All Bamboo bow?

[bckskin2]

Has anyone tried to make a traditional Bhutanese bow like the one in the TBB IV? One of the earlier TBBs has some cable backed boo. I am looking for a simple easy to build durable bow and waffle between an all boo or PVC. The PVC would be cheaper and maybe more durable, but the boo is more traditional. I read some where one of the first bows may have been just a boo stalk and a string.

[KenH]

I have worked with bamboo a fair amount.   I start with "slats" rather than whole round culms (although I have a couple of those in the offing).  

My first bamboo bow was modelled after a Warring States Era Chinese flatbow, with wooden tips re-inforcing the ends -- simple, easy, and lots of fun:
       

I build with the flattened inside of the culm as the back of the bow, and the rounded outer skin as the belly.   I have a cable-backed bow as in TBB1 in process -- I'm using real gut tennis racket string for the cable;  I also have in progress a sort of Hun/Magyar style bow with a slightly reflexed body and siyahs attached for the tips.

[bckskin2]

KenH,Cool bow! What are the stats on that bow? I found a guy that has reasonable shipping rates. Some want more to ship than the cost of the boo.
Jerry

[KenH]

Just so ya know, I build light draw bows -- I like light draw.  I'd rather shoot a hundred arrows a day than ten.

The bow is 53" tip-to-tip, 1-3/4 at the fades, 1-1/5" at mid-limb, then straight taper to the 1/2" wide tips.

I took that bow down to 32#, because I could.  All the material removal after the profile sanding with a belt sander, was with a 200 grit sanding block on the back, which was really nice and simple.  The belly retains it's curved outer surface of the bamboo.  

I actually have an experiment in mind for "one of these days" when there's nothing else to do.  I want to back the bow with with raw flax fiber (not linen) -- according to TBB1 this is one backing that can increase the draw weight by something on the order of 10%.  Not as much as sinew, but not as expensive, stinky, and time consuming, either.  I've got the flax; it's beautiful stuff, nearly 18" strands.  I just need the uninterrupted time.

[bckskin2]

Do not a belt sander so it would be a bit more time to flatten. That is close to the draw weight I want, 35 lbs @ 28" or close. Do the 1/2" tips need the wood to reinforce?
Jerry

[KenH]

Time to go buy a cheap belt sander!  I think I paid $35 for my most recent one.  Set it upside down and you have a nice stationary surface to run the wood or bamboo on.  Still -- a couple good clams and a large/long sanding block with heavy grit paper should make short work of things to get started. Limb tapers can be sawn with a saber saw; or even a hacksaw, then smoothed with a log sanding block

You're basically sanding down the the 'horns' of a wide u shape (he inside of the culm) to make it flat; then gluing on tips (yes they're necessary) before sanding the flat belly while the bow is on the tillering tree, to get the bending shape and draw weight at the desired draw length, that you want.

The wooden tips really are necessary, but they need not be as tall as the ones I made, which were modeled after those on a 2500 year old Chinese bow.  They are simply a block glued to the limb tips with Titebond II.

[bckskin2]

Thanks for the tip! I will look for a belt sander.

[Roy from Pa]

Check craigslist. Sometimes you can pick up a decent belt sander fairly cheap.