?? on lam bows

[Skeaterbait]

Do laminate bows have to have a tapered lam or can they all be paralell?

[Mark Smeltzer]

I asume you are talking an all wood lam bow.  I have done both ways and a mixture of both. If you use all paralell lams you will just pass through one lam and into the next lam while while removing wood from the belly.  I like to use tapers for the mid lams and paralell for the belly.  If you are talking FG bows that a different story and more suited for a different forum.
Just how I do it,  I know other do it differently.

Mark

[snedeker]

A tri-lam can be done in a scenario with three untapered lams, lets say a 1/8 backing strip, a 1/8 central lam, and a 7/16 belly lam and you won't tiller through any of the lams.

Dave

[Justin Snyder]

Dave is right. You won't get through the belly on that one. If you use a constant taper in width from the fades to the tips it is practically tillered when you get it glued up. You don't really need to thickness taper the lams. Justin

[Mark Smeltzer]

True, If you adjust the thickness of the lams you can keep from going through to the next one.  I do put a thicker lam on the belly, just like Dave said.
I have made a few where I wanted to go into the next lam.  Glue line fading and contrasting with the wood can look pretty cool.
Mark

[Justin Snyder]

Mark, I have been known to go through a lam on purpose, but you have to be real carefull because you can get fretting right before it ends.  You can also get some creaping in the glue joint at times. I will still do it, but I dont' recomend it for someone who is scared to break a bow.  Justin

[Mark Smeltzer]

Justin,
You are right, it is a little tricky.  I have messed up a couple of bows tring it.  Some of my glued lam bows are pretty extreme R/D and it makes tillering the limbs much harder.  Staying in one lam on the belly makes for a more stable tillering process.
Mark

[Mark Smeltzer]

Here is one that passes through to the next lam.
Mark

[Skeaterbait]

Thanks guys. Yes I am talking all wood.