Board Bow Build Along - Choose Your Own Adventure Style

[jvermast]

So I've had this idea for a while now, which is basically to do a build along but let the forums make the choices on what wood, style and finishes I use along the way.

Basically, how this will go is the decision I need to make at that time will be my latest post, in that post I will have all options available as well as a running tally of any votes that have been made after that. The cut off time will be random depending on the time between decisions that need to be made.

Milestones:
Base Wood: CHERRY!
Backing Wood
Handle Wood
Nock Wood
Bow Style
Handle Style
Nock Style
String Colors
Silencer Style

As you can see from this picture, there are lots of decisions to be made!
   

[jvermast]

The first poll is now open:
                    Base Wood                    

Mahogany: 0
Cherry: 5
Hickory: 0
Oak: 0

Mahogany (Max Length: 60")
     

Hickory (Max Length: 72")
     

Cherry (Max Length: 72")
     

Red Oak (Max Length: 72")
     

[KellyG]

Well now I vote for cherry. But that is just me. Cool ideal.

[AKmud]

+1 for cherry (since my attempts have all exploded....)  

[wood carver 2]

Cherry for me. I've been thinking of making a laminated cherry bow.
Dave.

[bobzila]

Another vote for cherry.

[jvermast]

Originally posted by AKmud:
+1 for cherry (since my attempts have all exploded....)    

You doom me from day 1!    :p

[Cuban Missile]

Cherry!!!

[jvermast]

*** ****  - I should have left Cherry off that list! Looking up some past cases its all "yup, blew up on me" "its in pieces now" and so on.

 There are women and children that visit this site so let's keep the language clean. Thanks Stiks

[wood carver 2]

All the talk of cherry bows blowing up has got me interested. I have enough Urac for another bow. How about I build one in parallel with you? Bamboo, tapered cherry, bamboo tri lam.
One might explode. Maybe both, or maybe we'll both end up with shooters.    
I've heard that cherry bows can be fast shooters.
Dave.

[TroutGuide]

I just built a boo backed cherry and it is surprisingly powerfull and fast but I think it is developing a compression fracture just below the handle.  It to will probably blow soon.  I have lots of cherry to work with so I will make another soon and make it wider and thinner.  This one is from scraps and is 1.1" wide by .52" thick cherry, then backed with knife edge thin boo.

[jvermast]

Originally posted by wood carver 2:
All the talk of cherry bows blowing up has got me interested. I have enough Urac for another bow. How about I build one in parallel with you? Bamboo, tapered cherry, bamboo tri lam.
One might explode. Maybe both, or maybe we'll both end up with shooters.    
I've heard that cherry bows can be fast shooters.
Dave.

Sounds good to me, I think a tri-lam will have more chance than a board bow like I am building but I just don't have the guts to go for a trilam at this point - seems like a ton of work to get setup (Ovens, etc).

[jvermast]

I think it's safe to say that Cherry will be the bread winner here - at this point I will take this to the next vote which is:

                  Backing                
Hickory
     

Ash
   

 "  no pics over 640 pixels  "  

Silk
     

Linen

(Sorry I don't have my own pictures, I wasn't expecting to get this far today!)


So I am going to put a heavy emphasis on the need to use Hickory for this project as all I have read says Cherry goes very well with Hickory as the two woods compliment each other very well.

[wood carver 2]

A tri lam isn't all that hard to build. I learned from build alongs I found here at Trad Gang. I'm only a beginner, so don't take my words as gospel. My first two bows were tri lams. I planed the backing until it was 1/8" more or less. That was the hardest part because I was working thin, splintery bamboo on the jointer. Use push blocks. This can be a bit dangerous. Or you can drive down here to Cambridge and I'll plane some bamboo for you. I've gotten used to doing it. Some guys thin down the bamboo on a belt sander but I found that too time consuming.
For the core lam, I sawed the wood down to 5/16" and used my taper jig on the table saw to bring the ends down to 1/16". The belly lams can be cut from a piece of bamboo flooring.
The gluing form is nothing fancy. A 2X4 or a 4X4 with posts at each end to give the amount of reflex you want and a bunch of clamps. I glue it up with Urac 185. A lot of guys use Titebond 2 0r 3. Nice thing is you don't need an oven if you're not gluing with epoxy.
I just cut out a piece of cherry for a core lam. I'm gonna start a bow.  :D  
Got to keep busy while I look for a job.
Dave.

[wood carver 2]

Sorry.Didn't mean to push.    
Hickory.
Dave.

[SportHunter]

If your supplies are limited to whats on the table saw in your first picture.

Ash primary wood backed with hickory, thin slice of the red looking wood in the handle and tips and topped with what looks like zebrawood over thin slice of red colored wood for handle and tips.

Of course if you have some horn laying around use it for tip overlays instead of the wood. Heat treat the belly, recurve the limbs and put Grumley layered style brush nocks on the ends. Finish back with diamondback rattlesnake skins. Hows that sound?

[jvermast]

I think my next bow will be a tri-lam    I didn't realize you could use TBIII!

I just resawed 3 1/8" pieces of hickory from a part of my board so maybe I'll need to resaw some core lams too.

[Stingray45]

I vote hickory on the backing.

[KellyG]

well now hickory or ash. Hmmm Hickory is the safe bet but could over power the cherry. I think either would look good.

Hickory is my vote I think.

[AKmud]

I've always heard hickory backed cherry makes a fast bow...one of these days I'll get one to hold up.