Where to get Bamboo Backing in bulk?

[LittleBen]

Hey everyone. I'm trying to find a good source for bamboo backing in bulk. I just cant see paying $10-15 per piece plus shipping.

Anyone know or have used a reputable supplier where I could get like 20-25 bamboo slats?

[wood carver 2]

Try Cali Bamboo. Last time I ordered I paid about $100 for 25 6 foot slats. You will have to flatten them and a few might have the nodes a bit close together, but the quality is good.
Dave.

[vanillabear?]

[Eric Krewson]

Years ago I got two bad bundles of slats from Frank's; one looked great but every bow I made from it had a bamboo failure, the other arrived soaking wet with mold covering every slat, it had been left out in the weather for a long time.

[Roy from Pa]

I get my boo from Binghams. It is always  primo boo. I'd rather pay a little more up front, than spend 30 to 40 hours on making a BBO bow, only to have the boo fail on me.

[vanillabear?]

[Roy from Pa]

Who asked you VB?  

[vanillabear?]

[Roy from Pa]

LOL, what I mean is buying in bulk, your not going to get all 25 pieces of boo perfect. I did it once and over half of them were not bow worthy. The boo I have gotten from Binghams has been flawless thus far.

[vanillabear?]

[Roy from Pa]

Yep.

[rainman]

Howard Hill archery also sells boo according to Charlie Lamb.

[canopyboy]

Ben-

You interested in shooting sometime soon?  Around during the holidays?

If you're buying in bulk, would you be interested in making a bigger order and splitting any shipping and handling?

[Sal]

Vanillabear, I live close to Frank's and select the slats I'm buying, which means I cull the bad ones.  My advise is to take everything Frank says with a grain of salt.  They don't know much, if anything,about bowyer's needs despite repeated attempts by me and other local bowyers to advise them.  

It's a crap shoot,some bundles are moldy,some are beautiful, all have rejects.  They will send you the first one that comes out of the closest bundle, regardless of its condition.  

Frank's main bamboo business is for tiki bars, who have very different needs than bowyers.

[vanillabear?]

[Sal]

Frank will accommodate bowyers who come to the shop and know what they want, but he doesn't know much about bowyer's needs.  Nothing personal, but if he's claiming he knows, then he's selling something.  

I used to recommend Frank's years ago, but unless you're local, be prepared to work with what you get.

[J.F. Miller]

since 1998 I've purchased approximately 100 pieces of bamboo from Bamboo and Rattan Works. while there is much ado about what species they sell, my experience doing business with them has been fantastic. nice folks to deal with, and I have never recieved a single piece of bamboo that was not useable for bow backing. not one. being rather particular about my bow backings, I have culled about a half dozen out over the years because they had more nodes that I wanted or had a hump that I didn't want to correct, but they were all serviceable bow backing material. my bundles of bamboo from them have always arrived in excellent condition. these folks sell flat bamboo specifically for bow backing, and they know what we need. $11 for quality I can rely on to the tension work on the back of a hunting bow is a very small price to pay in my mind.

[JamesV]

The last bundle I bought from the big auction site was 25 slats 2" X 1/4" X 6' delivered and all were good quality, maybe I got lucky but even if I had to cull half at $4 per each I was way ahead of the prices the bow companies charge for one slat then rape you on the shipping

[longrifle]

x 2 for bamboo and rattan works out of n.j.