Seeking Help with First Bow Attempt

[Matty]

Hi guys, I'm Matt. I've recently picked up a bit a spotted gum in the hopes of making a flatbow out of it. It's 6' long and 2"x1.5". The grain is relatively straight with a little run off, there's no knots and there's only one or two very slim, short and shallow gum veins.

This is my first attempt at making a bow. I've shot a compound bow for a few years, so I know a reasonable amount about modern archery in general, but traditional bows/archery I only know what I've researched online.

My first question is, do you think I could get two bows out of this by cutting it in half along the thinnest plane (making two 0.75" thick bows)? I have some beechwood for the handle, so I'm just wondering how thick the limbs (at the their thickest point) would need to be. I'd really like to get two bows out of it so I can make one for me and one for my wife. Also, the draw weight will only be between 40 and 45# at 28", so that might let me tiller it a little thinner than normal (I don't want to make my first bows too strong; I'd like to give them as much of a chance as possible of living a long, healthy life).

Now for my second question. I've got about a foot of 100% linen (110 cm wide) fabric for the backing (I'm pretty sure it'll need some backing because of the run outs). Can I just glue two 100 cm long strips of linen on the back of the bow (so that they meet in the middle)? Or is it necessary to find a continuous 2 metre strip of linen? I can't imagine it would be because there shouldn't be too much stress at the back centre of the bow, but I just want to make sure instead of making assumptions.

Finally, what kind of finish would you guys recommend for the completed bow(s)? I know it's a bit of a personal preference, but I guess I'm more looking for advice on what finishes I should stay away from (if any).

Thanks a lot,
Matt

[longbow steve]

Hi Matty, You may be able to get 2 bows out of the board by picking up weight through shortening the bows however you will loose some thickness from the blade and then any runout if using a bandsaw.
I see no reason why the Linen backing couldn't be joined up in the middle of a rigid handle bow.
Shellac, Tung oil, Tru oil, Minwax wipe on are all suitable/obtainable finishes. Steve

[Stickbow Hunter]

Welcome to Ozbow Matt. I think Steve has answered most of your questions. I will add that if you are careful you should be able to get two bows out of the board. I agree also that you can just overlap the linen in handle section of the bow. If you do a search of the site you should dig up some threads on making Spotted Gum board bows. Please keep us up to date with your progress.

Jeff

[Matty]

Ok, thanks very much for that guys. I reckon I'll try and split it up (extremely carefully; I want to try and avoid the drive back up to the timber shop at all costs!) and go from there.

I'm not sure how long it'll take - depends on when I find time to work on it, but I'll be sure to post if I've got any more questions along the way and I'll post some pictures of the final build (maybe before I finish it though; I'd like to make sure my tiller is correct first).

Thanks again