Hill style tri-lam build-a-long!

[Apex Predator]

I've started on my next bow. It will be a 66" Hill style tri-lam. It has a bamboo backing, a cypress center lam, and ipe belly. This cypress was cut locally and used by my Grandfather to build his house back in the 1930s. It had been stored in the loft of his barn for 50 years until his death in 1989. I have only a few good pieces. I plan to have some cut into lams for a fiberglass bow that I plan to build one day soon. Anyway, I pre-tapered the core and ipe leaving a thick 14" center section flat on each piece. This thick portion will serve as my island of wood to glue my handle to. I have had trouble with some of them bending into the handle and making the glue lines bulge. I used my new form for this one. I took out the middle post, and used the two deflex posts to support my rather flat handle section. I glued in 2 1/2" of reflex. I'm hoping it will have 1/2-1" when I am finished. Here is the glue up. If you will notice, I had to add two pieces of square tubing so that I had something for my clamps to grab. They would fit around the whole form.

 

Out of the form it still retained 2" of reflex. This is one stout puppy! I'm gonna have bunches of ipe to remove. Good thing I made the cypress thin. Here she is out of the form. I used plenty of Tite-Bond 3 for the glue up.

 

 

Luckily things didn't shift much in the form. I wrap electrical tape around the laminates very tightly in three places before I draw it to the forms profile with clamps. You will have minimal shifting though. You will lose a little width while cleaning up the core. I started with a width of 1 1/4" and am hoping for a finished bow with 1 1/8" wide mid-limbs. She cleaned up nice. The glue lines are superb! They keep getting better.

 

 

I forgot to mention. While the blank was curing in the form for 24 hours, I prepared my riser and tip overlays. I was using a solid ipe block for my riser, but wanted a hickory accent stripe. Here is the ipe and hickory glued up. In the past I have stacked several pieces of handle material, but with this one in wasn't required since my handle section is flat. I glued some pre-prepared elk antler to a thin piece of ipe, for contrast, with CA Gel.

 

 

[Apex Predator]

Here is a dry fit check of the handle section followed by the glue-up.

 

 

Here is a dry fit check of the tips followed by the glue-up.

 

 

Tomorrow I will clean every thing up, rough shape the tips, cut the fades, trap the boo, and put a long string on her.

[BMN]

Very nice!

[SteveD]

Very Nice. Looks great

[LEOPARD]

Looking good!  

[frankwright]

Very Interesting and good pictures. keep them coming!

[robtattoo]

I bet that ain't half as easy as you're making it look!

[Bjorn]

I am fascinated by the process Apex! Can't wait for more.

[Buck Buckley]

Looking good!!

[Apex Predator]

Todays update contains some bad news!  My belt sander bit the dust.  It is a small table top model that I have run the dickens out of.  I have probably ran it hard for a couple of hundred hours!  I'm gonna tear it apart tonight and hopefully it's just a start capacitor of something.  I did get the tips and the riser roughed out before it died.  Here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

[tim-flood]

I have always thoutht that the bamboo should be cut to the outline and knife thin on the edges, then glue it to the bow

[Apex Predator]

This is thicker than others I have done in the past.  Most woods are not strong enough in compression to handle boo this thick, but I think ipe can.  I hope so anyway.

[Apex Predator]

Wish I had more to add, but no progress worth taking photos of.  I took the capacitor off my sander and it was blown, but a new one didn't make it work!  I guess I need to buy a new sander.  I have been working the limbs down with a wood file and scraper.  After several hours of sweat, I am about half way to being able to brace it!  I figure the belt sander would have got me to the brace stage in less than an hour.  It will take about 5 hours with these hand tools.  That is the problem with using new designs.  I have to leave bunches of wood to start, so that I don't come in under weight.  I have a really good taper, so I am working both limbs down evenly.  Hopefully, I can get a string on it by tomorrow morning and take some more photos.  Stay tuned.

[Hojo]

Apex - If you don't mind my asking, Where do you get your bamboo from?  What are the specs on it (size and length, vertical grain, type, etc)?

thanks, hojo

[Apex Predator]

The last batch i bought from rudderbows.com.  It's not the greatest I have used though.  I am looking for a better source now.

[Widowbender]

Looking Good So Far!!

David

[Apex Predator]

Here is a quick update.  I haven't had as much time to work on it lately, and the work is going slower without my belt sander.  I am almost ready for bracing.  The right limb is still a little stiff though.

 

 

Here is a riser shot showing the fades, and another showing the tips a little more finished.

 

 

[LEOPARD]

Looking very nice mate! Good job!
This is gonna be a winner!    Thanks for sharing with us!  

[Apex Predator]

I was able to work on my bow some more this morning.  I got the limbs bending 10" past the handle on the long string.  Now it's time to cut some string grooves.  I start with just a groove on the back to hold the string.  After I string her up she may need some side adjustment on the limbs to get the string to line up down the limbs.  After I get everything in line I will trace the string on each side of the tip while it's strung to know where I want the grooves cut into the sides.  I measure 3/4" from the very tip and mark a line.  I find this gives me room for a cup style stringer.  I first cut a guide line in with a small trianglular file and then follow it with a tile cutting coping saw.  I cut it just deep enough for most of the saw blade to hide in the groove.

 

 

 

 

 

I strung her up with a brace height of 3-4" and gasped in shock.  I had a bad hinge in both limbs just past a node on each end about 12" from the tips.  I unstrung her immediately!  I still have a good bit of belly wood to work with, and think I can work out the hinges by removing wood else-where.  On the long string the limbs were bending some towards the tips, and I should have known they were too thin.  As I learn these mistakes I will become a better bowyer!  Hopefully some of you can learn from my mistakes!  

[JEFF B]

man that looks awesome cant wait to see the finished bow.    hats off to you sir