Trilam Build Questions

[Roy from Pa]

Be SURE to:

Do a dry run on the edge of bench, run a string from tip to tip to get it straight, and clamp it down to bench.
    I drill 2 holes in the handle grip area and a hole on each side of the limb tips.
    After the parts are glued together, I put toothpicks into those holes to keep the bow straight.

Wrap the bow with plastic wrap after applying the glue.
    Or you will have a mess...

Pad the back and belly material with something to protect it from damage if using C clamps.
   Or you will cause damage to the back especially that could be detrimental to the bows survival.

[Bowjunkie]

EXCELLENT advice right there from Bmorv. Read that twice.

Some guys think because it's a laminated bow that they can use any old piece of wood.... especially for the core.... ya know.... maybe it has knots, is warped to the side, or has runout, or a swirly hard spot, or it's cut flat grain and cut through a bunch of growth rings, etc. I won't use that stuff. I'm not saying you can't make a bow out of some of it, there are varying degrees of quality, but the best bows are made with the best materials and I'm done fighting bows because I tried to use something I should have burned.

I've burned a lot of bow wood culling my stash to have good quality wood in the shop, and I understand not everyone has access to it or makes it the priority I do... I'm just saying... use the best you can get your hands on.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I want the backings to be 10's, the cores to be clear 7's or better, and the belly lams to be 9's or 10's.

One wood that I will lower my standards for just a wee bit by comparison is Yew, only because it seems to deal with knots differently than the hardwoods do... and I mean a WEE bit. I'm still very picky.

[Roy from Pa]

I'm still very picky.

Not you?

Say it isn't so...

 

[Bowjunkie]

Maybe a little. 

[Exiled_Archer]

Thanks.

I'm one of those people who was thinking "ah screw it, its laminated. How much for the #3 pine?"

Lol not really. But I was thinking belly wood I could get away with a 7 and core wood a 4-5 (knot free).

So with what's been said, I'll up the expectations on my lams. Thanks for the link to kenny. I know I should just buy lams, but it's so hard for me to buy stuff. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Thanks guys.

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[Roy from Pa]

You could back the bow with bamboo?

But hickory will be fine also.

I have a thin wooden pattern of my bows profile. I lay that pattern on the flat side of the boo after I have flattened the belly side of the boo or you can lay it on the hickory backing. You can see the pattern laying over to the right in the picture.

This picture below is a hickory backing, after my pattern was traced onto it, then cut out on the bandsaw then sanded to the line.

I glue the belly lam, core lam, and backing up all at one time in my form. The form in the above videos.

Then when that is dry, you glue on a 12 to 13 inch riser, traced out to match the curve that was put into the bow's handle section from being in the form.