at least a hundred shots,I gave it to it's new owner, an avid archer like many of us...
Now, It has lifted a splint in between nodes below the lower fade.!
I'm gun-shy now as he has waited too long already for this bow...Of courseI will build him a new one.
Any suggestions as to why? or how to prevent it in the future?

[Gordon]

Sometimes bamboo backing will splinter for no apparent reason. A couple of years ago I had 4 bows do that in a row. I ended up throwing that batch of bamboo slats in the recycling bin.

[mullet]

Hate to say it but it seems to be the nature of bamboo unless you get some Primo stuff. Maybe it was perfect for your draw length,the way you held the handle, his fingers were fatter than yours???

I had a James Parker, Ipe, Bamboo backed, R/D bow that I shot 200 times, then it lifted a splinter on the top limb. I talked to James and decided to sinew back it.

I super glued the splinter lift, sanded it smooth, then put two courses of sinew. After shooting it about 100 times the ipe fretted just past the handle area. Go figure?? Wrapped it, super glued the wrap, shot it and the other limb did the same thing in the same place.I wrapped it, super glued it, backed it with a water moccasin skin and it shoots 5# heavier and is one of my hunting bows this year.

James told me that if you get boo that is inferior the lams have a lot of problems, no matter what. 

[Easternarcher]

Is it possible that the boo was damaged when clamped at the tip of the power lam? I use rubber tubing to clamp thwe entire bow, but add a couple of extra clamps at the flimb and power lam transition.

Would I be better off to use good quartersawn hickory?

[mullet]

You could have damaged it, but it's hard to say with bamboo. Personally I'd rather use bamboo then hickory. just my preference.

[Easternarcher]

Without having it in hand I can't say for sure either, but it is being returned to me......I will replace it for him and I will attempt to repair...We'll see if it lives.

[blackhawk]

Use long thin slats of wood for pressure strips if you put any clamps on during glue up. Putting clamps directly on the boo during glue up can damage the power fibers in the boo. And not just a short wood shim either cus that just concentrates the forces in too small an area as well. I learned this from Roy Painter (Roy from pa on trade gang) cus he had that problem the first few boo bows he made and it was the cause of splinters.

[Easternarcher]

Use long thin slats of wood for pressure strips if you put any clamps on during glue up. Putting clamps directly on the boo during glue up can damage the power fibers in the boo. And not just a short wood shim either cus that just concentrates the forces in too small an area as well. I learned this from Roy Painter (Roy from pa on trade gang) cus he had that problem the first few boo bows he made and it was the cause of splinters.

Blackhawk, I used wood shims, but never had this trouble before. I'll need to re-think the process.

[blackhawk]

Was your shims a "hard wood"? Try using a soft wood,but u still need to be careful of clamping pressure.

[BowEd]

Easternarcher...I've wrapped every one of my bamboo backed bows with innertube[6 or so] and had one bow like mullet described.Kept wrapping and repairing etc. but it still is not a bow to me below the edge of failure sometime because of that bamboo.It is shooting though.Sometimes like Gordon said you can get a bad batch of bamboo.Most times it will start at the node where sometimes people take it down too far there and that's what I think I did to mine to have it splinter.Like blackhawk said you don't want to crush those outer fibers at all or even sand it down too far IMHO,but it goes to show you I did'nt use clamps on the one that splintered for me.I just get the rhine off it mostly to be able to get a stain to stay on good.Bamboo to me is a good thing especially the arrows I get from this tonkin stuff.

[adb]

For the very reasons discussed here, I don't make bows with bamboo anymore. Our climate is rather dry, and nearly every bow I've backed with bamboo has checked. When people look at the bows I've made them, and see the checking, they're horrified. I try to reassure them that it's nothing, but they're usually not convinced. Bamboo is also very labour intensive. Making something flat that begins round is a lot of work. These days, I much prefer making top quality backing strips from maple, ash, or hickory.

[Easternarcher]

For the very reasons discussed here, I don't make bows with bamboo anymore. Our climate is rather dry, and nearly every bow I've backed with bamboo has checked. When people look at the bows I've made them, and see the checking, they're horrified. I try to reassure them that it's nothing, but they're usually not convinced. Bamboo is also very labour intensive. Making something flat that begins round is a lot of work. These days, I much prefer making top quality backing strips from maple, ash, or hickory.

ADB, I'm doing that very thing next week...Got new blades for the bandsaw, so watch out ...I do believe I will do the next one in hickory or ash...