Help me out a little

[Balding Kansan]

I’ve built a few self bows over the years, even used to get in on the bow swap many years ago, but have never messed with lams/glass. I have the urge to do so but I’m a little perplexed. Can somebody help me grasp some questions?

1. Tapered lams or parallel? I understand their difference, but functionally what does each one do for a bow?

2. Powerlam? What is that?

3. I’ve studied the lams in my Hill country longbow and My zipper recurve. The zipper has a triangle shaped wedge at the bottom of the limb nearest the riser (it’s a T/D). Maybe 6” in length. What is that for?

4. Actionwood? What is that?

5. Would a recurve require any special considerations for glue up VS a longbow? I assume it would need to be a little wider but the wood choice and tapers could be the same or need to be different?

I’ve got a bunch of others questions but I don’t want to wear anyone out with the first post! Thanks in advance.

Tyler

[Mad Max]

1---Tapered and a parallel for a Recurve

2--Think of a selfbow with longer fades  2-1/2 to 3", so a 1pice recurve with a 16" Riser would have a strip 1/8" thick or so 18" long glued on top and tapered out past you riser fades, making your riser longer.

3--Butt wedge ( the triangle thing) for a Take Down it is the same as your fades on a self bow, to keep it  from breaking at the end of the T/D riser

4---Action wood is bamboo vertical flooring cut into lams, same as a  Osage (vertical grain) backed  bow, it's stiffer (action)
https://www.ambientbp.com/classic-solid-bamboo-flooring.php

5--- Glass and lams, all 1-3/4  wide for glue up, finished down to 1.6 wide or so at the fades and 5/8" at the nock

[buddyb]

Actionwood is any dyed or natural laminated wood generally birch and it goes by a few different names such as Coreflex/Superaction and Spectraply.  Laminated bamboo called Actionboo falls into this same category whether its from flooring or other bamboo.

[Mad Max]

Actionwood is any dyed or natural laminated wood generally birch and it goes by a few different names such as Coreflex/Superaction and Spectraply.  Laminated bamboo called Actionboo falls into this same category whether its from flooring or other bamboo.

Is it laminated vertical buddyd? I have not seen it.

[Balding Kansan]

So 1 tapered and 1 parallel for a recurve?

What about an D/R longbow?

Am I correct in thinking that the tapers are responsible for how much you want/don’t want the outter limbs to bend?

[buddyb]

Here is a pic of some spectraply. It's laminated into panels kind of like plywood.

[Crooked Stic]

You should do a longbow first (easier) If you want to do your own form get Kenny to send you a temp plate. or can build the form. He can build you a blank you finish your self. And he has some very good help on his site.

[Forwardhandle]

Mr Stic gave you some good advice ,Kenny's DR modified is a great bow to start out with it would give you all the skills needed to move on from there ,there is a fair learning curve on glass bows but with a back ground making natural bows it's a easy transition good luck !

[Balding Kansan]

Thanks everyone. I’ll go shopping at Kenny’s after I get a few things in order. Like a hotbox.