Looking for a mentor

[Fishinglink]

So the guy who helped me out last year and guided me down the self bow road has flaked out this year. Thanks to Kenny and his blanks I will have a nice hunting bow this year. This means that I have a piece of bamboo and a pair of osage billets that need to be made into a bow. Also grabbed a nice slab of bubinga wood for the handle. I think there may be two bows in the billets with some strategic cutting. I am looking for someone to help me prep the boo and teach me the ins and out of splices. I am willing to drive and hour or so from Grand Rapids,MI in any direction. I’ll supply my own materials and epoxy as well as bring anything hand tool wise that I have. So if anyone out there would like to take me under their wing this coming bow building season I’d be eternally grateful. This is just a feeler and I’m willing to wait til post hunting season.

Thanks for looking Cody


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[Roy from Pa]

If your billets are board billets, you need to do a Z splice then glue them together.

The boo, you need to flatten the belly side, then draw your bows pattern/shape on it and cut it out.

But first, Position the boo nodes so they lay an equal distance apart on each limb, in other words they look even on the bow.

I flatten my boo with a drum sander.

Then taper the boo from 1/8th thick at riser to 1/16th thick at tips.

[Fishinglink]

Thanks Roy. They are boards kind of.  I had a 44 inch osage log that I was able to get cut and salvage a 3.5”x2”x40” that we then cut to make a book matched set. So it’s not dimensional kiln dried boards per say.

Question on the splice. Do you drill through the splice and insert a dowel rod before clamping to keep it from sliding apart during glue up?

Also is a hot box as important for this as it is for a laminated bow?


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[Roy from Pa]

You can z splice staves also, just tricky..

No on dowel rod.

I glue the z splice up, clamp it down, and let it dry till the next day.

No on hot box.

Smooth on and unibond will dry in 24 hours at 70 degrees.

[Fishinglink]

Roy, what’s the most narrow you’ve ever gone on a BBO build. I would love a bow that’s 1” thru the handle down to 1/2” at the tips. I like narrow deep limbs as opposed to wide flat limbs from a cosmetic aspect.


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[Roy from Pa]

3/4 inch at handle is my normal.
1/2 inch at tips is my normal.
Flares are 1.25 wide.

[Forwardhandle]

Dearn Torges put out a great DVD called Hunting the bamboo backed bow that covers that type bow A to Z excelent vid never made one watched that vid and got a sweet shooter first atempt !

[Fishinglink]

Thanks Roy and yellowwood. I’ve read the splice chapter in the TBB about a dozen times. I will have to check out dean’s video. My wood supply isn’t vast so I am trying to be as successful as I can. If it were a solid board I’d be much further ahead of the curve. Glue up of the bamboo to the back isn’t that scary. The scary part is the bow popping due to a poor splice. It being bow season in a couple weeks I’m not attacking this project for a bit yet. Definitely learning as much lurking here as possible. Also wanting to get brave and layup a glass bow. Leaning towards trying to build a hill bow this spring with Kenny’s lams.


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[Roy from Pa]

Bow won't pop, you glue a one piece riser on it after the belly and boo come off the form.

The 12" riser gets centered over the Z splice.

[Roy from Pa]

Cody, check your PM.