New Bamboo backed Ipe bow

[Roy from Pa]

Glue all 3 pieces at once then put in the form.

[Ismail]

How to put in the recurve tips?

[Ismail]

Don't want to sound too ignorant. I know I have to use a heat gun to bend the tips into a recurve.

But how do I make a form?

[mikkekeswick]

Your form should be one piece?
Put glue on your lams then start clamping at the handle, move out to the tips. Glue on both sides of each mating surface.

[Ismail]

In the link below, Roy put a bit of recurve before putting the R/D form in.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=013158

How do you flip those tips like that?

[Roy from Pa]

I made these little 7" long forms and place them under the tips, heat the last 8 inches of the tips with a heat gun till you can hardly touch them, then clamp down and let cool completely.


 

 

 

 

 

[Roy from Pa]

Here is my form, fully adjustable. I can slide those posts wherever I want to get as much or as little of deflex and reflex I want.

     

     

Note in the video below how I have pieces of boo on top and a long lam under the bow. This is to protect the bow from getting damaged by the clamps. Very important... That will be $19.95 for the above info.. LOL

   

[Roy from Pa]

There are guys who don't flip the tips like I do prior to glue up. They simply add another long clamp at the tip area to pull the limb down to add reflex. I " highly suggest " doing a dry run in your form before you do the glue up!

[Bowjunkie]

I do it without heat-bending. That's kind of redundant imo.

Trilams... that's the main reason I bother making a trilam as opposed to a backed single piece of core wood.... because it's flexible enough I can bend it into whatever shape I want during glue up... up to and including full recurves.

If I wanted to make an isolated sharp bend in a static recurve, that would be different.

[Ismail]

Thanks a mil for all the invaluable info.

$19.95 in SA currency with the current exchange rate...R306! Our economy is a bit on the 'deflex' side at the moment...the 'banana' kind;)

Marked the posts last night, should cut them out tonight. Will put the pics up once they done.

Will have to do a dry-run before glue up. Already apprehensive with so many details to get right.

[Roy from Pa]

Make sure your form base is good and strong. Otherwise when you clamp up the bow, you will lose some deflex and reflex due to the form bowing upwards.

Show him a picture Bowjunkie of your form glue up.

[mikkekeswick]

Another way to get the tips of a thick belly piece flexible enough for plenty of reflex is to run a saw cut up the middle and then cut a lam the same thickness as the kerf and insert at glue-up. This works for full recurves too.

[Bowjunkie]

Yep, I've done that many times. Very cool, easy technique... if one is adept at bandsaw use.

It can also be used to put reflex and a little more efficiency into a straight or string follow selfbow, board bow, etc.

[Ismail]

Making a mental note of these tips.

Always wondered how they got those wedges into the tips.

If this dual lam comes out right, will try a trilam next.

Here are the posts cut out. Think its Meranti wood. Still have to do the bases and finishing touches.

 

[Roy from Pa]

The second from the right is a tad higher than the second from the left.

[Ismail]

Ok, will sort that out tomm. Going to reduce the width also. Dont need them so wide.

[Bowjunkie]

Important... double and triple check that those pieces are each parallel/level. For instance, the second one from the left looks to be taller on its right side than its left. Gluing up a bow with it the way it sits will ultimately induce limb twist that is almost impossible to remove by the usual methods.

The groundwork for these bows is 90% of the battle. Save yourself.

[mikkekeswick]

Yep those are a bit wonky!!
Making certain everything is dead on right.
Every step has to be right or else the house of cards starts falling down.

[PZee]

Hey Ismail,

Have you ever had a look at Sam Harper's website poor folk bows. He has great build alongside on there and a ton of advice.

Be  careful of heating Ipe. I've never experimented with heating it, I heard it doesn't like dry heat and steaming is better. Just what I've heard.

Keep well
Pete

[macbow]

I've heard tell that Ipe can be heated. I never have I would just let the form add the reflex it is enough.
Leave the bending of the tips forwood like osage.