Laminated bow laminations

[Mike-dy]

Just curious if any of the Lam bowyers out there use full length laminations or does everyone use the 36" ones and splice them together? I ground my own full length tapered lams, are they supplied as 36" lengths for ease of shipping? bit hard to coil them up like glass.

While still on the subject of laminations and those that do make their own, has anybody tried the LVL structural beam as a lamination material? I used it to make my Form and when grinding the Bamboo lams ran the offcuts from squaring of the form through the drum sander and it struck me how similar in appearence to actionwood it was, just without the colour.
Anyway I have enough for another bow ground up and figured it won't hurt to try it when the form is free, all it will cost is the glass and glue if it fails If it works theres a lot of lams in a 5.2M by 190 x 45 beam for roughly $80, cheaper than bamboo floor boards and less work than the 10" bamboo poles I am currently using.

[kimall]

Mate I use full length lams I cut from B/B floor boards under black glass I dont know if the LVL would be any good when I was looking in to it for a form the stuff I found had a few gaps in it which would not help but the stuff in your pic looks better quality.I have spiced some shorter ironbark lams together for a centre lam.I dont taper any of my lams.
Cheers KIM

[Mike-dy]

Hi Kim,
The LVL does have gaps but only in the outer two laminations, the inner lams being joined under pressure have no gaps and being 45mm thick the outside edges are trimmed off anyway. I cut my lam blanks down to 40mm wide.
I did ask about using all parallel lams on here last year and got some real good responses
Cheers,
Mike

[Gringa Bows]

Mike, i use full lenght lams.3 taperd 1 parrelell,i started out useing 36in.and joining them,Kim was you serious about not useing tapered lams,sounds interesting ............Rod

[longbow steve]

Hi Mike, full length lams for me, some bow designs require taper others keep getting faster the less you put in it.
Maybe ask what timber and glue is used in the LVL, if it is a timber you would use for a lam normally then thats a start. Glue need to be up to the stress of a bow and the temps it's exposed to. The bamboo flooring is made with URAC so is fine for our purposes.
Keep us informed . Steve

[kimall]

Yep very serious mate they are parrell tapers in all the bows I have made.
Cheers KIM

[Gringa Bows]

now i'm confused do you use paralells or tapers ...........Rod

[kimall]

Them there flat ones that dont get no skinnier as you go along what is wrong wuth ya.
Sorry mate I really should use the preview button hey.
Cheers KIM

[Gringa Bows]

ooookkkk thanks for clearing that up mate. ............Rod

[Glenn]

One of the fastest and smoothest longbows I ever shot had all parallel laminations. Parallels are good for recurves as well...Glenn...

[Mike-dy]

Them there flat ones that dont get no skinnier as you go along what is wrong wuth ya.
Sorry mate I really should use the preview button hey.
Cheers KIM

I had to go back and read it again to see what he was on about
What is a " parallel taper"

[pdccr]

I was just about to answer your question, as if to say, i know the answer to that...then i re-read the question and gave up

[Gringa Bows]

Heeeyyyy,i knew what i was talkin about,i think ..........Rod

[pdccr]

Are all hardwoods good for lamination? I might go to the salvage yard and see if they have some nice timbers there. I know i will get some bamboo for cores. Someone is chopping some hoop pine trees down and i managed to get some nice wood from them. Are softwoods any good for lams?

[kimall]

Sorry guys I MENT parrell "laminations" not tapers.MY bad.
Cheers KIM

[Mike-dy]

We know Kim, Funny thing was I didn't notice until it was mentioned

[roscoe]

I am in the process of making a laminated longbow straight limb design. I would like to know also if i used parrallel laminations instead of tappered how good would the bow turn out? Would it bend to much at the fades? Has any one made a longbow with parrallel laminations? Any advice also on this subject would be appreciated. I have a mate with a thicknesser and it would be easier for me at this stage to make them parallel until i get some master tappers. I have know idea how you could tapper laminations full length. Maybe someone has a design of longbow that works better with parallel laminations?

thanks
roscoe

[Gringa Bows]

what a coinsedence im half way through doing a bow same desine as the last couple but this one has all parellel core lams,just experimenting hope to have it up to string up stage by tonight will let you know how it goes ...........Rod

[pdccr]

When you say all parallel core lams does that mean that the outers are tapered? Is it under glass or boo?

[Gringa Bows]

none of the lams are taperd and its under 50th. glass and if i stop sitting here i might get it finished ...........Rod

[pdccr]

Yes, less talk more do Too hot to even think about leaving the breezeway from me.

[Gringa Bows]

going to get a beer now so might speed things up i hope...............Rod

[pdccr]

Dont let the taste carry you away, remember the task ahead

[roscoe]

That will be good to know rod. I will be making the bow with bamboo verticle grain lamelle board. clear glass front and back. I will be very interested to know how your bow turned out.

ross

[roscoe]

Sorry i forgot to mention, it will have four laminations. I thought for my first laminated bow it would be good to make the laminations parrallel until i get some master tapers. I have ordered the master tapers last week.
Ross

[kimall]

Here is apic Roscoe of a bow with Parralell lams 58 inch long about 60 pound I think.Just over 200fps so I wont be using the tapered lams unless I turn them around and put the thinner ends near the handle.
Cheers KIM

[kimall]

Here is one at full draw.
Cheers KIM

[kimall]

Unstrung...........

[roscoe]

thanks kimall thats a nice looking bow. 200fps that moving for a traditional bow. I noticed that your limbs a reflexed, is that the way to get the limbs moving in a parrallel lam bow? What do you think with a straight layed bow. I have noticed that some people are reversing there tappered laminations.

thanks for the photos, its good to see a parralell limb design

Ross

[Gringa Bows]

heres a photo of the one im doing now,still got masking tape over it,still got to finish the handle and do the tip overlays,hopefully put it through the chronograph tomorrow,i'de finish it tonight but gotta have a beer instead ....................Rod