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Author Topic: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow  (Read 896 times)

Offline bubba1986

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Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« on: December 20, 2012, 05:34:00 PM »
Well I'm taking the plunge and decided to try my hand at a reflex/deflex longbow out bamboo and ipe. Any advise? Tips? Tricks? Suggestions on forms for gluing it up and any donts that I need to avoid? Any help would be much appreciated!
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Offline vanillabear?

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2012, 05:45:00 PM »
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Offline macbow

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2012, 05:59:00 PM »
Here is a link from a week or more ago.
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=009184

Should answer a couple of your questions.
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Offline bubba1986

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2012, 06:38:00 PM »
Thanks guys. I'm pretty excited about it!
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Online Roy from Pa

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2012, 08:56:00 PM »
Wear protection when working with IPE. It's great wood, but is known to give folks severe reactions. I know first hand.
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Offline psychmonky

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2012, 09:47:00 PM »
X2 on the reactions. Personally I don't have issues but my wife gets pretty severe skin irritation from the dust. I guess its a reaction,  but its almost like she scrubbed her skin really hard with a stiff brush.
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Offline Tom Leemans

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2012, 02:51:00 PM »
Was IPE the one that smelled like cocoa when you scraped it? I remember there were scads of people trying IPE for bows one year at MOJam.
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Online Pat B

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2012, 06:29:00 PM »
One thing I learned about ipe bows is you don't want them too wide. I wouldn't go wider that
1 3/8".
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Offline D

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2012, 06:37:00 PM »
I start with mine bows at 1.5 inches wide and when I get them all the glue cleaned up they are 1.25.  I love using ipe.
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Offline bubba1986

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2012, 09:54:00 AM »
I planned on making mine 1.25 at its widest point but what is the reason you won't make one any wider
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Online Pat B

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #10 on: December 22, 2012, 10:18:00 AM »
If it is too wide the ipe will be quite thin by the time you get it tillered out. I did this years ago with a hickory backed ipe. My first ipe bow. When tillered, the ipe was thinner than the 1/8" hickory backing and the bow was 55#. It shot fine, just looked funny.
  Ipe doesn't mind being a little thick and does well with a radiused belly.
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Offline vanillabear?

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #11 on: December 22, 2012, 11:29:00 AM »
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Offline ber643

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2012, 12:17:00 PM »
I did a BBI pictorial build 3 or 4 years back (from a glue-up by Rich's Archery in CA) and I think it might still be in the archives. Did it as a pretty narrow and small tipped longbow. Named it "Cowgirl". LOve it and i believe it is probably the fastest all wood bow i have. The Ipe didn't bother me at all but I have a friend that gets a lot of nasal and skin grief when working with it. You might want to have a mask handy - just in case.

 
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Offline bubba1986

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2012, 12:34:00 PM »
Thanks for the pics guys. Those are both beauties! Should be getting my materials in sometime next week and I'm sure ill be posting lots of pics with lots of questions as I go
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Offline D

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2012, 11:15:00 PM »
Me and a buddy was making one a while back for him and the boo lifted a splinter off the side.  He didn't want a boo backed bow after that so he cut his riser off of it and as an experiment I took the bow and cut the width down until I got out of the splinter.  Glued on a new riser and tillered it.  The width at the widest point was 3/4ths of an inch.  I nicknamed it skinny minnie.  Even at that narrow width the draw weight was still in the 60's.  I don't shoot it much but it is a pretty good little shooter.
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Offline Grandpa Bill

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #15 on: December 23, 2012, 11:31:00 AM »
Go to Harbor Freight and buy a $15.00 dual filter respirator.  Use it when you are sanding Ipe.  Once you develop a sensitivity to the dust, it does not go away.

Much better to be safe and not sorry next year.

Bill
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Online Roy from Pa

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #16 on: December 23, 2012, 11:45:00 AM »
Got that right Bill. I got my bad reaction 3 years ago and I still have problems with things that never bothered me before.
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Offline Grandpa Bill

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #17 on: December 23, 2012, 01:17:00 PM »
My sensitivity started about 3 years ago with composite radio controlled gliders....lots of carbon fiber and epoxy.  Now I have to use a respirator and double gloves (latex and nytrite) to even glue in arrow inserts.  Otherwise, I get really nasty breathing problems for about 2 days.  It is not fun.

Bill
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Offline D

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #18 on: December 23, 2012, 09:08:00 PM »
Heck yeah on the respirator.  Hardely ever sand anything without wearing it.
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Online Roy from Pa

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Re: Gonna try my hand at a bamboo backed ipe bow
« Reply #19 on: December 23, 2012, 09:49:00 PM »
Heck Bill, we had to switch laundry detergents and go to dainty flower bath soap for me. LOL
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