I had a day off yesterday, which is always good no matter what I do (or don't do) and I spent some time working on my tri-lam.  Thanks to the Amazing Gizmo, I'm pretty happy with the tiller and it came in just a few pounds over the 45# I was hoping for.  This is my first attempt at one of these so I just guessed at the thickness and taper for the walnut core.  Wishing I had a do over on that    :rolleyes:   If I try another one, it will be an eighth thinner and taper faster from the fades.  Keeping my fingers crossed once again.  I shot about 30 arrows thru it and like the way it shoots.  Just hoping the osage is thick enough on the belly and holds up.  Went to my local Woodcraft store in the afternoon and found a great hickory board for $25.  Grain looks really straight and clear and it's a whopping 5 1/2" by a full inch and 8 feet long.  Had to put my favorite beverage in the pic.  Yep, it's soda pop.  Stewart's makes the finest cream soda on the planet     :cool:

takefive thats pretty!  is that your first tri-lam?  i want to try one. I suppose its kinda the same as making a glass bow right?  have to get your lam thickness right before glue up and tiller by taking meat off the limb width?

Thanks Eric.  Yes, it's my first try at one.  I did end up having to scrape some off the osage belly cuz I just guessed at the core thickness and taper and made that too thick.  Livin' and learnin'  :-)

I guess it's Ok.  

Bow looks nice Roy I think you left your glasses out in the shop today.

Thanks guys.  Just have to finish sand and seal it and wrap the handle.  Will post some pictures if it turns out decent.

What's the plan for that board? board bow or backing strips?

Nice straight grain hickory .... yeah I'd probably rip that into a bunch of backings ... hey you can always make a trilam out of all hickory too ... Get some nice reflex into it ...

Not sure yet.  Dean Torges' DVD shows a bamboo backed recurve that I was thinking of using hickory instead of osage.  But I don't know if I'm ready to tackle one of those yet.  Maybe just a straight up r/d hickory and boo.  I will rip some of it for backing.  Lotta wood there :-)

what is on the back of that bow? hickory, white oak, or bamboo? I think i want to copy you.    

It's hickory Eric.  I finished it this week and have shot a couple hundred arrows thru it.  I'll get some pic's up soon.  It's 66" long, 1 1/2" at the fades down to 1/2" tips.  I made the hickory 1/8"  and the maple core 1/4" at the center with a straight taper to 1/8" at the tips.  After tillering, the osage belly is only 1/8".  Already thinking about making another one with an elm core, but I'd make the core 1/16" thinner at the center and have it taper faster from the fades.  Hopefully I'd be left with a little more osage    :rolleyes:

Oops...the core is walnut, not maple.  Must've been thinking about pancakes again :-)

I've done a few trilams, and I've been trying to shoot for a 1/3, 1/3 1/3 split between the back, core and belly, with all being tapered. Mainly just for looks.

how critical is the grain when you are building a trilam? does each lam need to be as perfect as it would need to be in a self-board bow?

That's a good question.  I don't think it's a factor for the core, but maybe for the belly and more so for the back.  My hickory backing had a little grain run off to it but not too bad.  The osage belly was from a Pine Hollow board and I think that they recommend that you use them with backing.  At least that's my take on it.  Maybe someone who has built more than one trilam will weigh in.  I'd be interested to learn from their experience, too.