Lam bow ?

[stack]

Can you build a laminated bow with out using glass?

[Roy from Pa]

Yupper....

[Jomohr84]

Hmm, that sounds like plywood to me...lol. jokes aside, yes, you can, do a search of the bowyer's bench for "tri lam" and you'll turn up results for lots of beautiful plywood bows...Oops I meant laminated. I've never made one, but I'm getting very tempted to try, I've got the materials laying around, just need the time.

This is a good one

   How about a Tri Lam build along

[Bowjunkie]

Yep. Most times I'd rather do it without glass.

[Wolftrail]

Just finishing off a 3 piece all wood bow as a matter of fact.  Hopefully if everything goes well I will post it very soon.

[Roy from Pa]

Jonathan, don't make me do a road trip out there glass boy..    LOL

[LittleBen]

I've built many lam bows and never used glass.

Aside from really really short limbs, or extreme amounts of reflex, you can do most anything with wood that you could with glass. Including fancy risers, takedowns, recurves, etc.

If you build a lam bow from wood, it's probably not going to outperform a good glass bow of the same design, but if you do it right you can be darn close.

If built well they can also last a long time.

[Jomohr84]

Lol, I've never used glass, stuck with sticks out here in the sticks. I've sawed out some good white oak backings and hickory, looking to do either a backed bow or tri lam. Would bubinga do ok as a belly wood, or should I get some ipe or osage?

[Roy from Pa]

I'm not familiar with bubinga qualities. But as far as I know, Osage is the best bow wood out there.

[KenH]

Sure can.  They're called a "wood-wood composite" bow not "plywood"!!  I'm finishing up an historica Akkadian stle bow based on one Jack Farrel from ATARN made.  It's a sort of "gull wing" shape with deep set-back handle and some serious curves -- sort of a pre-Scythian type bow without the radical recurved tips.  Will be posting pictures soon.

[Jomohr84]

Sounds cool, can't wait to see!

[LittleBen]

I don't see any reason bubinga wouldn't be acceptable for belly wood. As long as it's clear and straight grained.

According to the numbers I would build it 20% wider than ipe.

[takefive]

Never used bubinga for a full belly lam, but I have used thin strips for underlays  the last 6" or 8" of the tips and for tip overlays and handles as well.  It's beautiful wood.

[mikkekeswick]

It chrysals before it should for it's density. Keep it as a core.