If you’re just getting into bow building, a Bamboo backed osage longbow might be a good way to get started. This video shows the process from start to finish. This was my first time dabbling with bamboo backing and laminated glue up bows so I got a lot of help from the guys down at the Oklahoma Selfbow Jamboree. With so much going on at the event, I didn’t have time to finish the bow while there so I brought it home to finish the tillering process. The process went smoothly but it came in just a little under weight. If I were to do this again I would have put a lot more reflex into the limbs to raise the weight and add a little more snap to the bow. You can get all the materials you need at 3Rivers (link below). Just search for bow building and you’ll find bamboo backing, osage laminates, glue, etc. If you have any questions on what you need, just shoot them an email or give them a call. They’ll be able to set you up with everything you need.
On another note, I’m still uploading exclusive content at patreon.com/clayhayes. In the next section I’ll be finishing off the hickory flatbow we started earlier. We’ll also cover heat treating whitewoods to improve performance of second string bow woods. And this one turned out to be a shooter! I hope to see you there.
Hey clay what kind of speed did you get out of that bamboo backed bow
I never shot it though the chrono but it wasn’t shooting nearly as fast as some of my selfbows. This is just a result of the design and lack of much reflex. If I were to build another one I’d glue it up with the limb tips well in front of the handle. And I’d make it a little shorter. Those two things would up the performance significantly. ch