questions for bb hickory bow

[canshooter]

I am starting a bamboo backed hickory bow, 68 inches in length. how wide should I go and what width should I taper to the nocks. Also which glue to adhere the bamboo, titebond III or urak 185.

Can I reflex deflex this?

This is only my second bow and any mistakes you guys can help me avoid would be great.

thanks

[mastin03]

I just finished my second bow, bamboo backed hickory just like you are talking about.  I added r/d during glue up with a simply form i made out of some scrap wood.  I can send you some pics if you're interested, and i posted the finished (or almost finished) bow here...

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=000867

I went with 1.5" at the fades, and carried that out to mid limb, then went with a straight taper from mid-limb to 1/2" nocks (actually left them a bit wider than that initially and took them down to 1/2" after final tiller.  Pat said I could have gone ever smaller on the nocks to reduce handshock, so that may be something to think about.)

[Pat B]

You can get your tips dowm to 3/8" or smaller.
  I have used Urac and TBIII, both with good results. For Urac you want to rough up the surfaces(I use a toothing plane blade but coarse sand paper or a hacksaw blade will do the job) but for TBIII you want smooth flat surfaces.
   Add the reflex at glue up. Give your bow about 3" of reflex and you should come out with 1" of reflex or a flat profile. Adding more reflex generally over stresses the belly and hickory is weaker in compression so 3" is what I would suggest.
  If you use TB glue you should give your
glue-up a week or so to loose the moisture it has taken on from thre glue. You can get it to floor tiller stage without stressing it before that week is up.

[canshooter]

Thanks for the information guys, thats just what I was looking for. I will email you for some photo's when I get home from work.

[canshooter]

Its taken a while to get underway, but I just got my Urac by mail on Friday and started work today. Please be kind! I have no woodworking experience and very limited tools to work with.

 

Here you can see the layout drawn on the Boo

 

This shows the grain in the Hickory that I am using.

 

Here you can see the shaped bambo backing strip, the floor tillered Hickory and the Ash riser ready for gluing up. Also you can see my first attempt at an Oak board bow. I hope to correct all the mistakes I made the first time!

 

I dont know when I will get time to continue but I think that I am ready for the glue up next/.

[Roy Steele]

PAT's right again.Smaller nocks,TB3.Keep the back as flat as possable,backing thin as possable.Looks like you can do the rest.GOOD LUCK

[John Scifres]

Make sure and taper that backing strip before you glue it on.  A Buildalong  

  Another one

[canshooter]

Thanks guys, I did some more work prior to the glue up based on your suggestions and buildalong. For some reason the glue up is the part that has me a little freaked. I am fairly confident that the parts themselves are ready to go.

Here is a short video of work in progress and a couple of pics

  http://i6.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Dryfly1958/Bow%20stuff/MOV00555.flv">  

the sander is my birthday present from my daughters.

  http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Dryfly1958/Bow%20stuff/beltsander.jpg  

I used a drywall saw as a glue-up scraper


It seems to have done its job.

[canshooter]

sorry about the pic links:

 http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Dryfly1958/Bow%20stuff/drywallsaw.jpg?t=1239399958

 http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Dryfly1958/Bow%20stuff/DSC00559.jpg?t=1239399979

[canshooter]

Roughed together a form and glued up the bow with reflex deflex today. after I applied the glue I mummified it with dollar store stretch wrap and taped it with wraps of electric tape, also courtesy of Dollarama.


 

 

 

[josef2424]

hah. It looks like you have better tools than I do. I hope it comes along ok.

[Broke another one]

Black tape to heat up the wood from the sun.....not a bad idea, wish I had thought of it...tell me how that works out.