a book on tri-lams

[knuklhed]

Can anyone recommend one to me? I would like to try laying one up, and want to find a good reference to help me. The variations I've seen in the build alongs have my head spinning. Or,as an alternative, if I can find a mentor close to me, that would work.
Thanks!

[monterey]

There is a good instructional by Mike Westvang (dryad bows) in the fourth volume of the TBB (I think it's vol 4   :confused:   )

Ol Roy here has loads of trilam stuff posted right here on the bench.  Mostly just pictures, he don't know much about ritin.  He has a book in him but no way to get it out.!    

[Bowjunkie]

The quickest way to stop that head spinning is to jump in with both feet. I haven't seen a reference that walks you through it, but it isn't rocket science. I just started making them, kept a few notes, and that was that.

It took me a while to convince Roy to try them, and now that's all he wants to make    

[Roy from Pa]

I use 1/4 sawn Osage for the belly lam, 1/4" thick parallel, not tapered, 1 3/4" wide, 66 long. I use 1 3/4" wide red elm for the core lam, grain doesn't matter, 5/32nd thick at riser, tapered to 1/16th at the tips. I taper the boo from 1/8th at riser to 1/16th at tips. The boo has already been cut to the exact shape of the bow before glue up. The flares I make 1 1/4" wide, then hold that width out another 6", then do a straight taper to 1/2 wide at tips.

I score the glue surfaces with a toothing plane, and use unibond800 for the glue. I find the half way point between the tips and flares and that is where I place the mid limb posts mark for glue up.

Before glue up, I lay all the pieces on the bench  like they will be glued up and I run a tight string from end to end. I clamp down those pieces and drill 2 holes in the handle area where the leather grip will cover them. I drill a hole on each side of the limb tips. After the glue is applied to all surfaces, I place toothpicks into those holes to keep the parts aligned while clamping.

I pad the belly and boo side with material to keep the clamps from indenting the material when clamping. My center post is 3 3/4" high, my mid limb posts are 2 3/4" high and the end posts are 5.5" high. I wrap the entire bow with plastic wrap to keep the glue off the clamps and form.

I clamp every 2 inches, don't crank the clamps down too tight, just snug them good. I alternate the clamps every other clamp, meaning I place them on opposite sides of the bow. Clamp the bow at the center of the handle first, then clamp at the two mid limb posts next. Then go ahead and put all the other clamps on.

Unibond will dry in 24 hours at 70 degrees.

After the glue is dry, then glue on the riser and clamp it up. When ya get that far I'll posts more pictures.

That should be a start. Any questions, just ask.

[Roy from Pa]

 

 

 

 

[BMorv]

Monterey had it right, TBB4 under laminated wood bows.  That's about the most detailed build I've seen on tri-lams.  You'll still have to do some experimenting to get the recipe right for your setup.  I glued up tri-lam #3 last night and I'm still tweaking things a bit.  
Thanks Bowjunkie for your equal limb timing explanation on one of Roy's builds.  I started tillering that way and it balances the bow quite nicely.

[Roy from Pa]

 

[Roy from Pa]

I taught Bowjunkie everything he knows..    

[BMorv]

Roy, your boo looks better than mine.  You only have 2 nodes per working limb, and I normally have 3.  Where do you get it again?

[Roy from Pa]

It's called Madake, pronounced Mah-dak-ie. I get kiln dried whole poles. About $35 each, get 4 to 5 bows out of one pole. Call and ask for Jennifer, tell her it's for bow building, she knows all about that.. Tell her I said howdy.


  http://www.beautifulbamboo.com/

[BMorv]

Thanks.  How's shipping considering it's a whole pole?

[Roy from Pa]

3 of them total bill was about $130 to Pa.

[knuklhed]

Thanks for all the replies. I have a few more questions. Roy, what weight are you aiming for? I want a light bow for building form first. Do I reduce thicknesses slightly to get that? And,how do you cut your tapers on the full length slats? What other woods are good for bellies?  

Thanks for the pictures,as well.

[Roy from Pa]

Shooting for 50 to 55 #.

You could make the belly lam 3/16th and core lam 3/32nds. Hard maple, black walnut, black locust, mulberry, red oak.

[goobersan]

[knuklhed]

Roy,I see you use a few spring clamps mixed in along the way. I don't have all that many C clamps, so I'm wondering if the spring type have enough clamping force to do the job all the way along, except at the posts. The main benefit I could see would be uniformity of pressure, making it impossible to over tighten, which if I understand right, leads to starving the glue joints. (Plus, the spring clamps are just a bit cheaper than C's at HF. And, I'm a cheepsk8.) What do you think?

Thanks for the help!

[Roy from Pa]

They probably would, but I would place them tight against each other alternating sides, and buy stronger ones. You really don't need the bigger C clamps like I use. Smaller clamps like maybe 2" clamps would suffice.

[Kopper1013]

Roy have you ever thought about teaching a weekend class  

[Roy from Pa]

No I haven't.

[Kopper1013]

Hmmmmmmm......... maybe you should