History of Bear I Beam construction?

[rb61]

Can someone tell this rookie how, why, and when this construction method was used?

Thanks

[damascusdave]

I have had or still have a number of Bears made that way...hard to say why Bear started doing it or exactly when altough others may have a better idea on that...it is in my mind simply a way to make a stronger riser using vertical lamination principles...here are the bows I can think of with i beam construction that I have owned:

1963 Polar
1961 Kodiak Special
1960 Kodiaks
1960 Kodiak Deluxe to some extent
1962 Kodiak Magnum (apparently only some are i beam)

Although the i beam is only easily seen in most cases in the sight window the actual lamination extends fade to fade...there is an additional interesting variation referred to as butcher block which is a lamination within the i beam lamination...there is speculation that was a way to make use of wood which would be too small for any other use...it certainly creates an interesting pattern when done with different grain variations of Brazilian Rosewood as illustrated in this picture of my Kodiak Deluxe

DDave

   

[damascusdave]

The ibeam in this 1962 Kodiak is not readily apparent since the wood matches so nicely...still it is there

DDave

   

[damascusdave]

The Polar was no a particularly expensive bow but the effect of the zebrawood i beam with the bubinga on each side is rather striking...Bear was not the only company to use i beam construction...I have a Shakespeare Kaibab that is also bubinga with a zebrawood i beam

DDave

   

[damascusdave]

And last but surely not least my pair of butcher block 1960 Kodiaks

DDave

 

[Wade Phillips]

Originally posted by rb61:
Can someone tell this rookie how, why, and when this construction method was used?

Thanks

When? - In 1955 Bear introduced the Kodiak Special and for the first time utilized the I-Beam construction in one of their top of line production bows.

Why? - Several reasons.
1) Multiple laminations are stronger then a solid piece of wood.
2) The I-Beam gave Bear an opportunity to create an interesting multi-color riser with more eye appeal than their normal standard maple riser of 1955.
3) The I-Beam construction could minimize the amount of the more expensive exotic woods.
4) The I-Beam construction enabled Bear to utilize smaller pieces of wood that were not large enough to make a complete riser.

How? Bear's 1955 Kodiak Special utilized an I-Beam construction of two outside slabs of maple with the approximately 1/4" center of the I-Beam that we will call a "micro-lam", for lack of better term at the moment. The mico-lam core I-Beam consisted of several mini laminations, usually 5 to 7. Sanding the micro-lam to different heights in different spots, enabled Bear to make a varying backdrop for their standard tombstone shape leather strike plate of the time.

Bear's 1957 Kodiak Special utilized 3 laminations for the approximately 1/4" center of the I-Beam, and on the outside of the maple slabs, there was a darker lamination. This new I-Beam layup provided a different looking sight window and riser.

The 1958 Kodiak Special utilized Rosewood with the maple slabs in differently configured layup of the laminations.

In 1959, the Kodiak Special (as well as the Kodiak, Grizzly & Polar) first utilized what became the standard 3-piece I-Beam construction. In the case of the Kodiak Special, the riser was routed with a flared inset, making it one of the best looking Bear Bows of all time.

           

[Wade Phillips]

Originally posted by damascusdave:
The ibeam in this 1962 Kodiak is not readily apparent since the wood matches so nicely...still it is there

DDave

     

DDave - Think you ment 1962 Kodiak Magnum, especially with the 52" inscribed as the length. We usually think a lot faster than our fingers can type.  The grain of the Brazilian Rosewood, really camouflages the glue lines of its I-Beam construction. Sure is a nice looking riser.

[damascusdave]

Thanks Wade that is indeed a Kodiak Magnum that has been expertly refinished by our own Orion here...one would think that Brazilian Rosewood would be nicer with a shiny finish but I think that bow proves that idea to be incorrect...I draw as much as 31 inches with lighter draw weight bows so I never thought I would be able to shoot a Kodiak Magnum...and once again I was wrong...I only draw that bow to 30 inches because it stacks like crazy, 45 pounds measured at 28 inches and 55 pounds measured at 30 inches...when my buddy scaled it I could see that drawing it to 30 inches took pretty much all of the recurve out of the limbs, making it look more like an odd longbow...maybe one day it will blow up but a good bow ought to die working

DDave

[Ray Lyon]

Dave,
Be kind to that bow.  It's a great little shooter and Orion did a great refinish job on it after he got it from me. It was one of the quietest shooters in my stable, but I like the 56-60 inch recurves better.

[damascusdave]

Ray if I really thought it would blow up I would stop shooting it and pass it along to someone with a shorter draw length...Bear built their bows of that era to be pretty much bullet proof...they were not reluctant to say their 60 inch bows were good to as much as 33 inches...I too prefer bows of 60 to 64 inches but that little KMag has some magic in it

DDave

[damascusdave]

I just came across another i beam variation that I had no knowledge of...how about a 1961 Kodiak with walnut sandwiching purpleheart...no telling what was going to come out of Grayling back then...I am not a 1961 collector (yet) but I just have to own that bow it is so interesting

DDave

[Wade Phillips]

DDave,

The 1961 Kodiak I-Beam with purpleheart sight window and walnut slabs is well known to bowmen who collect all years of the Bear Kodiaks. Depending on the wood, some are very nice looking bows.

The No I-Beam 1961 Kodiak is also well known.

Lesser known in the 1961 Kodiak are the "odd duck" woods that appear in both the I-Beam and No I-Beam models, in both EXP and production bows...

This is "Blondie", the "oddest duck" 1961 Kodiak at the Arsenal, and quite possibly the oddest 61 Kodiak wood I have ever seen...  Anyone have any Kodiak anything like this one???

         

[damascusdave]

Guess I am getting a bit sharper about "collecting" bows that I really do not know much about...what I am really buying is the Kodiak Deluxe that goes with the Kodiak so I made what I thought was a reasonable offer based on the Kodiak just being a nice shooter rather than a collector bow...plus when someone is bragging up their new Kodiak with the purpleheart sight window I can drag it out and say "nice, I just had to settle for this old thing"...no reason for me not to dabble a bit around 1961 I guess...I did pretty well back in the early nineties selling some of my  1960 and 1961 sports cards...Wade I like the way you sometimes help to solve the puzzles and sometimes you just like to add a bit to them...either way our knowledge base gets bumped forward, or at least sideways

DDave

[zepnut]

Sweet 61 Wade

[Wade Phillips]

DDave,

Lots to learn and so little time to learn it.

Like most Bear collectors, I love to share what little I've learned over the years and always enjoy helping others think logically and learn by presenting "sideways" puzzles to solve.

zepnut,

Never thought of it before, transposed numbers of  Sweet 16.