question on recurve bbo

[lockon]

I've finally got the money up to order some osage and bamboo for a bbo bow. I've always wanted to make a recurve bbo. Any gotcha's or things I need to know? I've built several boo backed longbows and glass recurves/rd's. I'm wondering if I need to bend the osage pre-layup or not?

[Bert Frelink]

Yes you will have to bend the Osage and Bamboo separetly before glueing them together.


Good luck with your project.
Bert

[Pat B]

Get Dean Torges' video, "Hunting the Bamboo Backed Bow". Has what you need in it.

[Tom Leemans]

Ditto what Pat said. You don't have to prebend though, just build a clamping station like Dean's in the video, and saw a kerf for a thin wedge of osage to be glued in where the limb recurves. I think the kerf was about 14" long, but I'd have to recheck the video. It really didn't say in the video, but Dean told me the handle area is reflexed. Of course I'm talking about a working recurve, not a static.

[lockon]

This site is great! I asked a question and the guys I really wanted to hear from (because I had seen some of their stuff from previous posts and knew they had made some pretty cool recurves like what I wanted to do) all responded with things I needed to hear. Thank ya'll for helping me out.
I'd like to get the book/video from Dean, but can't right now. I am curious about the kerf. Maybe I don't understand, but what's the difference if I leave it thicker? Also, I think I need to use steam/wet heat to bend the osage but dry heat to bend the boo?

[Pat B]

Osage bends very well with dry heat. That is all I use!

[horseapple]

It really all depends on what bend your wanting to achieve, a slow mild bend, use dry heat, a sharp 90* bend use steam or boil, being that I only build static non bending tips I always boil for 45min.

[Pat B]

The recurves on the osage bow in my avatar were bent with dry heat and oil. I clamp the tip to the form, give it a good coat of olive oil and heat it until gravity begins to bring the bow down. Then I pull it easily, keeping the tip aligned as best I can and then clamp it in place. Generally with any recurves you will have to make adjustments later to get the tips lined up and the string tracking true. I use dry heat for this also.