Small tip for guys who use rubber.

[Buemaker]

From time to time the issue of using rubber bands as clamping comes up. If you use only one strip as a clamping spacer the tightened rubber bands gives a lot of clamping force at the edges and little in the middle. So I think this way is better: Cut three strips of a suitable material ( I use 1/8 " thick strips of hard building plates, they are flexible enough) the widest is sligthly narrower than the lams to be glued, then the next. a little narrower and the third narrower again. Use them as a step pyramid. I use this both with rubber bands and clamps and I think it works fine. I'll post two pics. Bue--.

[Buemaker]

[Buemaker]

[jsweka]

Good tip Beau    

I once had the brainy idea of using surgical tubing to clamp layers of overlay material on the back of the riser area on a bow.  Just like you said, more pressure was applied to the edges and I ended up with a void in the middle where I could slip a piece of paper under the center of the overlay when the glue dried.  I had to grind off those overlays and start over.  Won't make that mistake again.

[LittleBen]

That is a great idea. I'm definitely going to adopt this approach. I've been using 1 pressure strip, but I really like the idea of a stack of them.

[eflanders]

Thanks for the tip.  Interestingly I have not experienced the issue you mention (yet).  Maybe it's because I have always used two 1/8" thick strips of aluminum as flat clamping surfaces???  I place one aluminum strip on the form, place my lams on it, then place the other aluminum strip over the top, then I criss-cross stretch my continuous rubber band over the whole thing.  It definitely provides a lot of clamping strength as I have actually broken off the dowels at times while stretching the band over them.