How feasible is this?

[K. Mogensen]

Hi,

So I'm curious, if someone wanted to build a laminated glass bow, what are the chances that they'd have success on their first try?

It's something that I would like to try at some point, but I don't have unlimited rack space, and would want to build a bow that I actually want to shoot (using materials and a design that I pick, vs. what Bingham's picks). I have most of the equipment I'd need to get by, and I work daily with composites and have experience using epoxies.

FWIW, I'd be looking at something like a reflexed Hill style, which I'd imagine would be a bit easier to begin with than something like a recurve.

[Pat B]

I only built one glass bow and it failed. Getting the fade tapers perfectly straight and feathered into nothing is critical. I know this for a fact!  Next is having a true form and correct clamping pressure. Other than that your chances are excellent. 

[Bvas]

I’d say if you did lots of reading/research and are competent in a wood shop, your chances are pretty good.

If you hang out here and ask lots of questions, your chances are excellent.

[Mark Smeltzer]

Depends completely on you and the amount of patience you have and the amount of home work you're willing to do before you begin. As far as hitting your wight goes, you'll want to have some stack ht. information from someone for that design or you will miss your weight almost for sure.

[monterey]

I'm still shooting my first bow built in 1992.  Ugliest bow you ever saw. I started with a Bingham design and glad I did.  Bingham is adamant about the first timer avoiding also being a first time designer and it's good advice.

[fujimo]

my advice would be, DONT try and "design" your own bow- for starters. i know so many folk that want to be "bow designers" and that usually leads to failure>
get a tried and tested design, get the stack height, follow kennys advice on building a form. and you will be fine.
 ask lots of questions on here and you will be better than fine.
alternatively, get a pre made blank from kenny, do all the tips, overlays and riser shaping, that will give you a good taste for it.
problem with glass bows, is one gose to a lot of effort and expense to build a form, then to use it only once would be a crying shame .
 Kenny also sells  pre made forms.

or find someone close with forms etc, and go over and build a bow on their form, most bowyers are good like that.

[Roy from Pa]

Kennym will be along shortly.

Call and talk to him.

He will help you and can supply all the materials you need.

Kenny has top shelf material.

https://www.kennysarchery.com/

[Forwardhandle]

I came here from making natural material bows with no exsperience with glass , and made my first successful bow that turned out perfect weight & tiller , here was my recipe ,I called Kennym got a copy of his prints & templete , read every book on glass bow making I could , asked the guys here tons of questions , they where probably rolling there eyes great another newbie... Lol, but they all answered with enthusiasm , I meticulously precisely made my form (key in making a glass bow) called Kennym mornings & nights asking more dumb questions.... Lol & he graciously answered at this point he was probably sorry he sold me the materials  & probably still is  when making your first it's hard enough to do with some body else's design there is a fair learning curve over natural material bows & having the guy that designed the bow answer your questions puts you light years a head of the curve , if you do the above suggestions I would say 99% chance of success ! But the best part of making your first here is I feel like I got a new family of friends too !

[Crooked Stic]

Yeah Kenny da' man.

[K. Mogensen]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

I think finding a blank that is close to what I'm looking for is the way to go. It would be a bit of a waste to go through the trouble of building a form and hot box to only use once.

I like the idea of building lots of bows but just don't have the space right now.

[Forwardhandle]

The blank is a really good way to go I did one of Kennys blanks at the same time I was building my bow and I learned a lot doing it that way , but my guess is you will get hooked and be building more 

[Dazzad]

You mention the idea of a reflexed HH, why not for a start, build a straight laid HH? The upside is that the 'form' need be no more sophisticated than a straight piece of timber 72"long by 1.5"wide. In terms of tools, you could manage with as little as a dozen or so clamps, a hacksaw, a couple of files and rasps, and a bunch of sandpaper.

What can't be scrimped on is research and preparation, but as we all have access to this forum and the internet as a whole - all the info and advice you need is at your fingertips.
The above is the list of the resources I had at hand for my first four laminate bow builds. Each and every one turned out beautifully, shot fantastic, and all are still in use today!

If you are thorough and methodical - a simple, beautiful and sweet shooting HH straight-laid longbow is entirely achievable!!!!!

[KenH]

I think Dazzad has your best solution -- build a straight HH.  Much simpler in terms of jig, tools, etc.  You DO NOT NEED a Hot Box, just a warm day above 72F.  Your jig can be a flat, straight, 2x4.  You can use a combination of clamps and innertube bands for clamping, and minimal hand tools to make a really nice, sweet shooting first bow.

[Shredd]

Don't listen to these guys...  What you want is to copy the Border hex 8 bow...  It should be a breeze to make...   

[Forwardhandle]

I wouldnt let making the form detour you the last topless form I made cost me $60 and 6-7 hrs to make You can use clear dimensional lumber probably could have done it cheaper but used Maple !

[C. Johnson]

I'm still shooting my first bow built in 1992.  Ugliest bow you ever saw. I started with a Bingham design and glad I did.  Bingham is adamant about the first timer avoiding also being a first time designer and it's good advice.

You cannot go wrong with a kit bow from Bingham's.  I built my first one in 1996 and it still shoots today.  Start with a flat longbow.  Very easy to build.  My first two were built with mostly hand tools when I was a young guy living in an apartment!

Also, Kenny can get you squared away for sure with materials, forms, and how to information.

My advice is to not try to get too fancy on your first one.  Once you build one, the addiction takes hold and you'll want to build more.  As you gain experience you'll try more complex designs.

[Forwardhandle]

I don't think I would have enough years left to iron out a copy of the Hex 8 or High lander 6.5 but it is a wicked design ,I wish some body here would do the R&D on it then I would build it !

[monterey]

What Craig said!

The flat 68" Bingham design is a good bow.  You don't need to buy their kit.  Go to the Bingham website and download their bow weight chart.  Use it to settle on the stack and order the stuff from Kenny.  Bingham is happy to help you out but they are maybe a little too big to spend the time with you.

Everyone here will be happy to guide you along the way.

[Shredd]

I don't think I would have enough years left to iron out a copy of the Hex 8 or High lander 6.5 but it is a wicked design ,I wish some body here would do the R&D on it then I would build it !

Right now I have my hands full with a simple R/D design... Lol...  At the rate that I am going it may be a while before I even consider to build a recurve...

[EwokArcher]

I like yello wood got started with self bows. But the swap to glass was pretty easy with a binghams recurves kit. If you want to go simple with minimal investment go with a straight long bow. Use a 2x4 for the form and rubber band that bad boy. Skip the air hoses and hot box you'll have a good bow pretty simply with minimal investment. If you dig the process then try rounding off the ends of your 2x4 to give yourself some reflex. When I try a new design I plan on the first one being a proto type to help me figure out the exact thickness needed to get draw weight and work out kinks using cheap black glass. After you know what you are doing you can get fancy with less risk.