Built my BBI form..didn't work

[Zradix]

Thanks for the confidence booster Roy.
That just puts a nice spring in my step.

...lol..    

[Zradix]

gonna be a loooong 4 hrs till I can start...
   

[Echatham]

don't rush it! measure twice, cut once!

[Zradix]

Thanks Eric.

[Zradix]

So I received this pile of wood today..
 

[Zradix]

After looking things over a bit..not really knowing what to look for..but seeing nothing obviously bad, I started measuring the boo.

Found the node placement didn't really cooperate on the pc with the longer distance between nodes.

So I went with choice 2..already back peddling..lol

I found I could cut this pc and have a node at 5.25" from each tip.

After cutting to length, I found the center lengthwise...made a mark.
Then found the center widthwise..made a cross.

Then I found the thickest part on each end and tried to stretch a string between those points and thru the center...that didn't really work out.

So I moved the line on the tips to the spots that looked best to me, while still having the string cross at the center.

After I was satisfied on the placement of the string I made a mark where the string lied on the tips...to be the center of the tips.

After that I connected the dots lengthwise to make a center line down the boo.

With these lines in place, I then carefully measured and drew out the layout for the bow.

This bow is going to be appx 1.25" wide thru the handle and power lam.

The handle will be 9"
The PL 12"

I'm planning on keeping the 1.25" width 4" past the PL.
Then doing a straight taper to 1/2" tips.
66" tip2tip

Here's the overall layout..
     

 

[Zradix]

Then it was off to the sander to taper the boo down to the lines..

 

 

[Zradix]

At this point I started thinning down the boo.

At first I used the table sander.
Sanding with the boo at a bit of an angle down to near the edge on both sides so that a crown was left in the middle.

I just couldn't see well enough to try and keep the boo flat on the sander and not be afraid of going too far on the side I wasn't looking at that particular moment.

After The edges were pretty thin, I carefully worked the crown down a bit with the sander.

Then it was time for the block..
 

[Zradix]

I got it very evenly sanded..that took quite a while..
I was thinking about the advantage of a shorter bow at this point..lol

 

[Zradix]

I did have one scary oops though.

I got one spot a little too thin right next to a node..
This kinda freaked me out ..

 

[Zradix]

After, measuring, laying the boo on my pine template I've been playing with, and a little hope..lol

I'm pretty sure I left things just wide enough in my rough out to compensate for this edges of disaster.

[Zradix]

Then it was time to play with the ipe.

I had been a little leary of working with the ipe as I've heard some people have a really bad reaction to the stuff.

But it was time.

So off to the table saw to rip it to a thickness of 3/8".

Then a width of 1.25"

And cut to the 66" length.

[Zradix]

didn't start coughing a gagging ..whew.

I was wearing a dust mask though..

Then I laid the boo on the ipe and traced it out.

Then back the sander to rough out the ipe's shape.

Ended up like this..
 

[Zradix]

Tomorrow (if I can find time) will be shaping the PL.

[Zradix]

I have a couple questions though guys.

can you go TOO thin on the boo?
This stuff is down to about a knife edge.
I thought thinner was better..maybe I went too far?
The center is a knife edge too, but as it's wider it's also a bit thicker there...little under 1/8" about .12.
so..the thickness of the boo does taper from center to tips..getting thinner. to about .04
Obviously that one spot by the node got too thin..but I'll be sanding down right to the deepest part in final sanding.

also..and a little less important..
I can use ipe of osage for the PL..what do you think?

[Roy from Pa]

The boo is ok but you should have left the IPE wider than the bows profile of the boo, then after glue up, cut the bow out to the outline of the boo. But it will still make a bow. The lam will be fine.

[Echatham]

how much outside the line did you cut on each piece?

[Roy from Pa]

I didn't see your little Boo oop's before. Cut it up and throw it away, it's garbage now son.

[Roy from Pa]

Ya throw it away yet?

[Roy from Pa]

LMAO...........  

It will be fine, John. Your going to rasp in facets on the back and belly edges of the bow anyway and that little oop's will get rasped away then. Your boo will be very thin there though but it should be fine. It looks to be 7 or 8 inches from the tip so that part of the limb won't/shouldn't be bending much at all. You want to keep the last 7 or 8 inches of the limb tips  fairly stiff.