just pulled my first fiberglass attempt off of the form, and i'm trying to figure out how to cut out my bow outline.  i don't have a bandsaw, but i do have a jigsaw.  i also have a dremel, with sanding disc things, and a teeny skill saw attachment.

would the sanding disc thing work well? anybody tried it?

What about a hacksaw? I think I remember hearing about someone using that to cut it out.

Dremmel with a cutoff wheel may be an option as well.

innocente, i think i've seen you on PA, right?  You make kickass selfbows, i think.

I would get the jigsaw as far away from your new bow as possible, just in case.  other than that, i've never worked with glass, so i dunno...irwin pullsaw?

I used a jigsaw for my last two bows and it worked out well. I Recommend to use a blade for metal, because the ones for wood won't last very long. With a metal blade I can cut out one bow before it's gone. A metal blade cost me about 2-3 bucks, i think that's not much, compared to the time I can save.



The only thing you have to take care is not to cant the saw. Especially at the tips that can be a bit tricky. But you're much faster that way than sanding it all down.

----------
Andy

I do all my shaping on the belt sander.

Agree with swissbow. I also use jigsaw, but I have mounted it upside down on a plate of MDF. If you cut a slot for the blade first, you get an accurate tool for your outline. But do not try it without masking tape;)

I've used a table saw before for the rough out, but like anything else you can ruin a bow in less than a second.

ha you have me confused with a skilled bowyer, carver! i specialize in kindling.

thanks for the advice guys, i had intended to use the cutoff on the dremel, but while knocking off the epoxy with the belt sander, i noticed it peels away fiberglass really well, so i just kept on going, shaved the outline out with just the sander!