Tri Lam Core Options

[Dan Landis]

Thinking about starting a bamboo backed tri lam later on this year, after hunting season is over.  What would be the best option for my tapered core lam.  I have black locust, curly sassafras, black walnut, cherry, hackberry and soft maple to choose from.  All are flat sawn.  The last one I made was made with hackberry and ended up with about 1.5" of set.  So what do you all think?  Oh yeah, the belly would be osage.

[Bowjunkie]

Don't discount osage for both the belly and core lams if you have enough. It makes a good bow.

Of those you listed, I'd use locust or cherry, but others will work too.

[Roy from Pa]

Find some red elm. Walnut is ok. And what bowjunkie said.

[fujimo]

do you think red elm is the best Roy?
i saw you build some with ERC- how did they work out?

[Roy from Pa]

ERC is ok, red elm is snappier and stronger. And easier for me to get.

[fujimo]

winner winner chicken dinner!
red elm sounds like the ticket!!

[Dan Landis]

Jeff, I have a bunch of osage, but it's all staves.  The slats that I have I cut out of some of the straightest billets.  Might be able to find another one to cut up for slats.

Where would I find red elm, I've never seen it in any of the lumber yards around my area.

Trying to keep the cost down and with the price of a bamboo slat, I was hoping to use something I already have on hand.

[BMorv]

Have you checked out Kenny's lams?  I'm not sure how much you are trying to keep the cost down but $12/ lam pair for Red Elm seems reasonable to me.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Paduk worked for me a few times. Nice contrasting color and its light weight.

[rmorris]

Would quartersawn walnut work for a core lamination?

[Roy from Pa]

Would quartersawn walnut work for a core lamination?

Yes.

[Dan Landis]

The last tri lam I built with the hackberry core lam was tapered from .250 large end to .125 small end.  When completed I only had about 1/8" of osage left on the belly.  With the woods mentioned above would the .250 to .125 taper work, or do I need to do a thinner overall core lam.  Would like to end up with a 62 to 64 " bow in the 50 to 55# range.

[Roy from Pa]

I was making my core lams that thick and was getting too high of weight. Now I make the butt end about 5/32nds and taper to 1/6th at the tips. That's with a 1/4" thick parallel Osage belly lam.

[Bowjunkie]

I alter them a bit depending on length, weight, and material, but try to keep both lams close to the same thickness at bow center. .200" is about the average for me lately. Of course there are other variables like how wide we make our bows, how we taper them, shape them, trap them, etc.