Author Topic: BBO formula? (Read 1868 times)

razorsharptokill · « **on:** September 09, 2009, 05:53:00 PM »

I have some awesome Osage lams from KennyM and the boo I have is now a little over an inch wide due to a slight oops with the table saw while flattening.

The boo is 69.5" long, the lams are .340 thick in the center. What do you guys think about a 66" longbow. Do you think it will be too weak?

Okie 1 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 10, 2009, 01:30:00 PM »

Jim, are you talking about 1 lam with the boo. If so I'd say it'd be too light for hunting weight... Depends on what "too weak" means to you. My core wood for my BBO's start out at 5/8" thick x 1 1/2" wide. Hope that helps.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #2 on:** September 10, 2009, 03:54:00 PM »

I've got two lams, one taper and one parallel their combined thickness is .340 at the thickest point.

Okie 1 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 10, 2009, 04:22:00 PM »

Maybe some one will jump in with a little more knowledge about lams but, .340 is about 11/32nds so I'd say you'd end up with a bow around 30lbs. Just my guess though.

Dano · « **Reply #4 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:10:00 PM »

I think your right John, .340 might have been fine for a wider bow, but 1" is kinda narrow.

No-sage · « **Reply #5 on:** September 11, 2009, 09:10:00 AM »

My best shooting BBO was 1" wide, 62" long, mid 50#.

I always start with a tapered slat that is 5/16" thick in the center, tapering to 3/8" at the tips.

I didn't make it that narrow on purpose, it came out that way because the glue lines were lousy at the edges and I had to narrow the bow to get rid of some gaps.

If you have bowmaking experience, you should be able to make a hunting weight bow from your wood, but it will have to be shorter than 66".

This is the widest point on the bow.

Okie 1 · « **Reply #6 on:** September 11, 2009, 10:41:00 AM »

Quote

I always start with a tapered slat that is 5/16" thick in the center, tapering to 3/8" at the tips.

So your slat is thinner in the middle then the tips??

Okie 1 · « **Reply #7 on:** September 11, 2009, 10:43:00 AM »

Nice bow by the way! What is your handle laced with?

No-sage · « **Reply #8 on:** September 11, 2009, 01:30:00 PM »

OOOPS..... I'm wrong...... I start with 7/16" at the center. You may not have enough wood there after all, unless you go real short.

John... It's round leather lacing I found at the craft store.

Tom Leemans · « **Reply #9 on:** September 11, 2009, 03:21:00 PM »

Make a lighter weight bow out of it for a kid or something, then "accumulate" some stuff for another bow.

Okie 1 · « **Reply #10 on:** September 11, 2009, 08:07:00 PM »

No-sage, it looks like copper wire in the pic to me. Cool looking though.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #11 on:** September 13, 2009, 10:19:00 PM »

My boo is a little over an inch at center but not by much. I'll post some pics when I get it glued up.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #12 on:** September 22, 2009, 10:38:00 PM »

Well I went to my back up piece of boo. It is wider. The crown on these pieces required that they be some what narrow to get them flat. I got it glued up tonight. We'll just have to see how it turns out.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #13 on:** September 23, 2009, 08:35:00 PM »

Got it off the form. I left it 68" tip to tip. It floor tillers pretty easily. I'm thinking 40ish if I pike it to 64". Glue lines look great though.

Dano · « **Reply #14 on:** September 23, 2009, 09:52:00 PM »

Sounds good Jim, can't wait to see the finished bow.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #15 on:** September 23, 2009, 10:28:00 PM »

I used smoothon and mostly spring clamps. The power lam is made of Kingwood that has a very purplish color to it. The handle will be two lams of that with Osage in between.

I could glue another parallel lam of osage to the belly to thicken the stack. Any thoughts on this?

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #16 on:** September 24, 2009, 06:34:00 PM »

tommy6 · « **Reply #17 on:** September 25, 2009, 11:18:00 AM »

You could do a few things to it depending on the shape. Any reflex to it?
You could add another parallel lam to it, around .04". The problem is that you will not be able to tiller it thru scraping the belly, it would have to be done by width taper. Another option would be to add a piece of boo to the belly thats been heat treated.
Of course the easiest thing to do would be to pike it till it reaches your desired weight.
Recurving the tips is also an option, but dont heat too high or you will delaminate it.
There is always an alternative option...

Tom Leemans · « **Reply #18 on:** September 25, 2009, 03:32:00 PM »

Razor, I did that very thing to build up a bow with a thinner set of slats I had lying around. I used a full length lamination of walnut between the osage and the boo. It makes for lively limbs. That bow has held up very well. I shoot it the most, and it's my favorite hunting bow.

razorsharptokill · « **Reply #19 on:** September 25, 2009, 08:47:00 PM »

The boo and osage lams are already glued up. There is minimal deflex and some reflex.

I have the 12" lams in the tips like the Dryad Hunter to keep the tips stiffer. They are between the osage lams. I have some elm also but it is a tapered.

What about boo on the belly?

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Author Topic: BBO formula? (Read 1868 times)

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