I have a 43 pound hickory longbow that is unbacked. I was wondering how much draw weight it would add if I backed it with bamboo. I need a 55 pound bow to hunt elk and haven't had the time to make one between work and family. Any help would be much appreciated.
More than you want! You would have re-tiller and get rid of some excess draw weight.
And get the back prefectly flat and even.
If it has a good back you can add a compression strong wood as a belly lam. Osage or ipe comes to mind!