Tillered another today........

[kimall]

I am still experimenting with the bamboo and tried some new things today and very happy with the results on this on.Ok so what did I try on this one..........
Thicker and narrower than before
Stiffer handle section after the bending handle of the last one
More bending on the tips..........
I backed it with a veneer of American oak but a bit thicker this time( 1/4 inch) and tapered it to the tips to 1/8 inch.
My findings are that the bamboo seems to responed better to having a bit more meat in the thickness of the limbs and not so flat and combined with the stiffer handle this shot a 550 grain arrow at 167.5 FPS It was a touch over 60# so that was exciting but it had more hand shock than I was prepaired to put up with so I took some wood from the fade outs and made it bend a little more in the handle section and lost a pound or two and dropped the speed down to 164-165 but made it a completley differant bow to shoot and much nicer in the hand.I know it is very much a personal thing but I did make a bend through the handle bow last time and can say I just dont like the feel of that type of bow and my results also showed at the same weight to be slower shooting bow.So there is a compremise between to stiff and too bendy in the handle.However they are very simple to make as other have said.The Bamboo is very easy to work and would be great for beginers to start with as it is very consistant but does make a very bulky bow compared with the same weight bow in a hardwood like spotted gum or similiar,this is not a real prob as it does not equal more phyisical weight(not the draw weight) as the Boo is very light.Anyway it is now a touch under 60 and is shooting at 163-165 with the 16 strand dacron tiller string so I will put some antler tip overlays on and make a 12 strand 8125 string and keep this one as a long term test and see if I can shoot something with it.It seems to point and shoot where I look so should make a great hunting bow.I hope some of my tests help anyone thinking of giving this material a go for a selfbow and feel free to ask any questions...........
Cheers KIM

[perry]

Cranking them out Kim , where do you find the time ?? I'm assuming your still using the bamboo flooring , others are finding boo flooring very good for laminations but with a timber backing I am surprised at how well it seems to be taking compression .

Im in a bow design frenzy at the moment and now you got me thinking about yet another project .

Any particular type or brand of flooring and the crunch for us tight wods - how much per metre . Keep up the great work .

regards Perry

[kimall]

Hi Perry hows things mate?Yes about one a week at the moment Doing a lot of experimenting as no one else seems to be using the bamboo for anything other than laminations so it is a bit of new ground really.i didnt pay for this flooring I got as i made a bit of a deal with the guy at the carpet shop that I would make a bow for him and his son as payment but if you want to make a bow or 2 drop in and you are welcome to a couple of boards if you want.At first I thought it may have too much string follow but it seems to make a better bow than first expected.Thats the best ever speed I have got from a self bow today and I was stoked thats for sure.
Cheers KIM

[Stickbow Hunter]

The limbs look to have a nice bend Kim. All the best with it.

Jeff

[Dennis La Varenne]

Kim,

You are certainly getting a handle on tillering by the look of your bows. That is certainly an interesting idea of using a backed bamboo bow in the reverse of the normal manner and is clearly an excellent performer.

Pity your bend-in-the-handle bow did not work out to be as quick as you may have expected. They can and do perform very well indeed - much better than your first effort seems to indicate. Don't judge them by that alone. They are like flatbows. If you play around with wood distribution, they start coming together very nicely.

Many people just don't like them, which is fine. They aren't for everybody. I find a certain elegance in their simplicity.

Just a little terminology nitpick - traditionally, a wood backed bow isn't a selfbow. Selfbows are made only from the one wood specie without backing by another wood specie. Selfbows can be backed using a non-wood material such as silk, rawhide, linen, etc. when used only to prevent spells starting on the back or running if they have already developed. I know some are bamboo-backed, which is not a wood specie, so the traditional definition meets a legalistic roadblock, but I think you get my drift.

Anyway, keep up the excellent work. Before long, I think you will be someone people will want to ask advice from.

Dennis La Varenne

[perry]

Kim thanks for the offer and the invite . I have not had a good night sleep as your sucess with the boo flooring in laminated wood bows has me making plans of laying up a 3 piece takedown bow with a spotted gum floor board backing and bamboo floorboard belly . Copped a heap of ribbbing over the years with using floor boards as selfbows - bracing for more when I unvale this one . Gotta get this 3 piece takedown business out of my system .

Try the working handle bows again Kim - they have the potential to store more energy than a ridgid handled bow can due to more working wood . They are in my veiw the most difficult to tiller as to much bend in the handle means handshock and wasted energy bacically as its an extreme example of a bow with to ridgid outer limbs .

I tend to tiller them more circular and have the handle so it works only just enough so it can be felt working very very slightly with a tight grip and not at all with my shooting grip . I once made a working handle 45# selfbow out of a wood known as turpentine that shot a 500 grain arrow 163 fps . I regret giving it away .

Try retillering that last working handle bow by taking a teny bit more bamboo from the mid limbs out and see what happens . Good luck .

regards Perry

[Dennis La Varenne]

Kim,

I second Perry's advice too.

Dennis La Varenne

[kimall]

Apology
So I dont make the mistake of calling a bow something it is not as we all know what can happen when we do that from now on all bows I make will just be called "Bows"
Dennis if I am not mistaken there has already been a couple of questions so even now I am famous.
I wont bother you guys with any more of these experiments but Perry I just dont like the feel of a bow that bends in the hand and I gave that bow to the guy who gave me the boards so it wont be retillered.
Cheers KIM

[longbow steve]

Hi Kimall, The bows are looking great.
There has been a lot of bamboo flooring bows made on US sites and Euro sites.
The bows that a friend has made were unbacked but for their dimension were quite low draw weight. Obviously from your experiments a backing can add a bit of rigidity to get a reasonably normal sized bow. Good on yah.
Check out Paleo, Primitive archer etc you may be able to avoid covering old ground. Steve

[Gringa Bows]

Kim dont stop posting your experiments you have motivated me into having a go at doing one in the near future wasnt interested before.........Rod

[Coach]

That bow looks cool , I dont care what ya call em Keep posting away dude

[Dennis La Varenne]

Kim,

Like Rod above, I hope you keep putting up your experiments. All of us learn from them and give us ideas for other applications or just want to copy something you have done to see how it goes.

Don't worry too much about the terminology thing too much. The reason we have these terms is so that there is a common language so we can all understand what we are talking about without lengthy explanations or misunderstandings, just like you plumbers who have names for the items of your trade which all plumbers understand. It is just the same thing. Trad archery seems to be turning into a terminology free-for-all these days. I don't know why. Many of our terms have been around for decades at least and hundreds of years in some cases. Using these terms is not any kind of elitism. It is just like plumbers talking plumbing.

That's also why we have published a Glossary of Traditional Archery terms on ozbow so the newcomers can learn the craft and its jargon.


Dennis La Varenne

[kimall]

OK no pics this time but I put a proper string on it today and a handle as when I shot it before it was with the tillering string.Anyway tonight I got 179 FPS with a 12 strand 8125 string on it at 60 pound shooting a 520 grain arrow and even with no silencers on it was quiet as a mouse.I will take some final pics tomorrow as I stained it also today.
Cheers KIM

[perry]

Impressive results Kim , I am intrigued that the bamboo boards are taking compression so well . There is a bamboo board place near work and they are pretty cheap per metre so I will go grab some . Got me thinking again .

Regards Perry

My turn for a stir - did you give it an extra inch or so of draw

[kimall]

Perry with the target panic I suffer it is prob only getting 27.
Are you going to Gladstone shoot as I am now going so it will be there.
Cheers KIM

[kimall]

Ok its all done and dusted and has been shooting for a couple of weeks and is going great so here are some completed pics. for those that dont like a lot of colour turn down your monitors.

[bsrecurve]

i like it!!!

[Stickbow Hunter]

That is one bright colour scheme - too much for me. I'm glad the bow turned out well and is a shooter - congrats.

Jeff

[Dennis La Varenne]

Kim,

That is a remarkable performance from your bow. You should be well pleased with your effort and deservedly so.

Dennis La Varenne

[Hood]

Great job Kim.
With a bow in those colours I say it wont be long and your running around with a feather in your hair, a tomahawk and war paint on.

[Moss]

awesome

[ichiban]

thats an awsome job i love the handle and hey if you paint the arrows in the same way you will never lose them..... but every animal will see you coming hehe awsome job

[Coach]

OMG thats LOUD But as long as she is a shooter thats all that matters

[kerrille]

have you named it yet ? Bob marley sounds good ...nev