Apartment Bowyering - A 3pc build Along - With Full Draw

[LittleBen]

Originally posted by mikkekeswick:
The reason your lams aren't 'matching' after a while of the bow being made isn't because of the TBB3 and the water in it, it's because your wood still had excess moisture in it to start with pre-glueup.
I have to store my wood for years in a humidity/heat controlled space to get everything to true EMC. I've constantly been surprised as to just how long this actually takes.

I hear what you're saying but I'm not convinced. I never have the problem with smooth-on regardless of drying time for the lams and always do with TBIII. And these lams were all cut and tapered long prior to glue up. On the order of 6mo-1year in my apartment, possibly longer.
I think he only way to resolve the question would be to conduct a controlled experiment.

[Roy from Pa]

Smooth On is way superior than TBIII!

[takefive]

I use TB3 for glueing cherry bark backing on and it does raise the MC by a scary amount.  I did one last winter on elm that was at 7 % MC and it took a good five days in my drying box at 90 degrees to bring it down to 8 or 9 %.

[mikkekeswick]

Roy it's just different, I made hundreds of wood lam bows with TBB3 and never had a single problem. It requires slightly different prep to Smooth on but it will hold together any wood bow design if used correctly.
Littleben - no need to do experiments. Just contact Titebond, ask their tech staff and get a copy of the datasheet.
I always get the datasheet of any glue i intend to use. They are very, very useful!

[LittleBen]

I don't see how the data sheet is relevant here. The only question is if titebond significantly effects the MC of wood. Since it's water based, some of that water must necessarily get into the wood.
My experience has been that no matter how dry the lams are before glue up, if I use TBIII, the glued up limbs have a higher MC than before. Take five'so data seems to support that.

Im not saying it's bad glue, my original point was just that after gluing with TBIII, it would be wise to let the glue up dry out for a good long time if you expect it to get back to the desired MC.

[Jamman]

Hey LittleBen

   Working on a stick my self apartment work shop too it is a pain got to watch the noise and cant work too late. hand tools love em not too noisey and presise cuts lol. I have been buggin every one for plans or set up with no luck so far hope you could help me out. so your riser is 14" and limbs are 22.5" if i read your post right. I was wondering if you could send me template of your riser and limb specs and how did you taper them.
any thing you can pass on will be appreciated. I am building 1 money is tight 2 I love this stuff and learning new tec gets me fired up Lol

              Thanks bro

               The Jammer

[LittleBen]

Laminations for the limbs were tapered on a drum sander.

I don't have a template for the limbs, but the form is an arc of circle. I know because I recall drawing it onto the form. All indid was use a string and a pencil to draw an arc of the radius I wanted that would give me the deflex and reflex I wanted.