Bamboo back/Belly/ sepele center. Help?

[leonwood]

Forgot to mention theat but I actually pre-bent the fades in the bamboo belly with dry heat before glue up.

[SteveT.]

I've been making these kind of bows for many years. For me ,I taper the core before gluing the bow together.This does not allow you to change the strength of the bow afterwards, but with experience you get to know what thickness of the taper will yield. I use the rope and wedge method to glue the bow and set the curves.
Steve

[SteveT.]

Here is a bow glued up and ready for the hot bow.

[SteveT.]

So, here is one of my Asian style longbows with Japanese style nocks and 5 curves over the 72 inch length. It's really amazing what you can do with a few pcs. of wood and bamboo.I use madake bamboo and various hardwoods to make the cores.The bow is 1 inch wide and is very stable because the core is laminated vertically instead of horizontally.Keep practicing and you'll be amazed too.
Steve Thomson

[SteveT.]

Sorry guys. Photobucket has disabled my photos. They were there last night and now gone.
Steve T.

[Msturm]

photo bucket is terrible. try imgur. no need to set up an account. just upload your pics and got to the little drop down arrow in the corner of the image and click get share links. Use the BBCode one on forums like this!  Thanks!   Best of luck and thank you for all of your help! 

Msturm

Since I had to upload a pic to be able to give you correct directions here is a Northern Lights pic taken in Alaska about a month ago.

[SteveT.]

Ok. I will try again using your suggestion. I've been making these bamboo bows for years, and use the rope and wedge method for gluing and setting curves.
I taper the core before ,and this will determine the strength of your bow.I make a template (the opposite of what you want to create) to make the taper as I run it thro. the planer.Usually about a 1/4 inch taper from riser to tip. This is a photo of what I glue together to make my Asiatic hybrid longbow.

[SteveT.]

Here is that bow now glued up and the curves set. Takes about an hour to glue and wrap and wedge the bow. I use G2 epoxy and have no problems with it. You can use a form and clamps or bands to do the same ,but this is the way I was taught, and make all my bows this way.

[SteveT.]

These are that bow all finished. 72 inches long and 1 inch wide tapered to 5/8" at the nocks.Japanese style nocks on these bows and rattan arrow pass and wraps. With a vertical laminated core of bamboo and wood, these bows are very stable even though they are very narrow.

[SteveT.]

Because these bows have no riser, they can take a longer draw.Very smooth and quiet and fast. So you can do something like this with a little practice.I'd encourage you to keep working at it.You'll be amazed what some bamboo and wood can make in the right hands. Let us know how you get along.Hope this helps.
Steve Thomson

[DC]

Could you please post a close-up of the Japanese nocks. I don't think I've seen one of them.

[SteveT.]

Here is one view of these nocks. I used osage for the static limb tip and then carved out the nock. Hope you like it.

[Msturm]

Wow those are stunning!  Thank you Steve!  My bamboo is 64in and my lam is 1/8th inch.  My plan is to taper it down to 1/16 at the ends and I am going to thin out the bamboo a bit on the belt sander just to even the belly up. The bamboo lams should still be around 1/8in. Any ideas on what I can expect for rough poundage? Im hoping for something in the low 40's at 29. I originally wanted a heavier weight but I don't think that is going to happen with a real skinny lam.
 I got enough materials to do a couple versions after this. Thanks for your pics and help.

Msturm

[PatM]

Remember you can flay with the profile/reflex to up the poundage.

[SteveT.]

You know, I have sometimes been astonished at how strong a bow turns out using certain pieces. And other times the opposite occurs.Just give it a try and see what happens. It's hard to tell what the yield will be from the wood, until you try it. Then you'll know that board. The other thing is the bamboo you use.As mentioned alternate the nodes, and you've tempered the belly so it will be quite strong.You can make it wider to start and then narrow it if the bow is too strong.But as I said before, there are limits.All the best.
Steve