BAMBOO SELF BOW QUESTIONS

[fujimo]

check wood carver 2 swap bow.
certainly a pretty advanced way of building a bow- but well worth beholding!

[wood carver 2]

I don't know about it being an advanced method, but it will for sure frustrate you and make you wish you were building with glass.      
I started building them after I saw one built by Forest Trekker posted here.
Through trial and error (lots of error), and advice from the Gang, I have come up with this:
bamboo backing is 1/8" tapering to 1/16" at the tips. Flatten this piece, cut it to the bow's profile, and then bring it down to it's final thickness and taper.
For the core, 3/16 tapering to 1/16 should get you into the 40+ pound range.
Flatten the belly lam then heat treat it before final flattening and thinning. I use a torch, going over the boo carefully to avoid burning it. You will see steam coming out of the ends and you'll notice that it cups backwards from the heat. I see this as a good thing as I can now get it really flat and thin. Again, 1/8" tapering to 1/16". It can be thinner if you can manage that. I use a jointer and two push pads, but it's still an adventure. A belt sander will work too.
I also prefer a width of 1 3/8" for these bows.
Good luck and post pictures.
Dave.

[John Scifres]

That's what I thought.  When you have too high of a proportion of bamboo, your belly slat gets too thin and compresses under tension.  Also, you invariably end up with too much mass at the tips and therefore get a doggy shooting bow.  

Get Dean's video.  He was responsible for the education of most of the folks who make bamboo backed bows, either directly or indirectly and stands as the master of the craft.

He also has a companion tillering instructional that you should get.  His selfbow book "Hunting the Osage Bow" should be required reading too  

[J.F. Miller]

I'll second everything John says, plus it bears repeating that the tool of choice for the final thicknessing of your bamboo backing, or belly for that matter, is a toothing plane with the blade every so slightly crowned. Of course, thinning bamboo can be done with a rasp and scraper or power sanding equipment, but none of these can do it as precisely and as quickly as a toothing plane. If you take pride in your glue joints, get a toothing plane and learn how to use it.    

[Bowjunkie]

Those last couple of posts harbor some very good advice and I concur 100%.