How do you make bamboo slats?

[bdsmith1]

So I was watching this video: youtube.com/watch?v=6CS2uO3oQFA on bow building and saw something I didn't expect to see at 1 minute and 5 seconds in (1:05).

The bowyer here was thickness sanding down regular culms of bamboo to make slats? I've never used bamboo like this, and I had always thought the slats used for making limbs on a glass bow were laminated sections like in flooring. I always have the pithy part of the culms left over after I prepare a bamboo backing on the band saw.  I've been throwing it away thinking it was useless. Does anyone else do this? Are the lams any good?  Does anyone have a good process for this?  I have so many questions lol.  Thanks in advance.

Brian

Also, the bowyer's name is Ty Lee.  Great YouTube channel if you haven't checked it out.

[Mad Max]

I like the Carbonized vertical flooring but I have done the same  thing for a lighter color mixed with the carbonized.
I made some veneers with slats for clear glass wit a little stain at the node area.

[bdsmith1]

are these good to used for core limb laminations? I'll have to check out the flooring. I've never used bamboo in a glass bow.

[Mad Max]

Yes the Vertical boo flooring
Big Jim's Bow Company in Georgia has it, call them for flooring.
It use to be real popular  for flooring, not so much now so hard to find now.
What have you been using??

[Mad Max]

I watched about half of that Video and decided 
Better Video's to watch

[Kirkll]

Yes the Vertical boo flooring
Big Jim's Bow Company in Georgia has it, call them for flooring.
It use to be real popular  for flooring, not so much now so hard to find now.
What have you been using??

I wish I could find that carbonized laminated flooring again. I about cried when my favorite manufacturer quit making it….  Kirk

[onetone]

So is it the appearance of the carbonized flooring you guys like, or is there a performance factor?

[Mad Max]

So is it the appearance of the carbonized flooring you guys like, or is there a performance factor?

My first comment the reason I said that was I was making a bow for a friend and was make a R/D bow and the guy gave me a pressed boo stranded riser block and he wanted all bamboo, so I used carbonized lams and boo slat I milled flat for veneers under clear glass, also power lams and tip wedges with the bamboo slats. This is the only picture I have. I used 6 lams in this bow.


When the Vertical bamboo flooring came on the market it was easy to get at Lowes/Home depot, they would order 1 box for you also with no shipping charge. I think the Performance is better but mostly because everyone was using it at the time.
my .02 cent

[Kirkll]

So is it the appearance of the carbonized flooring you guys like, or is there a performance factor?

Back when I first really got into building and testing performance in various designs I used a bunch of different bamboo until I found what I was looking for.
Some of the natural bamboo was pretty limp by comparison to the carbonized material. I’m thinking it’s because it was heat treated and produced higher tension levels.

The real difference was testing compression between the two…. Now bamboo in general doesn’t have very good compression properties compared to many other hardwoods. But it excels in tension strength.  When building glass backed 100% bamboo cores for long bows, the carbonized material was constantly higher draw weight for the same stack as natural bamboo.

When incorporated in to RC limbs with thinner lams, I found it best to use the bamboo core towards the back, and use a maple core on the belly. HUGE difference. I believe this was due to the higher compression strength of the rock hard maple….

My last case of bamboo I purchased was a Fossilized woven strand. Highest janka rating for hardness I’ve ever seen. But….even though the strength was there,  The mass weight in this product was considerably higher than the carbonized stuff, and had to be used carefully with very thin lams….. I miss the old stuff.   

Kirk

[Mad Max]

With you and Big Jim being in the same state I would try some.
 

[onetone]

Thanks for the background guys.

“Same state”? You must mean somebody else.

[Mad Max]

Thanks for the background guys.

“Same state”? You must mean somebody else.

Yep bdsmith1

[bdsmith1]

I didn't realize he was in Georgia.  I'll just drop by instead of paying freight for glass next time lol.

[bdsmith1]

Yes the Vertical boo flooring
Big Jim's Bow Company in Georgia has it, call them for flooring.
It use to be real popular  for flooring, not so much now so hard to find now.
What have you been using??

I usually build self and bamboo backed bows. I haven't built anything with glass since 2016. My shop situation just got a lot better since leaving active duty, so I've built new forms, templates, jigs and a got some new machines in the shop all aimed at building a lot more glass bows.  The Drum sander, edge sander and having a dedicated resaw bandsaw are gamechangers for me, so I'm getting ready to dive in head first again.  All of the lams I've cut and prepped are ash and maple.  I sawed 64 lams a few days ago at .200 to be sanded down to spec as needed later. I have a huge grove of Tonkin bamboo down the road, so I was hoping, after seeing the video, that it would be a great source for lams, but after reading here, it seems like the natural stuff isn't so hot. Could you link me to an example of flooring that you've had good experience with?

[Mad Max]

I thought you could be close enough to drive over to Jims.
Not any links for a manufacture, All is made over seas where it grows.
The last box I got had no information on the box at all but good stuff.
If Jims is using it, it will be good.
Over the years there was some bad flooring out there, voids, lack of glue.

So the vertical in this picture is what you want and even shows where the lams would be.
The finish on the top side of the flooring is very hard, so I rip mine with the finish side down, it seems to me it would be easer on the blade. I use the Wood Slicer blade 1/2" and and tune up the blade and drift on your bandsaw (Youtube both)


After tuning and blade drift tuning I glued this up right off the saw, no thickness sanding. Bocote and Osage

[bdsmith1]

I went with Kenny's suggestion on sawblades and got the 1/2 4tpi hooktooth Lennox DieMaster 2 blade.  It's tuned and cutting great. Goes through ash and maple pretty quick. I'll look into ordering some bamboo.  We have a couple of flooring stores close by.  I'll check em' out!

[Mad Max]

Keep us informed 

[wood carver 2]

Not sure if this is any help, but there is bamboo plywood out there and if I’m not mistaken the core is vertical ply.
Dave.

[Mad Max]

Not sure if this is any help, but there is bamboo plywood out there and if I’m not mistaken the core is vertical ply.
Dave.

I think that's what Big Jim has but it's solid vertical

[Pat B]

Check out Northwest Bamboo. I bought some bamboo lumber from them years ago to build a hickory backed boo bow. Unfortunately it was before I knew what I was doing.