Bamboo + walnut = back to the drawing board

[takefive]

Hi all, new bow builder here working on what would have been my fourth bow.  This was my first try at boo backing and yeah, I should have gone with hickory instead of walnut.  But walnut is prettier so...  I was doing the final tiller and had it very close to the 45# I was aiming for when it started to fret.  My next glue up will either be hickory/boo or I may break the bank and go with osage. But unfortunately, I'm still obsessed with walnut and have enough for another bow.  If I go with a very thin hickory backing and don't put any reflex into it, do you think it's worth trying?  Or should I just keep the walnut to use for handles?  

 

 

[Roy from Pa]

You sure that's Walnut? Never seen Walnut that light in color.

[takefive]

It was from a board that I bought from Menards and it was labeled walnut, Roy.  You're right that it is light colored, much lighter than the other boards in the rack.  Thinking that it was mostly sapwood, but it had the straightest grain out of all of them.  Maybe that was still a bad choice on my part.  Still learning here.

[Roy from Pa]

Yup sap wood would do it.

[Bowjunkie]

I tried walnut with bamboo and hickory backings years ago and had the same results... frets, no matter how careful i tillered em.. Instead of using it for handles, where it may fret in the dips, you can use it sandwiched between bamboo and osage in a tri-lam.

[takefive]

Guess I will be giving up on the walnut.  Then again, maybe if I can just find that perfect board....  

[Roy from Pa]

Bows have been made of all walnut, however it's not the premier of bow woods. Do a search on you tube for Jimmy Blackmon, he made a walnut self bow that looks and shot good but they don't last like Osage.

[takefive]

Thanks for the tip on the tri-lam, Bowjunkie.  I'm sure that I will give that a try down the road.  Really wishing that I would have skipped the part in The Bent Stick where he talked about the great hickory backed walnut bows that the "old timers" made.  Then again, I'll probably never have the tillering skills that they must have had.  I just ordered the Dean Torges DVD on bamboo backed bows and am hoping that will help me before I start on my next one.  It's going to be osage/boo and walnut free.

[Roy from Pa]

I have that DVD worn out:) It's a goodie and you will love it and learn a lot.

[takefive]

Thanks, Roy.  I'll check out that Jimmy Blackmon video.  As a beginner, there is so much confusing information on the bow woods.  I swear that one of the Bowyer's Bibles really talks up walnut, especially the sapwood.  Then again, I've made all of 3 bows and if experience is the best teacher, I've got a long way to go to get there.  Really have enjoyed making them so far, though.

[takefive]

Man, I am always one reply behind :-)  3 Rivers shipped the DVD yesterday and I can't wait to watch it.  All the bow builders and information on this forum are terrific, too.

[Roy from Pa]

I'm sure a walnut board from Menards  was prolly a lot dryer and not cared for as well compared to if you cut down a walnut tree and made it into staves. I make BBO's all the time, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Bowjunkie has made several BBO's also. And welcome to Trad Gang, you won't find a better bunch of guys who are willing to pass on their secrets and knowledge.

[takefive]

Thanks, Roy!  I ordered the osage and bamboo and I have enough Unibond and 30+ clamps for the glue up.  Hope to get started on it next weekend.

[Roy from Pa]

Cool, here is my setup. Remember that you want to pad the back of the bamboo so the clamps do not indent it's surface. If you don't do that, bad things will happen:)

 

 

   

End result of setup.

 

[takefive]

That is a great set up Roy.  In fact, I watched your video and copied your table/form for the one I made to glue up my walnut/boo bow.  I got a lot of reflex out of it, but couldn't get it to budge much at the center for deflex.  I floor tillered it before glue up but must have left it way too stiff at the middle.  Was worried that it would come in too light at the final tiller.  Hah!  After I glued the bamboo on, it felt like I was starting with a 3/4" thick board all over again.

[Roy from Pa]

LOL, my belly slats are only 1/2 inch thick at the fades, tapered to 3/8th thick at the tips when I glue up for Osage. At the fades, my Osage is 1 1/4 wide, I hold that same 1 1/4 width out 6 more inches, then do a straight taper to 1/2 wide tips. The extra 6 inches of 1 1/4 width from fades on out 6 inches make the area outside of the fades a tad stiffer. There is a lot of stress placed on that area just outside of the fades.

[takefive]

Thanks for the dimensions Roy, now I know where to start.  I'm getting so psyched up for this bow that I'd start right now if I had the wood.  The glue up turned out to be the best thing about my walnut bow.  Clamped it the way you do and there were no gaps at all, just perfect all along the edge.

[Black Mockingbird]

Me n walnut don't like each other too much...had a  selfbow go wonky on me,and a 68" hickory backed walnut that was even 2" wide out of the fades,and I even trapped the hickory back,and with perfect tiller out to only 26" ...that thing was screaming fast until after only 50 shots the damn thing fretted on me...if I have to go wider and longer than that then I don't wanna be carrying that around for sure.....but I have had good success putting it in between boo n yew as a core,and it makes a stunning dark strip in the middle between the two

 http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,37725.0.html

There's better woods for bellies for sure...

[Pat B]

It could have been white walnut(aka butternut) or possibly English walnut.

[takefive]

It is a shame that it frets so easily because walnut limbs would look so pretty.  I have a 3 foot board of the very dark stuff and I think I will splice it and use it for the core when I have the confidence to tackle a tri-lam.  Buck Buckley's neat build-along is saved in one of my folders.