64" Glass Longbow build- DONE BLOODED!!

[bornofmud]

You using tip wedges on this guy too Kenny?  What core taper are you planning on going with? Going to be a cool experiment!  You could be the first guy setting everyone up with tapered glass! Haha

[Roy from Pa]

What's right ole boy?

[MoeM]

Originally posted by kennym:
I'm sure all the glass strands don't run full length

But usually most fibres shall run through full length- even full coil, or with very very little grain runout! The fibres are produced endless; they are draged out of the melt ("pultrudiert"; can`t find a translation). But when you taper from one side the inner cohesion of the matrix shall be way enough to keep everything together...

[kennym]

Thanks Moe, didn't know that.

It will have the superlam in it with tip wedge and powerlam built into a .001 taper.

It will have a .001 taper on the back under the veneer and the glass has .001 total taper.

So the same .003 taper, thought about going to .004 since I was narrowing it a bit, but with more glass towards center, thought it might get a bit whip ended?

As far as custom grinding glass to tapers, its not in the plan just yet. Its hard on belts too, not just blades , besides being time consuming.....

[bornofmud]

Hmm, I'd say .003 would probably be safer.  I'd imagine that taking off .001 of glass is kind of like having a .002 or .003 wood taper, though it's hard to say because the ratios are different.  You did a .004 with plam and tip wedges on the testing bows right? or was it .003?

And yeah, working fiberglass is a nightmare regardless of how you decide to go about it.  Wouldn't be fun putting those fancy tools through so much abuse on a regular basis! Regardless, excited to see the outcome of this thing!

[Roy from Pa]

Oh boy, Oh boy, gonna have a Superlam... Can't wait:)

[choochoou]

I'm watching this one too.Joe

[beachbowhunter]

Originally posted by MoeM:
 

Originally posted by kennym:
I'm sure all the glass strands don't run full length

But usually most fibres shall run through full length- even full coil, or with very very little grain runout! The fibres are produced endless; they are draged out of the melt ("pultrudiert"; can`t find a translation). But when you taper from one side the inner cohesion of the matrix shall be way enough to keep everything together... [/b]

What I might do then, is to put the ground side of the glass facing the core...

[Zradix]

x2

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Come on Kenny! It's not nice to make us wait!

[kennym]

Yep, ground the glue side of glass.

Instinctively , tho, not because I thought of the fibers ... LOL

Justin, I been working on orders and doin the bow build as time permits. Would help if bowhuntin season was over too! Bout got yours ready to go bud.

[bowhntineverythingnh03743]

Oh ok Kenny I'll let it slide lol... Our seasons closed Sunday so it's all about being in the shop again

[kennym]

OK, here we go with the riser, all pcs roughed up with 50 grit and marked so we get em in there right, but only the outside 2 can be messed up for grain...

 

The EA-40 , mixed by estimation of 50/50 A and B, I had to mix a little more before I was done. Lots of pcs in there!!

 

Note the plastic wrap, when all glue is on, I wrap the riser up to keep glue off my clamps and everything else! Vinyl gloves are cheap and keeps the glue off you....

 

Glue is applied here and riser block wrapped up in plastic


 

Now we put the 1/4" plywood blocks and some spring clamps on the sides to keep the pcs all lined up...


 

Make sure the ends are flush with each other...

 

Now put the rest of the clamps on, tighten in sequence and lightly, it lets the glue out . Go over them several times , giving each the same torque by feel. Now throw her in the easybake oven and wait....

 

[rockkiller]

I have whats probably a dumb question,but what's the difference between a power lam and a super lam?  

[kennym]

First 2 pics are back and side of riser all cleaned up.....


 

 

Now I clamp the skive jig on the old disc sander. That 20 year old rig still has the squarest table on it!!

 

Here I run both back lams in it to skive an angle on it to glue into one lam. I grind the one next to disc, then switch places with em and run the other. No idea what the angle is, longer joint is better tho....

 

Result....

 

Now if you look toward the other end of bench, that is a 1/4" x 1.5" x 6' aluminum straightedge that I lay the lams on to glue the skive joint.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the aluminum at the joint area so you don't glue your lams to it.

I clamp one lam to keep it straight with the aluminum bar, then apply CA to BOTH lams, this gives you about 15-20 seconds to get them lined up with the bar.

 

With all that done, lay the 2nd lam on , flip the plastic over and feel to see if they are flush. Then put a little plywood block on top and clamp . I clamp to bench , aluminum bar and all....

 


Let it set for 20 minutes or so, then take clamp off and sand the glue line til it blends in with lam. You will still see a dark area where the glue soaked into lams. Won't bother, as long as you get it roughed up....
 

[kennym]

A powerlam is just at the riser to stiffen a little thru fades, the superlam is a .001 taper with the powerlam ground into the same lam, plus a tip wedge on the other end......

[kennym]

Here are the veneers glued together to make a full length lam.....

 

The maple core lams skived and ready to glue....

 

You can see I soak em pretty good. Might not need so much glue, but it works....

 

Flip the plastic wrap over, put the block on and clamp after making sure the lam is laying on the straitedge....

 

 

Now I cut everything to length and mark the matching lam side to go out to see thru glass....

 

Now to cut the riser for the bow back radius...

I clamp the riser on the swing jig and check from the pivot to see where the blade is gonna cut the riser. 27" radius on this bow fits really good, and 27" is gonna cut just a shade off the back of riser...

 

Here she is rough cut out. First I go to the disc sander and remove all bandsaw marks with 40 grit.

 I take it before I cut the belly fades on it and clamp on top of all lams that go under the riser to the form to check glue lines. I had to adjust a little on this one. Only one trip to the disc sander tho, so not a bad one...

 

[kennym]

Checking glue line with lams/glass under riser....

   

Now I grind the fades to feather ends.

   

Glue the little helper on with CA, keeps lams and glass from sliding up the belly ramps and gives something to push them against.If they slide up over the corner of riser, it lifts them down on the belly ramp and leaves a gap!! Don't ask, I still cry over that one! Just grind it off when you shape the riser....

   

Got everything laid out and ready on a new sheet of butcher paper, after blowing all dust off lams and glass...

   

Got the EA-40 stirred well, and even took a pic during glue up(got a new camera, so this one is the shop cam)

I glue 2 lams wide when I can if they are close to same thickness...

   

Full length lams are glued, so I grease the riser up good and clamp it in place so it don't get away from me!

   

Glued all the belly lams and put on the stack, taped in place , covered in plastic, pressure strip, air hose, top form. Needed a bit of help to get bolted up....

   

More uses for the plywood pcs, I just screw em on the form before airing up to keep lams in place side to side. I use 4 per side , 2 at ends of riser and 2 midlimb, the tips can be off a little....

I put 70 # in about 10# at a time and let it squeeze glue out in between shots off air...

   

[kennym]

Don't forget to wipe the glue down off limb edges before you bake it. It stays between the plastic sheets you put on form and on top of bow, and you can just tear the plastic and excess glue off and throw it out.

 

[Roy from Pa]

I'm getting high from all these glue pictures. Brings back memories, LOL.

Sure looks like a lot of work to make a bow:)