Ozbow

A the title says.

I think it's about time I tried some more curvy bows (as much as I love longbows) such as recurves, deflex/reflex, deflex recurve and what have you.

I have some nice boo flooring I'd like to try, but was wondering if the heat used to bend it would cause the laminates within it to delaminate.

If no one has tried it, I shall peer over the precipice and report back.

Hi Dave,

The only way to find out is to heat bend some test strips.

If successful and you make a full sized stave it will most likely need to be backed and possibly a belly lamination applied to prevent the shape from pulling out.

Daryl.

Cheers Daryl,I think I may have to.

I thought if anyone had done it before, you might have, but I guess that on your bamboo horse bows the curves are glued in rather than heat bent.

My intention was always to back any recurve, and the underlay had occurred to me too.

When I get a chance, I'll have a crack and report back. I made the caul this weekend.

I haven't tried it, but I would be fairly confident those industrial strength glues would be up to the task of stopping delamination from dry heat. As it will be backed it shouldn't matter about becoming too brittle/dry in tension either.

yeoman wrote:I think it's about time I tried some more curvy bows (as much as I love longbows) such as recurves, deflex/reflex, deflex recurve and what have you.

I would suggest that you do not build in deflex as string follow will most likely provide more than you require.

yeoman wrote:I made the caul this weekend.

Did you put more reflex / recurve than you require to allow for what is lost when it comes off the form?

I have long been of the opinion that people that build deflex into their bows by gluing them up into deflex on a form are robbing themselves of potential. There are scientific reasons for believing so. What I eventually hope to graduate to is something similar to the deflex/reflex bows of Marc St.Lois, where the limbs are set in deflex at the center, and the limbs are heavily reflexed, be they recurved or no.

But small steps.

The caul I made is for the recurve bit only. Perhaps 'caul' is the wrong term and 'form' is more appropriate? Anyway, my form makes a curve eight inches long, and if the limb kept all the recurve (and I don't expect it to), it would put the tips 3 inches forward of the handle in a straight bow.

I'm prepared to make another, more radical, form if too much of the shape pulls out.