What to do with these blanks

[robA72]

Hey everyone,
I am struggling with the red oak board bows so I thought I would ask for some advice on a different project.
I bought these two bamboo backed hickory staves and have been holding off on working on them. I wanted to get good at the red oak before moving on to a more quality wood. But I'm wondering if I'm just being a coward and need to get started on this. My question is, do I start work on these blanks the same as I would a red oak board? Will my ferrier's rasp and spoke shave be enough? And how do I lay these out to aim for a 45-50# draw on the big one and a 25-30# on the short one?
The big one is 69"x1.5". It is 3/4" thick at the fades and 1/4 @ tips. The short one is 59" x 1.25" and 1/2"@ fades down to 1/4" at the tips.
 http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag138/robA72/bbhblanks_zpscd393e31.jpg

 http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag138/robA72/bbhblank_zps7f20b150.jpg

[John Scifres]

I would just leave them both their current widths to midlimb and taper to 1/2" at the nocks and then start tillering.

[robA72]

John, any guess on what kind of draw weight I would get if I did that? And would I use my rasp and shave to taper them?

[John Scifres]

You can certainly tiller it to the weights you mention.

[Eric Krewson]

Who ever glued those blanks up didn't do it right. Your bamboo is going to be seriously thick at the tips if it is full width the length of the blank.

[robA72]

Originally posted by Eric Krewson:
Who ever glued those blanks up didn't do it right. Your bamboo is going to be seriously thick at the tips if it is full width the length of the blank.

Eric,
I wondered about this when they arrived in the mail. I called the dealer and he assured me the blanks would make great bows and he's never had a problem with them.
It is full width for the entire length. Any thing I should do before I get started to avoid even further depression?

[macbow]

I agree with Eric, not what I'd do.
If your spoke shave is set for very thin shavings it may work.
The rasp and a sharp cabinet scraper would be a better tillering tool choice.

[John Scifres]

Push fear and depression aside.  Make the bow.  

When you tiller, leave the last 6" or so stiff.  If the bamboo is thinned properly, or better yet tapered, then you won't have a problem making a good bow.

[Eric Krewson]

You can probably make a fine bow from the blanks.

If you drop the poundage very low you will have what I call a hickory bellied bamboo bow, mostly bamboo with just a little hickory on the belly.

I have seen similar blanks for sale at shoots for big money. The guys selling them can crank them out much faster if they don't take the time to taper the bamboo. Unsuspecting newbies buy them. They make an OK bow but won't come close in performance to a properly prepared bamboo backed blank.

I just happen to be preparing a BBO blank for a friend today, my bamboo is around 1/16" thick at the tips after the glue up.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Hickory being your friend and boo being your foe, both will compliment each other. If you tiller then right it will make a nice bow. Don't be scared, you have 2 to play with. If the # doesn't come out right then make that one a kids bow and make the next one an adult's bow.

[robA72]

Hey guys,
I started working on these blanks. I tapered the width starting at midlimb down to 1/2"tips as you suggested. I have my marks to leave the last 6" of the tips stiff.
I'm starting the tillering process now but had a question. With a bbh board, do I round the corners of the belly and/or back like an unbacked board bow?
Or do I leave them squared?
Thanks again.
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[John Scifres]

I'd round them some.

[robA72]

round both the back and belly?

[John Scifres]

Don't worry about the belly until you are done tillering.  Then slightly round the corners.

[macbow]

I usually slightly round all corners. As the tillering progresses I round the edges of the belly as needed.
Main reason is if there is grain run  out and there is, it's less likely to catch the edge and raise a splinter.