Softwood belly for ELB laminate?

[TheDukesArchers]

I've just finished making a single growth ring hickory backing from a stave that wasn't big enough to become a self bow. I was thinking of maybe making a double laminate longbow, though I tend to shy away from making laminates as a lot of belly woods are too strong and time consuming for basic hand tools.

I can work wood like yew fairly easily as it is soft to carve, softer than Osage for instance(never again!) Are their any possible belly woods I could use in the conifer family, so in that they have a low specific gravity?

I've been thinking of maybe juniper or cedar as a belly wood for this hickory backing?

Basically something that is easy to work with hand tools, kind of like yew. The hickory I made into a backng was only half an inch thick, and that even took an age to get to 1/4.

[Hrothgar]

I don't make laminate bows, but have backed a few mulberry bows with a hickory strip. There are a couple archery suppliers here in the states who sell DIY bow kits with hickory as a backing material and core wood options of cherry, cedar or even hickory. Your challenge will be thinning the hickory backing down to 3/8 or 1/4 of an inch, otherwise it will overpower the belly wood.

[Pat B]

Yew is compression strong and will work as a belly lam with hickory backing but I don't know of any other soft wood I use as a belly.

[wizardgoat]

Juniper is so compression strong, im sure it would make a good belly.
id be worried about a thick hickory back over powering the belly though.
im working on my first hard backed bow, hickory backed yew

[TheDukesArchers]

I may try jumiper or eastern red cedar. Would like to make a yew backed bow, but yew wood is expensive and have just bought a stave for a self bow.

Need a belly that can be worked with hand tools, so low specific gravity like yew.

Will work on the backing a little more

[DavidV]

What tools are you using that can't work osage? It seems to respond to the drawknife and planes pretty well to me, better than hard maple even.

Id say juniper would be a good belly or even cherry if you keep your backing real thin.

[Joec123able]

What tools are you using that can't work osage? It seems to respond to the drawknife and planes pretty well to me, better than hard maple even.

Id say juniper would be a good belly or even cherry if you keep your backing real thin.

I agree Osage works good with hand tools.

[TheDukesArchers]

My drawk knife is the other side of the Atlantic.

I have knife, scrapers, plane and files. I find yew is quite nice and soft, though too expensive. I need something like yew to take the hickory backing. Wil make the hickory backing nice and thing, or maybe even buy a bamboo backing.



I think a bamboo backed juniper english longbow would look quite nice

[DC]

That would be a BBERCELB

[PatM]

Most of us are probably using hand tools regardless of what our wood choices are.

[TheDukesArchers]

Ok, go glue up a warbow laminate stave and cut out the rough dimensions of the back and belly using a hand saw.

Tell me how long it takes you?.

[bubbles]

Much faster to use a small hatchet to rough out the stave rather than a handsaw.  Just be careful.

[GB]

I have one of those small job site table saws.  It's about 2' square, cost about $250 and has more than enough power to cut lams from any hardwood.  Between that and a heavy duty hand held jigsaw, I've found that I can get by without a bandsaw.
Good luck with your bow.