Alright.... so I finally got my material ordered and received the lams in the mail. The wife texted me "your bow came today". I told her "lol, some assembly required"

The fiberglass is dead on 1.5", but the wood lams are nearly 1.6". What is the safest way to narrow the lams. I don't have an edge sander. So I'm thinking about clamping them to the bench with a metal strip as a guide then using either a small belt sander or maybe just a razor. Any suggestions?

No razor
Hand sand with the metal strip as a guide.

yep
80 or 120 grit will take it off easy

Well I'm glad you are putting some wood in it..    

QuoteOriginally posted by Roy from Pa:
Well I'm glad you are putting some wood in it..      

Baby steps Roy.
Maybe once I get a few under my belt I'll let you coach me through a tri lam........maybe  

I'd have to think on that one..  

Don't strain yourself thinking about it. I figure it will be awhile.
But who knows, I might just show up at your door with a six pack.......of 7up  :D  
That is if I knew where you were in PA.

Things have been a little busy with work and kids basketball, but I've managed to sneak in a little bit of work on the bow and form. Today I got my first experience with smooth on. Wow!!!  Dry run on riser inlay seemed so easy. Add smooth on and pieces just wanna slide everywhere except where you want them. Luckily I had lots of clamps ready. I think everything ended up where it was supposed to be. Guess I'll know tomorrow when I pull the clamps off.

Also swung by the tire shop and scored a couple free tire tubes. I think the form is all ready to go. As long as the contact cement bonds good with the galvanized metal strip. I'll check that in a few days to make sure the cement is completely dried. If not, I guess I'll have to countersink a few screws in it.

Contact cement seems to work with just about anything.  It looks good.  Never thought to use a metal strip there.

The riser came out of the first clamp up ok. Not perfect, just ok. Few thick glue lines. If nothing else, I learned a lot about smoothon and clamping. I think it will still make a riser. The riser is back in the clamps now with the top piece of walnut and will come out this evening.

The second part of the riser glue up was a success. Got it all sanded up. Then I split it back into the two pieces it originally started as(they were temporarily bonded by a couple thin strips of pine), and sanded those two sides. Now I will add a third board into the middle and laminate them back together.
I know this seems confusing and complicated, but there are a couple reasons for it. I wanted an 1-3/4" wide riser so I could cut the site window an 1/8" past center, because I mostly shoot large diameter aluminum. I also wanted the inlay to show both sides unbroken, but also wanted a single board in the middle uncut to act as an I beam.

Got my backside lams spliced and cut to length. And finally got to do my first dry fit with the riser block. I gotta say, I am one lucky sob. Riser fits the form nearly perfect.

The only place I can see any light is at both ends of the riser. This pic is of the worse side.

I think it will be alright once the fades are cut and sanded. They should be thin enough to flex to the form.

Alright gentlemen, I could really use some honest feedback here. Right now the riser is about 2.5" deep. I may bring it down to 2.25", but I also plan on having a little higher wrist than most longbows. This would allow me to cut the throat a little deeper without sacrificing strength.
Any thoughts/suggestions?

Finally got all my lams cut to length and on the form for my first dry run. I just cut a few small bands to hold everything in place and check fit. Looks like I'm gonna have to add another set of dowels to get good pressure on the belly lams.  Or I will need to soften the belly curves a little. Or maybe both, who knows.

Things are progressing a little slow. But it's all good, as long as I keep moving forward and not backward.

Well I think glue up is finally gonna happen this weekend. I've done a couple dry runs and everything seems to be fitting together well.
Any last words of wisdom?

Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Plastic wrap and extra gloves are your friend!

Keep the centerline of riser and form clear so you can be sure to get all centered up. I mark the edges of lams and glass too with center so I can keep those on center of form. Especially if you have a taper under riser.

Loosen the side washers up a bit and hand tighten when aired up. If they pinch the glass and lame, you will have a thick spot on limb edge. Mistake # 1,251 for me! LOL

QuoteOriginally posted by kennym:
Loosen the side washers up a bit and hand tighten when aired up. If they pinch the glass and lame, you will have a thick spot on limb edge. Mistake # 1,251 for me! LOL

Where do I put the air in my rubber bands??   :confused: