is this suitable for action boo lams?

[canshooter]

I got this off a friend and he has more. Is this the stuff thyat is suitable for making actionboo laminates? Also would red oak and hickory make suitable4 laminates to use in conjunction with this? Lastly is glass requires or can I us this and wood alone?

Have patience with a woodworking newbie please  

   

[adam]

That looks like the boo that i have ground into lams only mine is darker. looks like you may have the natural and i have the amber color. should work fine. As far as hickory and red oak, i would stay away from the red oak but hickory should be fine for lams.As far as building a lam bow without glass, i have seen it done before but not with boo or hickory. Give it a shot and let us know what you come up with. Good luck!

[PZee]

Hi Ted,

I'm not nearly as experienced as many of the folk on here, but I used a bamboo floorboard like that to make my first bow. I ripped it down to 1.5inches wide and spliced 2 together to make a 70inch long board. I then shaped and tillered my bow and used the left over bamboo as my handle. It came out @ 38#@28. I shot that for about 6 months before I used it to experiment. I then added a natural bamboo backing and 3inches of reflex. The original bow took about 2inches set. Adding the natural bamboo made a seriously great bow, but I couldn't resist experimenting more and now the bow is in bow heaven.


If I had the resources you have, I would rip down a piece of hickory to 1 3/8 wide, 1/8 thick and about 66 long and use as a piece of backing. Then rip down the bamboo floor board to 3/8 thick, 1 3/8 wide and about 66 long and glue it up with some reflex, but no deflex, as bamboo takes set. I would then use the red oak as riser (handle) material.

Also listen to what the guys have to say here, world of knowledge.

Look up Semo-Hunter's Bamboo backed Osage bow in this section, and google Sam Harper's website poorfolkbows.com Loads of info on there.

If you have more of bamboo floorboards available, then experiment with a few styles of bow until you find one you like.

Good luck, and post some of your bows1

Pete

[PZee]

Oh forgot to add;

That's what loads of guys use as actionboo in their glass laminate bows.

Thanks

Pete

[canshooter]

Thanks guys. I was thinking of making 1/16 laminates and and gluing up say 5 layers without glass. I have to wait until I can get to a buddies house he has a thickness planer. If this porject gets off the gorund I will post progress.

[JamesV]

Action boo is not strong enough to stand alone. You will need a backing or it will break.

[rbbhunt]

And I would recommend a belly wood on it.  I made a bow for my grandson (10 mos old!) and used fiberglass for the back and actionboo.  It took a set.  If I was to do it again, I would use the actionboo for the core and and a belly of osage with a fiberglass back.

[PZee]

I would recommend you back the bow, and why rip it down to glue it all back together again? Treat the floorboard as a board bow with a hickory backing. Take a look at Sam Harper's website, and treat the floorboard as he treats the IPE in his Bamboo Backed Ipe Build along.... I like Bamboo floorboards, really difficult to mess up if you keep your measurements exact.