Triming lams

[Tyler Langston]

I am making a 68" r/d longbow In shop and we have made our form and its only 1.75in wide and the lams and glass I have are 2in wide. Will It be ok to still put them on there like that since they will be hanging over the side and I am using the tire bands. Or do I need to trim them down to 1.75in. If so how would I trim the glass and lams down to get a straight 1.75in cut all the way down them?

[Dwillo]

Hey Tyler,

I'm no expert here but its my understanding that you want your lams to be the same width as the form. You could setup a fence on a band saw and trim them that way...but it will probably ruin the saw blade. You could also clamp the fiberglass between two boards 1.75" thick and use a belt sander to sand them down flush with the top of the boards. You could do it in sections, sand a couple feet then slide the fiberglass down between the boards and sand again. Just be sure to wear a respirator or at least a good mask and sand it outside if you can.

It seems that most builders are using 1.5"  lams for longbows and 1.75"-2" for recurves. Have you checked out the "Build Along" section here? Lots of great advice and instructions there.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

Dan

[pditto613]

Tyler, the lams need to be no wider than the form.  If it is wider than the form the pressure from the bands will cause the lams to bow.  Like DWillo, I think 1.75 is a little wide for a longbow.  It should work but your lam stack will not have to be as thick.  Make good notes on your thicknesses and widths so you know how to adjust later if needed.  The first bow off the form is an educated guess.

[Holm-Made]

The fiberglass can be cut to width by using a straight edge and a sharp utility knife.  Score the fiberglass a few times along the straight edge with the knife.  If it is UL glass you should be able to break it easily along the score line.  If it is ULS glass it will have scrim and you my have to score it several times.  You may need to change blades a couple times on the knife as well as the FB will dull it quickly.

The veneers I buy are wide and need to be trimmed.  I clamp a straight edge down on top of the lams tightly and use a SHARP utility knife as well.  I go slow and easy.  You should be able to clamp down the whole stack of lams and work your way down through them all.

Fiberglass can also be cut easily on a table saw.  Chad