Chosing core material and clear outside Bo-Tuff E glass Help

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I'm in the middle of a take down Osage longbow build and I've reached a point where I can't decide if I want to try making natural Osage limbs for it, or go with making them out of commercial Osage flat grain lams and Bo-tuff E glass clear outside lams??

My main concern with making them from a natural piece of Osage that I have plenty of.....is the fact that I would need to violate the ring by drilling through it for the limb bolts.

With commercial materials using an Osage flat grain lam, and outside Bo-Tuff clear glass lam.....that risk would be eliminated.

My riser is natural Osage and Rosewood, so that part would still be from my own stock of Osage cut from along the river here where I live.

I guess what I'm asking is for anybody's opinions that has ever done this before?

Also, one other thing that I'm not sure about.
If I decide to go with the commercial lams and wish to hit a target wt. of around 50-55lbs. @28" what thickness lams would you all suggest?

I want to do this right the first time, and would really like it all to be from my own Osage stock that I've cut, but not real sure how it will work?

Any thoughts, experiences, or opinons are welcomed.
Thanks for any help.
SEMO

Here's a few pics of my riser that has been roughed out and rough sanded, but not finished until I proceed further on the limbs.

And yes.....it is going to be short and hopefully I can hit at least a 27" draw with it? That's my actual draw length, but if I shoot for 28" then 27" would not be a problem. If it came out to an actual 50lb. @27" that would be perfect.

 
 
 

[Diamondback59]

chris   ya need to get brad jansen or kenny m on the horn  if ya wanna mess with  the bo tuff them s the guys  with the awnsers haha  nice raiser   i relley like it  brock

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Thanks Brock, are they both Trad Gang members? Or are they with Binghams supply?

Never mind.....I know who Kenny is, I remember him from some posts. He's one of my fellow Missourians. I'll PM him and ask his advice.

I think I remember seeing Brad Jansen around here also?

[Diamondback59]

k  if u know kenny get him on there  brads on now with a hot box bulid along his handel is bjansen   good luck bro  brock

[kennym]

Riser looks fairly short, we need the length of it and total bow length,plus planned taper rate and width at fades and tips. Also longbow or curve.

Neat riser!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

The riser is short, and my intention was to build it for my 8yr old nephew for Christmas, but I didn't have time to finish it. So I'm making him a one piece longbow and I'm about done with it.

The riser is 10" long. The width at the fades on the riser is 1 3/4" and tips I'm thinking about 3/4" maybe?
I had intended for it to be a longbow, but if I go with the lams instead of natural Osage all the way, it could be a recurve?
Whichever would work out the best, and easiest for me to build since I have never done this before.

Thanks.

[kennym]

What bow length are you thinkin?  

Where is Brad?? LOL

 My bows are all "fairly" long.  

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I was going to shoot for a 60" longbow, and hopefully at least a 27" draw @50 lbs. if that's possible?
If it needs to be longer to get the draw length that's ok too.

I kinda felt like the riser may be a bit short when I made it, but that was the length of the piece of Rosewood that I had for the center lam.
Plus it was going to be for my nephew with the intention of keeping it short, light poundage, short draw length. It still may be his bow yet? Depends on how this project turns out, I may need to keep it for myself?   :rolleyes:

[bjansen]

Well, I would try osage limbs...violating the growth ring where you attach the limbs is not a big deal as that part is stiff anyways...obviously you need to build in a taper (or fade) just as you would do in any stiff handled bow.  Check out this one I made a while back...which also has a short handle.  

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001265

[kennym]

There ya go!! I had forgotten that one. Unlike glass, you can keep thinnin the belly to get desired weight.

Nice job again, Brad!

[bjansen]

If you are going to build it from your own sawn osage (rather than a billet or a stave cut in two)...I would laminate the limbs using quartersawn as a back lam and maybe even back it with rawhide like I did or even sinew or any other good backing.  That would make for a unique take down.  If you decide to go with glass and commercial lams tell us the limb pad angle and I can give you my best guess as to thickness needed for a 60" bow, with a 10" riser...and 8.25" wedges(but I have to warn you it is an experiment for sure when it comes to new glass designs).

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Thanks Brad. I was planning on using my own stave material that I cut myself here around our place. I've pretty much got my choice of any piece of Osage that I think will do the job without causing any problems.
I've got some that look near perfect, but it's violating the ring with the limb bolt screws that concerns me. That's why I got to thinking about doing a laminated job on them.
Binghams has the Osage core lams for $19.50 and the clear glass lams for the outside for the same price, and it comes in like 75" lengths.
So it would be easy enough to get the materials for the laminated limbs, I'm just not sure how to go about it? I've never built a laminating jig or messed with anything like this before. I've watched the DVD and that's about it.
Maybe someone out there has a pattern for building the jig for a set of longbow limbs with a slight reflex to them that they could send me copies of?
What I kinda had pictured in my mind was somewhat of a RD take down longbow, and short like a recurve.


I'll recheck the limb pad angle again, I forgot what I cut it at now, but I've got it written down in my notes.

Thanks for the help, I'll get back here tomorrow with the dimensions for you.

Chris

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Brad,
The limb pad angle is 15deg. and if you could tell me if you think a 60" bow with at least a 27" draw @50lb. is doable, that would be great.

Also, what thickness of lams inner core and outer glass might work for the limbs.

Thanks,
Chris

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Originally posted by bjansen:
Well, I would try osage limbs...violating the growth ring where you attach the limbs is not a big deal as that part is stiff anyways...obviously you need to build in a taper (or fade) just as you would do in any stiff handled bow.  Check out this one I made a while back...which also has a short handle.  

  http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001265  

That's almost exactly what I'm looking to achieve, except with a shorter riser and shorter overall length. I have some Osage for the limbs that is much, much straighter than what you had on hand to work with.
But basically the same thing as what you achieved with that bow is what I'm looking for.

Great Job!

[bjansen]

Well, based on my best guess...using .002 inch of total taper, I would shoot for a total butt thickness of the lam stack of .285 including .040 glass on the front and back and exlcuding the 8.25" wedge.  

But this is not an exact science...just a best guess!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Thanks Brad.