Tri-lam or --------

[Dale in Pa]

Yesterday I received a used James Parker longbow in the mail. What a neat, fun little bow. It's got a bamboo back and belly, and what looks to be a walnut core surrounded by,looks like padauk lams.

My question is, I've seen a lot of tri-lam bows and build alongs, but never any with 5 total lams and none with bamboo on the belly. Is this not a good way to make a wooden bow? Seems that it would lessen the chance of the bow taking a set. Anybody build one with 4 or 5 lams, or one with a bamboo slat on the belly? Also, how about from a performance or reliability standpoint?

[EwokArcher]

I'm under impression. That while bamboo rocks in tension it is not an optimal compression wood and that's why we don't see many bamboo belly bows

[Jomohr84]

Seems like I've seen more bamboo backed/bellied bows recently, and I'm interested to know more as well.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Boo bellied and backed bows are amazing. You don't see many because its an intimidating build with a lot of nuances involved. Incredibly fast bows as they weight nothing.

5 lam all wood bows would lose anything they gain simply in glue weight alone.

[Pat B]

Are the core lams vertical or horizontal. James used to make boo backed/belly bows the way they were made in Japan, with 5 horizontal cores. I have boo back/belly bow made by James' brother in law, Vinson Minor with 3 maple cores in the center and osage on the outside.
 Boo makes a good belly if it is carbonized and it would scare you to watch James carbonize a boo belly lam.

[Dale in Pa]

Pat, they're horizontal, just like a glass bow.

[Pat B]

Stacked on top or side by side? He used to make them side by side.
 Did you get the bow from James? He'll be at the Tenn. Classic again this year. I may see him next weekend.

[takefive]

I don't think you can do any thinning of the belly lam when you tiller that type of bow.  So your lams and core taper have to be to spec before you glue it up and after that it is what it is.
They're very cool looking bows, but I doubt if I could make one with good tiller and hit my weight right off.  No clue on how to carbonize the belly either.  So I just stick with the tried and true BBO.  
Wood Carver 2 also makes really good looking bamboo back and belly bows.

[Pat B]

After the initial engineering you tiller these from the sides if you need more tillering.

[wood carver 2]

Carbonizing the belly lam is easy. Plane it flat, but not to final thickness, then take it outside so you don't set your shop on fire and scorch it with a torch. I like a butane blowlamp for this as it has a larger, cooler flame than a propane torch. If you use propane just be careful not to overdo things.
Once the outside of the slat is all black and has cooled, you will notice that it has cupped backwards so that the flat side is now bowed out. Now you can plane it to the final thickness and get it flat again.
Dave.

[Dale in Pa]

Pat, it's stacked one on top of the other, just like a glass bow. I bought it used on Stickbow. I didn't know James was still selling bows.

Wood carver 2, thanks for the info.

[takefive]

Thanks for the tips, Dave and Pat.  I've thought about trying to make one for some time now, and always manage to talk myself out of it.  I love the way they look.

[Pat B]

James is building bows again. He quit his old caretaker job, bought property and set up his workshop.
huntworthyproductions is his site but I'm not sure if it is back up yet or not. He'll be selling bows at the Tenn. Classic at the end of April.
 Carver, I watched James carbonize some boo backing strips. He uses a rosebud head on a propane tank and scorched the crap out of the boo. When he was done I thought the boo was too but it was just how he liked it.

[mikkekeswick]

They are easy enough to make it just takes a couple to learn stack thickness, how thin to make the back/belly etc. As long as you write down your lam thicknesses it all starts to make sense after a couple.
I've just found a new Tonkin cane supplier and I might make a couple more of these bows.
Depending on which bamboo you use they are either as good as a wooden bow or maybe a shade better.
Bamboo has to be heat treated and it's better to do it slowly. Ask a fishing rod builder about that!

[LittleBen]

I think the biggest reason most people use 3 lams and not more is that three lams lets you select back, core and belly. Three lams are also typically thin enough to bend into any limb profile you want. More lams adds complexity without really solving any shortcoming other than looks.

Bamboo bellied bows, well natural bamboo at least is less common cbecause it's a skill in itself. I own one of woodcarver2's bows and I can tell you it works! But I also suspect it takes a lot of experience to get proficient enough to choose a draw weight and design and nail it.

No doubt though, bamboo back and belly makes an awesome bow with a very unique look.